Background: I just purchased a 91 firebird trans am with a 305/auto trans. Awesome deal. It needs a rear sway bar link and it pulls quite hard to the right. It is so bad that to keep the car going straight you actually have to have the wheel turned some to the left. Im not sure if an alignment could be the problem. Im relatively new to working on these cars, so what are the main causes of bad alignment? Someone told me that the control arm bushings could be bad? What should i look for before i get an alignment? Im not sure if this affects anything but the previous owner replaced the airbag steering wheel with an older one without an airbag, is there a chance that it is not installed correctly? Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

Take it to a shop & just have them look at your front suspension. They should tell you what needs to be replaced before an alignment can be done. Most likely its your tie rod ends not being adjusted correctly. When the steering wheel is "straight", can you see either wheel out of adjustment?

 

If the problem is that the car pulls to the right (let go of the wheel and the car heads for the curb), as opposed to the steering wheel merely is offset to the right (looks goofy), start by swapping the front tires. While you have the car off the ground, see if the brakes are fully releasing.

 

Alright, sofakingdom, I just bought the car and i didnt notice if the wheel was goofy looking or not, but when you let go of the wheel it heads for the curb. And id rather diagnose the problem at home and put the parts on myself then get the alignment done. (trying to save money) Suspension part installation is no big deal i can teach myself about anything.

 

OK then, try swapping the tires from side to side first, and see where that takes you; and check that the calipers aren't binding on the rotors.

 

last time I had this problem it ended up being my front left flex line old and collapsed which lead to a sticking caliper..warped rotor and worn pads.And yes..the left side makes it pull to the right.I changed both side flew lines due to the age,serviced both calipers and new pads/rotors for peace of mind and as was well.

 

It's a good chance it is an alignment problem too.