Texas Manx Club

by **KIM-P** » 01 Mon Sep, 2008 11:31 am

OK, just got back from a 50 mile round trip.
I realize the short wheel base of our buggies makes
for some really tight turns. But any speed over 50 mph
tends to be a little hairy. As in the slightest turn of the
wheel causes the car to dart into the turn.
If I were a less experienced driver I would have put
it in a ditch or worse.
The front beam was completly rebuilt by me with stock
parts. The steering box is a bone stock 67 or 68,
ball joint. The toe in is set at 1/16 and camber as close
to zero as I could get it with my digital angle finder.
It goes strait with out pulling and I have a 14-3/4 inch
steering wheel,It was worse with my 13" wheel.
Will a worn steering box cause this? And should I
look for something else like the rear end alignment?

by **ckolek** » 01 Mon Sep, 2008 3:11 pm

hey Kim, it doesnt take much to turn theese cars at any speed, i would say it is probably the steering box if everything else is tight..they are not all that expensive to replace, so for peice of mind it may be a worth while expence..

by **Aquabuggy** » 01 Mon Sep, 2008 3:19 pm

KIM-P wrote: Will a worn steering box cause this? And should I
look for something else like the rear end alignment?

yes and yes
A four wheel alignment would be a good starting point, no point in throwing parts at it if the alignment is off.

by **Bill K** » 15 Mon Sep, 2008 9:55 pm

Do you have adequate caster in the front end, and the toe in could be at least 1/8, and up to a 1/4. At least I'm running 1/4 and the car behaves very well.

by **Jack Duncan** » 19 Fri Sep, 2008 12:13 am

Yes, Bill is right on. I had the same trouble with my 1927 Mod.T coupe. I added two degrees to the caster and the problem was gone. They make shims to go behind the bottom tube of your beam. It's made to be used on radically lowered buggies. Good luck. JD

by **Bill K** » 19 Fri Sep, 2008 8:05 am

Hey Jack, glad to see you on the Forum Board, and a great big welcome.

by **KIM-P** » 21 Sun Sep, 2008 7:50 pm

OK, caster shims, 4 wheel alignment, and then a steering box. As soon I get off work (on 7-12's) and get my yard cleaned up (lost 3 trees and got riped off by a tree removal service :oops:

) I'll start working on this and report back on my progress. Thanks guys I really appreciate your advice.

by **carlos del carpio** » 22 Mon Sep, 2008 10:41 am

are you using any anti-sway items?

by **KIM-P** » 22 Mon Sep, 2008 9:16 pm

No, I had ask about the anti-sway bar in another thread and got mixed reviews. I took my anti-sway bar off because it interfered with my front bumper. I havent lowered it yet so its nose high at this time and I only lowered the rear enough to set the rear tires flat on the ground. the shocks are leaking oil too. BUT its a very smooth ride even with the low pro tires. It can be seen in members ride under 1957 buggy.

by **KIM-P** » 17 Fri Oct, 2008 8:07 pm

Just got done installing weld in adjusters, new steering box, caster shims, new camber adjusters and set the toe in at 1/8 in.
What a diffrence all that made

Thanks for the advice.

by **BrianB** » 18 Sat Oct, 2008 5:45 am

Do you still have the old slotted wheels that were on it? They would look good on my Bradley GT.

by **KIM-P** » 18 Sat Oct, 2008 2:56 pm

Yes I do they are 14 x 7 and 14 x 8 with chevy 5 lug patteren 5 x 4-3/4.

by **KIM-P** » 24 Mon Nov, 2008 9:26 pm

CASTER SHIMS
Just read a DBHVW tech article that said to put 2 sets of caster shims behind the beam, I didnt think I needed 2 sets but I tried it anyway. They were right! Now it is very stable even at 75 mph on these back roads that I live on! 4 wheel alignment coming soon.
Also after installing the new steering box the steering was very stiff, the problem was the steering coupling was rubbing the gas tank, hard. After readjusting the box this problem was solved.

by **KIM-P** » 06 Fri Mar, 2009 7:16 pm

SHOCKS
Some of you have said that you're not using shocks up front!
Well I took mine off and the ride is a lot smoother BUT while taking a turn I had to apply the brakes a little harder then usual, this caused it to nose dive and raised the pucker factor way too high for my comfort.
Now the question, those of you without shocks, are you using new springs or stock 42 year old springs like I am?
I know these cars use old tech suspionsion and will not handle like my mustang gt but I still like to take turns fast! Surly Im not the only one that likes the feel of lateral G's. And is it possible to get a sporty ride without a rough ride?

by **Texasbuggys** » 06 Fri Mar, 2009 7:45 pm

shocks, Kim get the cheapest oil filled, not gas charged shocks and it will ride better.

by **David O'** » 06 Fri Mar, 2009 8:36 pm

Yea, what he says.......and the front sway bar will keep the front from trying to roll to the sides.

by **KIM-P** » 06 Fri Mar, 2009 9:03 pm

I have a anti sway bar but the clamps broke off when I tried to remove them. Where can I find the clamps and bushings for a stock anti sway bar? I havent seen any advertisments in any parts books or on web sites.

by **Jack Duncan** » 06 Fri Mar, 2009 11:00 pm

If you will be going to Fredericksburg, let me know and I will bring you a stock anti-sway bar with brand new urethane bushings.The clamps are included. You can have the setup FREE! I can't use it because I have a front bumper which gets in the way. How's that!

by **KIM-P** » 07 Sat Mar, 2009 9:56 am

Sounds great! But I have a front bumper also. I was going to try installing the bar upside down in hopes of clearing the bumper. Maybe even trying to cold bend the bar to get the propper clearance.
I know for a fact that these bars will bend because I bent one around a telephone pole 28 yrs ago! DRINKING AND DRIVING IS A REALLY STUPID THING TO DO!!!!

by **Bryan Porter** » 07 Sat Mar, 2009 3:09 pm

Front is softer without the bar and the car doesn't roll much anyway

by **Bill K** » 07 Sat Mar, 2009 6:24 pm

I removed the bar, and agree with Bryan.

by **KIM-P** » 08 Sun Mar, 2009 12:29 pm

Bill K wrote:I removed the bar, and agree with Bryan.

Bill, Ive read where you dont use shocks either. So, do you have old springs or new?

by **Bill K** » 08 Sun Mar, 2009 3:56 pm

Mine are old.

by **KIM-P** » 17 Thu Sep, 2009 7:06 pm

OK, this is the final tally on my suspention.
Complete rebuild of ball joint front beam with weld in adjusters lowered 2".
New TRW steering box.
New oil filled shocks all the away around.
Two sets of caster shims stacked ,two per side.
Camber is set with the top of the tire leaning inward 2 degrees, toe in set @ 1/16.
New polyurathane " Knobby bushings" on the rear swing arms.
Some people only install the outer bushing because its easier, I tried just the outer bushing first and then both inner and outer bushings. I liked both inner and outer bushings better. But just the outer bushings did make a differance in the handling. Now it handles great in the turns and I'm very pleased with the results.
On my 67 swing axle the inner bushing ID is 1-7/8" and the outer bushing ID is 1-3/4".
I'm not using any type of antisway bar. Also I set the front ride hight with the bottom spring adjuster and adjusted the top spring adjuster until it just barely lifted the car. This gives the car a much smoother ride over all.

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