On Tue, 9 Jul 1996, Moody, Mark wrote:
> Got a new (well sort of) 59 TR3A. 35K orig miles. Between 45 and 55 mph it
> shimmys so much I expect the already cracked steering wheel to come off in
> my hands. It will soon go to the shop, but I'm wondering what advice I can
> get on the key weak points in the front end. It's tempting to just swap it
> all out, but the car really only has 35K. Any suggestions for a logical
> order to attack this problem will be appreciated. I plan to lube the front
> and check the wheels tomorrow. My mechanic is suspicious of the steering
> box, but I think this may be looking too far. Also, any advice on good
> shops in the Boulder CO area would help.
If the car really has only 35K original miles, then the steering box won't
be worn enough to worry about (unless it was oil-less for most of thosde
miles). The steering box is almost never the cause of shimmy anyway. If
the front suspension is in good shape and correctly aligned, the front
wheels will track true and shimmy-less regardless of the steering box.
I'd replace the rubber suspension bushings, check the coil springs for
sag, and get a good alignment job done. The bushings deteriorate and the
springs sag as much from age as from mileage, and we _are_ talking about a
37 year old car here. Also check the front wheel bearings, since they can
easily have rusted if the car has been standing for a long time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chip Old 1948 M.G. TC TC6710 NEMGTR #2271
Cub Hill, Maryland 1962 Triumph TR4 CT3154LO (daily driver)
fold@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
If cars had evolved as fast as computers have, by now they'd cost a
quarter, run for a year on a half-gallon of gas, and explode once a day.
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