So I got this car as a "free" farm find and have slowly come to realize why it was free. I have been fighting this weird roaming/erratic steering problem. My car literally can't drive in a straight line. It's and sr20ve swap and I've replaced everything from control arms, wheel bearings, the missing brake hardware. Today I set my alignment nearly perfect, then the second I go to drive it the alignment gets absolutely thrown out of wack. I can only think of the steering rack being f*** or my struts being blown. So my question is do you think either of those could cause catastrophic alignment issues? Could the rack have been routed wrong in the swap.

I driven on some blown shocks before, but usually that should just cause boat suspension or it could bottom out on the tower worst case, right?

I'm leaning towards the rack, but I really don't know anymore and I'm tried of throwing money at it.

Tie rods? Ball joints? Steering rack? You're suspicions are in the same areas I would be looking.

mdmellott wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 07, 2022 11:23 pm

Tie rods? Ball joints? Steering rack? You're suspicions are in the same areas I would be looking.

+1, that sounds a lot like bad ball joints. The front end has to be jacked to check them, it can't be done on ramps with the joints loaded. Put a prybar on and under them, no amount of play is acceptable.

I'm gonna bet bad steering rack bushings.

Get under it and have someone move the steering wheel. The rack should remain 100% still. I'll bet it doesn't.

AZhitman wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 08, 2022 11:45 am

I'm gonna bet bad steering rack bushings.

Get under it and have someone move the steering wheel. The rack should remain 100% still. I'll bet it doesn't.

Yep, I'll buy that too. Heck, a car that old from the bowels of a barn, there may not be a good piece of rubber on it anyplace.