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Old 05-07-2012, 08:01 AM   #1
Don
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Default 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

Lately my 35 doesn't ride or drive very good put a steering gear from a 38 ,didn't help much wants to wander ,hit a bump going In a curve and it's wants to change lanes . The tires are bias and about 15 yr old,shocks were good about 5 yrs ago, front end was all rebuilt at rebuild time,dont know what's going on,Shadetree,how does your 35 ride and drive?
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Old 05-07-2012, 08:44 AM   #2
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

Just a guess but, from your description, it sounds like you could use a new set of tires. 15 years is a long time, are you sure they are not dry rotted, out of round, stiff, etc. I would start with a new set of tires, I'd go with 6.00x16 radials with radial tubes, that way you're sure to improve the ride and handling characteristics of the car and the “bias-ply boogie” will be a thing of the past.
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Old 05-07-2012, 10:01 AM   #3
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

Your tires are probably very hard after 15 years, but I would jack up one front wheel at a time and check for play left to right and top to bottom. If you have play, replace the worn parts and adjust the toe in to 1/16".

If there is no play in the front end, try rotating the tires and checking toe in.
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Old 05-07-2012, 10:20 AM   #4
Gary in Mozarks
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

Quote:
Originally Posted by Don View Post
Lately my 35 doesn't ride or drive very good put a steering gear from a 38 ,didn't help much wants to wander ,hit a bump going In a curve and it's wants to change lanes . The tires are bias and about 15 yr old,shocks were good about 5 yrs ago, front end was all rebuilt at rebuild time,dont know what's going on,Shadetree,how does your 35 ride and drive?
Usually a car that wanders needs more toe in.
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Old 05-07-2012, 10:27 AM   #5
ken ct
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

Don were you at Hiawassie,Ga. show 5-6 yrs ago[NAT].Car looks familier.Are you going in June again?? ken ct.
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Old 05-07-2012, 01:27 PM   #6
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

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Probably the tires. I had the same problem on my '36 . It had tires about 35 years old and acted the same way until I put some tires maybe 1/2 that old on and it is much better. Bias ply tires work just fine if they are fairly new. I have them on 4 of my old Fords and they drive fine.
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Old 05-07-2012, 03:27 PM   #7
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

Like Garry &Tomo ,Use a tape measure and check toe in ,measure from the center tread ,front and back .
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Old 05-07-2012, 03:32 PM   #8
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

No,I have never taken any long trips in the 35 ,keep saying I'm going to drive the road through the smokies ,but keep putting it off and you know how that goes,. The car runs great and the Columbia really helps out on the highway.might hav to invest in a set of tires.. Will the spoke rims work ok with radials? What about the rubber ball where the a frame connects to frame,could there be a problem there? The front end is all new and tight. The steering gear need a little adjusting tho. Will recheck the toe in also.
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Old 05-07-2012, 03:37 PM   #9
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

I run 22 year old Fire /S cross Pls ,it wanderd all over .set the toe at 1/8 problem gone .
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Old 05-07-2012, 03:40 PM   #10
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

If you go with radials, you will have to use radial tubes. In the wire wheels they usually have a wide band of rubber that fits between the inside of the wheel and the radial tube to keep the tube from rubbing.
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Old 05-08-2012, 05:56 AM   #11
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

I have radials on my spoke rims & they have been holding air for over a year now without tubes ??
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Old 05-08-2012, 07:11 AM   #12
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

This is how my roadster steered right up till I Stopped driving it 9 years ago, but in my case I knew the steering box was worn, the tie rod ends and king pins were worn.(I had driven it 75000 miles in the fifteen years leading up to that point, not worth the risk of having a prang and the divorce stripped the cash reserves) Just in the middle of repairing these items now and I have a new set of white wall bias tyres to go on as well. It wasn't safe to drive so I had to park it till now.
Don are you sure your shocks are tight? It may be worth pulling the shock links and checking them out as well.
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Old 05-08-2012, 08:39 AM   #13
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Default Re: 35 roadster doesn't ride or drive very good

Don, my '35 fordor handled very poorly when I first bought it back in '07. Had 10 yr. old bias ply Firestones, bad shocks all the way around (only 5 yrs. old does not = good) and a few other minor classis/suspension issues, and this car did the boulevard boogie all over the place. It was so bad my wife refused to ride with me until I got these problems fixed (sometimes a blessing in disguise ). I don't believe changing to a '38 steerng box would cause 'road boogie' unless you installed a defective/poorly built/incorrectly adjusted box to begin with.
After I switched to radial tires and installed shocks that were all rebuilt by Bill Wzorek, this car rides like a Caddy and handles like a Porsche (well almost ) Just ask Charlie Stevens how crazy he thought I was driving on those Blue Ridge Parkway hairpin curves/turns going down those hills/mountains last October . That car can be made to drive very well if you follow up on the suggestions given here. I believe the single best thing I ever did on my cars was changing from bias to radial tires! Unlike Arnold....I would NEVER go back . Get that car handling correctly and then think about joining in on the EFV8 Clubs 50th anniversary cross country tour from Gettysburg, PA to Lake Tahoe, Nevada in June, 2013 to attend the GNM. This appears to be shaping up as probably the "motha of all tours" for me

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