[DeTomaso] Some tech analysis of Classic LeMans 08

[Charles McCall]

Thomas - how tight is your steering rack?

I, too, installed the offset bushings and the improvement was rather slight.
But I had always had a certain amount of slop in my steering rack.

Last summer Tomas helped me adjust it by installing and removing the shims,
and we got 99% of the slop out. THAT transformed the ride. It was enough of
a difference that amaya noticed it from the passenger seat. It turns out
that a significant amount of the darting about was caused by the loose
steering rack, allowing the wheels to turn a little to the left, then right,
and back to the left. The ride is SIGNIFICANTLY different with a tight
steering rack.

It still isn't as effort-free as an early car, but it is much, much better
and has largely eliminated the "white knuckle" effect you describe.

On Thu, May 28, 2009 at 9:19 AM, Thomas Tornblom <Thomas.Tornblom at hax.se>wrote:

> JDeRyke at aol.com skrev:
>
> > Second, Patrick had some handling issues, which were resolved by
> installing
> > a set of Pat Michaels' front A-arms, and immediately dropped 20 seconds
> per
> > lap! With 7-minute lap times, this is enormous! Pat Michael's custom
> a-arms
> > build in a much larger amount of caster than is possible with stock
> parts.
> > I have been harping for years on the addition of at least SOME extra
> caster
> > in your street Panteras, especially if you run very wide front wheels and
> > tires. You don't need to run 190 mph on twisty roads to feel the
> benefits!
>
> Over the winter I installed Pantera Easts offset PU A-arm bushings,
> which gives some more caster.
>
> I've heard a lot of good things about these, but I can't say I notice
> any significant improvement. It is still a white knuckle ride, even
> after checking the wheel alignment.
>
> I now have about 3° (3°03' left, 3°13' right) of caster. Unfortunately
> the machine they used when I had it checked in 2000 was not
> sophisticated enough to be able to check caster with the alignment
> equipment hooked up on the front wheels.
>
> Checking the owners manual I see the nominal caster is 3°30' - 4°, so
> even with these bushings I'm unable to get it to even the nominal spec.
>
> Offset A-arms might be a better choice.
>
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