[DeTomaso] Offset Poly Bushings

[Julian Kift]

Jack,
 
I assume you mean you had a total 3.6 degrees after the offset bushings installation, thus gaining 0.85 degrees as stock is 2.75 degrees. By installing the lower offset bushing you would gain a similar amount of just under a degree. I don't believe that offset bushings are able to offer an additional 3 degrees each top & bottom within the confines of the oem mountings as your e-mail appears to suggest.
 
BTW I drive the GT5 around town with over 7 degrees (a-arms modified) and actually don't notice any more steering/parking effort than when I had 2.75 degrees, what I do notice are a lot less pucker moments at speed on the freeway when I hit a joint in the asphalt.
 
Julian
 
 
> From: JDeRyke at aol.com
> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:39:40 -0400
> To: tborcich at msn.com; detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Offset Poly Bushings
> 
> Tom, what I can tell you is, our '72 L got about -3.6 degrees from offset 
> top bushings, and another -0.8 degree from milling 0.060" off one side of the 
> upper ball joint carrier. That totals -4.5 degrees- where it is today. By 
> adding offset bushings to the LOWER a-arms as well, you pick up another -3 
> degrees. But unless you have large upper arms and shoulders, you may not like 
> driving around town with over -5 degrees of caster. You also have to make a 
> new shim-pack to fill in the space created up top. Offset lower bushings 
> don't affect the shim-pack thickness. And of course, even after adding the 
> offset bushings, you can still adjust the exact caster you desire by changing 
> shim position.
> With caster in turns, the steering rack and wheel is actually lifting the 
> entire front of the car a few tenths of an inch which is why the steering 
> gets heavy with increased caster and on front engined cars, needs power 
> steering to compensate.
> The worst part of the whole exercise is removing the old rubber and 
> especially the steel outer shell from 16 places in your a-arms. But as I said- if 
> you pick the poly bushings that are sized to fit INSIDE the OEM steel bushing 
> shells, the job becomes infinitely easier with the same ultimate results. 
> Good luck- J DeRyke
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