73 eldorado...."torque steer?)

[Terry Cox #26379]

hi men, i just recently finished replacing all  the front suspension components on my 73 eldorado.
upon initial test drive....when i leave the driveway ...(90*) and straiten the steering wheel.....when i accelerate ....anything above a pussyfoot gouge and i get torque steer to the left at a very noticable rate. (this also appears underway at a more moderate acceleration as well)
i realize i just changed the dimension of the front end ..(as it was ).
MY QUESTION......................is this normal....?            i will be going for an alignment on weds....(tomorrow)...can anyone supply an educated answer...?
thanks men....Terry 26379

[Dave Shepherd]

Something is wrong, these cars had unequal axle lengths which all but corrected that, sounds like something is shifting on acceleration, get alignment readings and post back the before settings, also go back over everything you did.  If you replaced the idler arm make sure the center link is parallel to the ground as the idler arm I believe can be adjusted up and down on the frame, I know the 60's Ecars were and this can cause bump steer also.

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

I've had a '73 since new and on this car, noticeable "torque steer" is not
normal (as the previous poster stated).

Mine has always been straight as an arrow.  Something is amiss.

Mike

[62droptop]

you just need it aligned
the camber ,caster and toe in are probably out to lunch
caster will make the car very squirrely and more so under accel if it is way out


torque steer should not really be an issue with that car as it is very heavy

most all new high power  fwd cars have equal length axles to help counteract torque steer

[Terry Cox #26379]

thanks for the info. i will go for my alignment in the morning and will post more on what i believe to be (pigeon toed) and then some on the front end. i will have them give me a print out sheet of before vs. after readings to show what was/is the culprit..    thanks,,,,terry 26379

[62droptop]

should drive like a "cadillac" right after it is adjusted
you will probable find the caster very low on the left front side and the wheels probably toeing out also

make sure they do a 4 wheel alignment as to check the thrust angle,which is the angle of the rear "axle" to the centerline of the car
if it is out the car will dog track
not sure if any adjustments are  easily done to correct this on your eldo ,but there should be something that can be done if it is an issue

[TJ Hopland]

Also note that the 73 alignment specs are for bias tires.  If you are running radials you will want to use the specs from a later car that came with radials.    I believe 76 came with radials and had the same suspension setup.    My memory is a bit fuzzy since I have not messed with alignments for a couple years but I am thinking that radials typically use more toe and a lot more caster than the bias tires did.  Some cars can be almost impossible to control at highway speeds with radials using bias alignment specs, others are not that different.  I have never had issues with my Eldos, guess I got lucky with the shops that did the work.  Wish I was that lucky on some other cars.     

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

First of all, since right and left axles are interchangeable, the idea of "un equal length" doesn't fly.  The issue of alignment for radial vs. bias belted tires only seems to occur in the "cruise" mode, and from my experience is barely noticable (my '72 Eldo).
You said you "straightened the wheel", and my guess is that is the issue. When you replace steering components such as tye rod ends, the steering wheel will not necessarily be back to center until you get the front end aligned.
Greg Surfas

[Dave Shepherd]

First of all, since right and left axles are interchangeable, the idea of "un equal length" doesn't fly.  The issue of alignment for radial vs. bias belted tires only seems to occur in the "cruise" mode, and from my experience is barely noticable (my '72 Eldo).
You said you "straightened the wheel", and my guess is that is the issue. When you replace steering components such as tye rod ends, the steering wheel will not necessarily be back to center until you get the front end aligned.
Greg Surfas

Greg , you are correct they are the same, my bad.  LOL