The Front End
Okay, if I've not already mentioned it, the sub doesn't like to go down the road at speed. Oh it has plenty of power, it can reach astounding speeds of double-digit miles-per-hour in times you can measure with a stop watch. That's not the problem. No the problem is the sense of why am I here the driver suffers at speed.
At 30 its just fine. Even at 40 the driver feels a sense of control, if not peace. But at 45 you know that control could be fleeting, at 50 you are praying you can keep it, and at 55 you're pretty sure you've lost it, otherwise you'd be going slower. Yes the old sub has a handling deficiency.
Having grown up a shade tree mechanic, or at least there were trees in the yard not too far from my parents garage, I always like to do my own work on a car. Since I can never seem to find the time I use Jon at the local repair shop. When Jon first saw the sub he waxed eloquent about RB Obsolete Automotive and his own experiences with similar vehicles. When I described the handling issues he said it could be front end problems, but more likely its just the tires.
Well I asked him to check. Today he tells me the king pins and tie-rod ends are fine, the drag link and some of the shackle bushings are tired but serviceable. And it really needs tires.
Well actually I like the tires. And I like the wheels. Maybe I wouldn't have chosen this particular stuff, but I like the look, so I'm not thrilled at the prospect of putting out big bucks for new stuff. After all there are other things like paint and upholstery to spend money on...
But Costco can order BF Goodrich TA Radial 235-70/15s, which will fit the existing wheels, and according to the tire guy will fit in my wheel wells, for less than $300. If I'm going to drive it anytime soon, I need to do this. But $300 for tires when I'm not settled on suspension or wheels is hard to swallow. Maybe I'll wait till next week...