Where should I start?

[Tritium007]

I have a stock '81 with 56K miles that appears to be in excellent shape. I don't drive too hard and put about 2k a year on her. I believe in the philosophy that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", BUT the car is 25 years old. My sense says that there are things I can do to prevent any catastrophic failures and the collateral damage caused by such disasters. The engine runs strong (relative to 190 HP) so I don't feel the need yet to beef up the motor just yet. My priority is control first, then power. I have replaced all the calipers, hoses, and MC and getting ready to put new rubber on the car. I would like to smooth the ride out a bit and tighten the steering up, but I'm not sure how to economically and efficiently go about the task. What parts should I rebuild or replace? It would be beyond my budget to just throw my money at a bunch of "catalog kits" and replace all of the steering and suspension. Don't confuse this with being cheap. I knew when I bought the car it was an expensive passion. Anyone have any suggestions on what parts tend to wear and would be prudent to go ahead and repair/replace? I would sure appreciate any wisdom you folks could impart.


Happy Holidays,
Mike

 

[RodsnRides]

Alignment Shop

I might suggest you determine a reputable, quality alignment place and have them give it a thorough going over. Ball joints, tie rods, a-arm bushings, link pins-the works. Have them check everything out-including the rear end area-if they have experience with these cars.

Sounds like the brakes are good. Steering and suspension is logically next to check out, at least. With those low miles I wouldn't anticipate any real issues-unless the previous owner lived way up some dirt road.

Find out a good shop-where do your buddies/work mates go? Make a few phone calls and feel them out (years in business, Corvette ability, etc.).

That's my thoughts.

Rick

 

[black85vette]

I might suggest you determine a reputable, quality alignment place and have them give it a thorough going over. Ball joints, tie rods, a-arm bushings, link pins-the works. Have them check everything out-including the rear end area-if they have experience with these cars.

Sounds like the brakes are good. Steering and suspension is logically next to check out, at least. With those low miles I wouldn't anticipate any real issues-unless the previous owner lived way up some dirt road.

Find out a good shop-where do your buddies/work mates go? Make a few phone calls and feel them out (years in business, Corvette ability, etc.).

That's my thoughts.

Rick

Very good advice! Also, replacing all belts and hoses (if not done already within the last 10 years) can be crucial. A good visual inspection by you (or a qualified mechanic) can give you a good idea of whether they are in danger of going (look for cracks, soft spots, ect). But replacement is relatively cheap compared to a major breakdown.

Nice looking car. Glad to see you care about keeping it that way!

 

[Tritium007]

Thanks Rick and Black85vette. I plan to at least replace the software/consumable type parts like new shocks and rubber bushings. I can and do want to do alot of work myself, but eventually I will need to find a good shop. If the steering appears to have excessive play, what is the most logical or susceptible component to look at first?

Mike

 

[black85vette]

Since you already say you plan to replace rubber bushings, I'd do that and see if your play decreases. However, mine ('85 Coupe) has a bit of play, and I've had the bushings replaced recently as well as the entire front-end inspected and passed by two mechanics. Some play may be normal in your year model. If you'll prowl the internet with the search "81 Corvette" you'll find all kinds of sites which can tell you what is normal for your car and what isn't. From your initial post it sounds like you have a really good grip on what your car needs. Let me just throw out some ideas (for steering plus other items) for you.

Idea 1:

Good rules of thumb on various types of vibration:

1) Tire and wheel bearing vibrations are typically vehicle speed dependent, ie, the vibration occurs at exactly 50mph, regardless of what gear you are in.

2) Driveline Vibrations are driveline speed dependent, ie, the vibration is felt at 2500RPM in any and all gears, regardless of what speed the car is moving.

3) Engine vibrations can be replicated at the specific RPM even if the car is in neutral.

4) Vibrations caused by worn suspension parts typically have an audible component associated with them (clunks, groans, and thuds)

5) Vibrations associated with driveline parts often have some type of audible symptom, too (squeaks/squeals, grinding sounds, chatters)


Idea 2:

Shake, rattle & roll...
The laundry list of possibilities:

Alignment
Shocks (and/or bushings)
Control arm bushings
Ball joints
Wheel bearings
Rotors/Calipers
Wheel balancing

Idea 3:
Also check tire pressure. I drove a Vette once – was walking all over the road. After a day, I kept thinking the tires looked low. They had 18lbs on all four. Pumping up air pressure to the mid 30s restored the ride and handling.

Idea 4:
Have you considered a worn steering box? This might be one in a long list of possible ideas to think about.
Good luck!!!

 

[RodsnRides]

All of the above...

Good post Black85Vette.

I might also add that your steering box probably has an adjustment-look for a setscrew with a locknut coming out of the top of the box. You can take up some excessive steering wheel play here. Note the position of the screw, hold it with a screwdriver, back off the locknut and tighten the screw about 1/2 a turn, retighten the locknut, then check your steering wheel play. Leave a little bit-you don't want it too tight. You may want to soak it with a little PB Blaster first-the screw sometimess "sticks" to the locknut. Hope this helps...

Rick

 

[Tritium007]

Thanks guys! You've obviously sensed my logical problem solving approach to all things in life. It works great for cars and not so great in the social arena. I really appreciate the info. This will help me alot. I should have asked a couple of months ago when I started getting a bit of a duck waddle from the rear end. Bearings checked out OK, but it turns out the really new looking tires on the car were in fact quite old. Not a blemish on them. I have all the records but didn't do the math when I bought it to ratio the mileage (38K in the first three or four years and 17K over the next 20 years) to the tire wear. I limped back from the Turkey Run in Daytona at 55mph with a seperated belt in the left rear. Went flat the next day. I was lucky I didn't throw the tread on the interstate and tear up the fiberglass. So tires first and work from there. Thanks again and happy holidays.

Mike

 

[brandywine]

Mike,

Happy Holidays!!!

The two changes that made the biggest difference in my 1980 excluding the drivetrain were better suspension and 17" wheels and tires. I changed the suspension first with a VB&P slolom kit. That did alot for the handling, but the 255/60-15 tires were like running around on 4 bouncing rubber balls. The change to 17" wheels with 255/50-17 tires was the magic formula. After rebuilding the steering box, the car acts like a slot car on rails.

 

[Mr. Chuck]

Gear box / front end linkage play can be seen by simple test as follows: Have someone or even your self stand outside driver door and slowing turn steering wheel and check if there is a delay between when you turn the wheel and the tire show movement. A delay says there is play in the steering linkage, the amount of delay tells how much play you have. Next step is to get the front wheels off the ground so you can get under it and visually watch the steering linkage move as your helper turns the steering wheel. Steering box (SB) play can be checked by visual inspection of the steering wheel shaft as it turns at the SB and when the pitman arm moves, there shouldn't be any delay between the two actions. A delay would indicate the need to try adjusting the set screw on top the SB. You will only want to turn the set screw CW just enough to eliminate the play. I would check the steering box housing is not leaking lube and no sense of binding or noise when you turn the steering wheel, SB play could be a sign of gear wear. I have even experienced a case where the SB mounting bolts were loose and was the cause of the play. These are all things that a good reliable tire shop would do when they put on new rubber.