update on Rich's build

[RICH MUISE]

Got the PM and sent a reply.
Doug...I keep forgetting to ask you and others...have you run into any windy days on the open road. I'm wondering how your car handles in the wind. Mine gets to feeling like it's floating when the wind is blowing, which is frequently here in Texas. Gets kinda scary at times, but I felt that way with my Subaru for a month or so when I first got it. Could be a brand of tire issue also??
Well, it looks like what I thought was a hot start issue was just a bad solenoid. Took it for a 20 mile drive, got it home and it restarted right up. Posibly the heat wrap on the exhaust helped, but I'm more inclined to think it was just a weak/bad solenoid. Now I'll keep my fingers crossed it doesn't reoccur.

[lalessi1]

Rich, I still think the steering feel is caster related....

[John Palmer]

Rich, I still think the steering feel is caster related....

X2

[hiball3985]

These cars weren't designed in wind tunnels  I haven't had mine in a real windy condition yet but I assume it will be much better then my 60 Panel truck that I've been caught in 40-60 mph winds in the desert, now that was scary..
It must have been fun driving these cars at places like Daytona 

[57 imposter]

Got the PM and sent a reply.
Doug...I keep forgetting to ask you and others...have you run into any windy days on the open road. I'm wondering how your car handles in the wind. Mine gets to feeling like it's floating when the wind is blowing, which is frequently here in Texas. Gets kinda scary at times, but I felt that way with my Subaru for a month or so when I first got it. Could be a brand of tire issue also??
Well, it looks like what I thought was a hot start issue was just a bad solenoid. Took it for a 20 mile drive, got it home and it restarted right up. Posibly the heat wrap on the exhaust helped, but I'm more inclined to think it was just a weak/bad solenoid. Now I'll keep my fingers crossed it doesn't reoccur.

mine was almost impossible to keep in one lane until I got the castor up close to four degrees. handles pretty good now but if I was doing another, I would build in another 1 or 2  degrees

[djfordmanjack]

Rich I second the guys thoughts. I have a German Ford van from the 1960s and it is horrible to drive in side winds. it only has short to 2 degrees caster, now that is much too little. Like imposter said all the Hot Rod guys are running their frontends with 6-7degrees caster. I have had the best experience with even 8degrees in my Model A Hotrod (108" 32 WB). it was absolutely resistant against side winds.
Even if it might be a little hard to steer I would try putting caster to 4-6degrees in the 57 anytime. remember that your rake changes caster also. lifting the rear will decrease it and make it less stable. All of that is a huge science, but just try to change around a bit. I have also found that too much toe in can sometimes make a car rather float around than going straight.

[57 imposter]

These cars were basically center point steering with a stock spec Plus or minus 1 degree. that made them steerable with manual steering. Mine was only able to get 2 1/2 degrees. while that helped, a bunch, we had to build in another 2 degrees while doing the front suspension. After the change we were able to get 3 1/2 degrees which made another improvement. Thats why I said if I had it to do over, I would try and build another 2 degrees so I could n et out with four to four and a half degrees. I think it would handle like a new car.

[RICH MUISE]

All good info. Sometime down the road, I'll talk to my alignment guy about increasing the camber caster if he can. Thanks for the input...nice to see everyone in agreement.

[RICH MUISE]

While I'm waiting on the bodywork issues I now have, I talked to my alignment guy this morning. Thursday he's going to have a look see at the caster to see what he can get. I will get the 1" lowering blocks in it before then also.
I'm still working on my horn issue I thought I had resolved. The horn is actually working if the actual switch is depressed to make contact, but with the center section/trim/airbag thingie in the center attached, it won't push in far enough to make the switches close. The switches seem to need more travel than they should, posibly because I had pulled them out of an earlier Mustang. I just got back from the wrecking yard with another set that had a short throw before contact.
I made the dreaded call to Grundy this morning. She said I'd be contacted within 24 hours by an agent to get things set up.

[RICH MUISE]

I did finally get the horns straightened out, THIS time checked with the center piece mounted. I did find out that 90's and early 00's Mustangs used a similar looking switch, but some are different than most. Some, as the one I ended up with and needed, are insulated from grounding out to the steering wheel so that the loop for the ground completion is totally in the switches and wiring. Most of the switches I looked at today grounded directly to the steering wheel at the mounting bolts and had no secondary ground wires.  Took me a while to figure out I was dealing with two different types of ground connections.

[RICH MUISE]

My alignment shop reset the camber caster to as much as he could get, which was 2* on both sides. The return to center is noticeably better, but the big difference is out on the highway at 60-70. There is a big improvement on the handling. It just doesn't seem to float like it did. It's still not completly gone, but the feel is comfortable now.
The adjuster was out from Grundy this morning as well. He seemed to be very thorough and has already talked with Mark at the body shop I'll be using. It'll be early-mid week before I get the copy of the estimate, but so far so good.

[canadian_ranchero]

i am assuming you are talking about caster,camber you want close to 0*

[RICH MUISE]

yep, thanks. That's what he adjusted...the caster

[djfordmanjack]

That sounds good that so little adjustment can improve the handling. Have you already put the lowering blocks in ?

[RICH MUISE]

I actually did not, I like the existing stance so much I decided to see if the alignment alone would change anything. I know it will help as well if I did, both from a better weight transfer/distribution as well as increasing the caster.