Hi. I'm an Australian who has just bought a 1976 Buick Electra Limited Landau 2-door Hardtop as my 'travel the USA' vehicle. As this is my first ever Buick I have a few questions about it 1) The steering is somewhat vague - more so than I feel comfortable with. I don't think it's wear in the [FONT=inherit !important][FONT=inherit !important]steering [/FONT][FONT=inherit !important]box[/FONT][/FONT] as small movements of the wheel do lead to small tire movements. I had the centre-link replaced when the wheel alignment was being done and was advised the rest of the ball joints were good. I had all the work done by an old-school Buick mechanic and was pleased with his attention to detail. I suspect it's because Buick put lots of turns lock to lock in the steering box so the steering effort would be very light but I'd rather have a less vague [FONT=inherit !important][FONT=inherit !important]driving [/FONT][FONT=inherit !important]experience[/FONT][/FONT]. Is the box adjustable that some of the vagueness may disappear, or is there another steering box from the [FONT=inherit !important][FONT=inherit !important]GM[/FONT][/FONT] stable that could be put in to give more precise steering (I did see the reference to putting in a Jeep Grand Cherokee 12.7:1 ratio box using a Lee Power Steering adapter kit in another discussion on 9/11/14 but in reference to a Buick GS 455 which was a smaller body that the C-body of the Electra. Is this still a good path to take for the C-body?) 2) I replaced the original front shocks because they did little to stop the front-end doing a pogo-stick imitation, with Monroe Sensa-trac shocks thinking that, with their variable valving, they would be a good choice. They do control the front-end much better, but still aren't great - I suspect they aren't up to dealing with the mass of the front-end. Any suggestions for a specific shock that will control the front-end bounce much better, but still maintain a comfortable ride? Thanks for your advise, Stephen
I'd like to encourage you to trust the mechanic who did the previous work. Also, I'd recommend that you replace the rear shocks with like ones. Mis-matched shocks can cause some ill handling issues. FWIW, a particular shock part number can be used across a whole car line. In the day where your vehicle was new, we (I was a mechanic back then) could put the same shock on anything from a Chevy Vega to a Cadillac. It's in the variable valving.
70s full size Buicks are not meant to turn on a dime. They are meant to be cruzers. A very comfy ride and effortless steering was the intent. Most likely your car turns like it was designed to. I don't know if it can be modified to your liking, I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will chime in.
How are your tires? I have found that steering feel is greatly impacted by the type of tire you use. As others have mentioned (and you may have to get used to) these big B-Body Buicks are cruisers. One last suggestion, I tend to inflate my tires about 3 lbs over recommended tire pressure (it doesn't get hot here), better gas mileage and even lighter steering feel you could try dropping the tire pressure 1 lb at a time to get more road feel Do not drop more than 3-4 lbs pressure
Just my suggestions. 1st. Bilstein or Koni' shocks ALL the way around. To get rid of that "Float-o-matic" feeling. 2nd. 1 1/4" sway bar front & 1" sway bar rear. 3rd. alignment specs. are for comfort mostly in the BIG cars. Try setting caster to as much positive as possible, within means. Set camber to around 0 or +1/4* to -1/4*. Leave toe as speced. 4th. You could get a varible ratio box from a Caddy as these were used quite a bit in Cads or other full size GM vehicles, but mostly found in Caddy's. The box is an "808" as as remember. This should make a sizable difference in steering response & feel. 5th. Use poly bushings where there is NO movement. Like the top of the shocks & sway bar links & bushings. Doing all this will probably be about the best you can get within the design parameters of the chassis. Tires also make a BIG difference. Good luck & have fun. Tom T.
Thank you all for your responses. I have increased my tire pressures, and although can be counter-productive, around town at least, it seems to have improved the tire feel - will see how it goes on the open road. if I still find the steering too vague to live happily with, I'll start down the 'Koni / Bilstein, replace all shocks and up grade the bushing' path. Thanks too Telriv for the Caddy variable ration box info - I wouldn't have known about it otherwise. Happy New Year to you all.
I have tighter than stock suspension (all new front end pieces plus poly bushed end links) as well as bilstein shocks all around in my 68 Electra. The car corners flat and doesn't dive under braking anymore but the steering is still a bit slower than I would prefer for proper responsive performance driving. One of the problems I have is that I have a big ol bench seat and no matter how flat the car corners there is zero lateral support and your body just goes flopping around. I would love to find some bucket seats for my car. Cars with narrower tires are more flickable than big fat wide tires can muster. I personally use 235/70 r15s on mine
What I've noticed with those big cars is you have a lot of wallow in the suspension even though the steering is tight. What size front sway bar do you have now? Does it have a rear one already? The few I've worked, we replaced the front sway bar bushings with polyurethane to take a lot of the slop out. It is by far the cheapest and easiest thing you could do. Probably under $20. Next, I'd go with the TelRiv's suggested alignment specs. Getting some positive caster (+5) and a touch of negative camber (-1) will really help the front end plant better and track straight. The cost of an alignment. After that, look at 71-76 Impalas, especially old police cruisers in a junk yard. They will most likely have larger front and a rear sway bar. Any pictures, under carriage and all?
What about some smaller sidewall tires on taller (17-19") rims? That may be more money than you want to spend but it could only help with the response. You may loose that "floating" feeling these cars are know for though.
Thanks Erik, I don't always remember the important details! It is a sweet Electra and I am sure after a few thousand miles under his belt it will become a joy to drive
The upping the tire pressures (235X75x15) to 36 psi has worked wonders. The stiffening of the side-walls has meant much less wander down the road. I'm living with the steering better because of that. It's verging on 'enjoyable'. Real test will be when I'm cruising down the highways but I suspect it will be much better too.
Trust me, with a couple of thousand miles under your belt you will love driving this highway cruiser....it's what it was designed and built to do!
Urethane bushings in the rear control arms. Factory rubber bushings tend to let the rear end wallow and wag (side to side)
