My 68 Electra drives straight as an arrow but as soon as I touch the break it pulls to the left. It dosen't feel like a brake is grabbing but it's been years since I've driven with drum breaks and power steering like this. The bushings in the front end are shot. Could this cause enough flex to change the alignment when breaking? Are these fairly easy to replace? I'm an amature when it comes to working on cars but was a professional bike mechanic. :laugh: Thoughts?
My '68 Wildcat convertible does the exact same thing! I didn't notice it until after I had the motor rebuilt-the motor was taken completely out and reinstalled- I wondered if that threw off the alignment or something. My front end has new bushings--but I also notice a shimmy in the front @35-40 mph. Sorry I don't have an answer, but I thought you'd like to know you're not alone! David
Yes, the worn out front bushings will cause it to pull to the side when braking. You will usually feel it wandering around a bit when you drive it too. But I have had a couple of vehicles with worn bushings, and they will pull to 1 side when braking. I just changed mine. They are not real easy. They will take some time to do. The hardest in my mind is the bottom ones. You will have to compress the coil spring to get the bottom arm off. That's not an easy, or safe project. It can be done, but be very careful. I hope this helps. Dan :3gears:
That helps a lot Dan thanks. Sounds like the time to do this is when I'm ready to replace the springs. Part of the car's charm is the float it has and the natural rhythm you get with the steering wheel. I'll hate to loss that. Mike