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Handling Ideas

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Pugsley

1/2 ton status
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Jan 16, 2001
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Tucson, Arizona
Anyone got any ideas on making my Blazer a little more wind worthy? It's gotten to the point where a good breeze will nearly jerk it off the road. I know the stabilizer was trashed - I pulled it off yesterday and could cycle it back and forth with no effort whatsoever. It used to be quite a bit tighter, so I can assume that something is getting worn. That or I-40 is getting worse.

I'm so poor I can't even pay attention
wink.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://pugsley.alloffroad.com>http://pugsley.alloffroad.com</A>
 
Do you have your sway-bar hooked up? Check all the steering linkage for slack. Replace the steering dampner with a new one.

'71 Blazer CST with alot of rust
 
More wind worthy? Maybe less exposed surface area. Have you ever gotten certain distance behind a semi and it feels like you are on reentry of Earth on the space shuttle? I was going across I-40 in western AZ over a year ago and was in the right hand lane and a gust of wind hit and pointed me to the center ditch. That was one heck of a recovery if I ever made one.

"I am Republican. Not a baby-killing, tree hugging, land grabbing, touchy feely, hypocrite wuss democrat!"
 
I just love those highways with the permanent ruts in them the same width as the semi's...you get pulled one way and the other until you get fed up and change lanes...

Rene

<font color=green>Dyslexics of the world...UNTIE!</font color=green>
 
"reentry of the space shuttle"-LOL

Ya need somo' pos. caster. By the book a huge 8 deg. of it. That is a bunch of caster! It's pretty hard to get that much caster out of 'em. You could shim the front axle, but then the U-joint angle gets a little nasty.

Pos. caster is the rearward tilt of the upper ball joint vs the lower ball joint (like a bike). It helps with turning, and works with the steering inclination angle for a solid "return to center" feel. That should help keep the truck driveing streight. (but with the large surface area, nothing going to eliminate the drifting with semis and winds. Large tires, and bias tires will grab every rutt in a the road.)

Twiztid

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Twiztid on 06/24/01 06:04 PM (server time).</FONT></P>
 
Heck, I'm talking about the wind off the trucks buffeting the K5, that's so much fun. NOT!!

"I am Republican. Not a baby-killing, tree hugging, land grabbing, touchy feely, hypocrite wuss democrat!"
 
That's the problem right there - These nutcases in the trucks running 90 mph, coupled with the usual hurricane force winds blowing across Kingman. I'm going to try a new damper and screwing in as much caster as I can.

I'm so poor I can't even pay attention
wink.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://pugsley.alloffroad.com>http://pugsley.alloffroad.com</A>
 
It used to be much better about it - I could drive on the freeway without fear of being tossed over the embankment - It got shook, but not nearly this bad. Something has to have gone south - I'm tempted to put one of the old coil-over steering dampers on it and see if that helps.

I'm so poor I can't even pay attention
wink.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://pugsley.alloffroad.com>http://pugsley.alloffroad.com</A>
 
Sounds like something did go on you. I had the steering stabilizer come unhooked one time and I could tell, but it was more of a loose steering feeling.

"I am Republican. Not a baby-killing, tree hugging, land grabbing, touchy feely, hypocrite wuss democrat!"
 
It's been feeling a little loose lately, but the truck wind wash has gotten to the point that I won't set foot on the interstate anymore - particularly not when the kid's with me. I've been looking on RV websites, and they give nothing but praise to the coilover stabilizers for fighting the wind, so I think I'm going to save up $50 and try it.

I'm so poor I can't even pay attention
wink.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://pugsley.alloffroad.com>http://pugsley.alloffroad.com</A>
 
Also check your steering box area for frame cracks...........

<font color=blue>'79 ONE TON TPI K5 - See it at---&gt;<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.blazzinor.alloffroad.com>http://www.blazzinor.alloffroad.com</A>
 
I just welded them up the other day - Going to add the ORD brace just as soon as I can sell a couple pints of blood.

If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all
wink.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://pugsley.alloffroad.com>http://pugsley.alloffroad.com</A>
 
Hmm, All of a sudden thing.
Well, check the normal stuff, -drag links, drag link clamps and sleave, tie-rod ends, ball-joints. Thats stuff can go bad "all of a sudden". Get someone to wiggle the steering wheel, just enuff to -very- slightly move the tires and check for anything with slop. Thats not the oficial check, but it can close in on any problems. Check the ball-joints and wheel bearing preload.

Good luck Pugs

Twiztid
 
Went through that test, and it appears that my ultra high dollar Autozone tie rod ends didn't quite make it 6 months. Time to argue with the idiots behind the counter and find out that their "lifetime warranty" only applies to 1978 Caprice Wagons with woodgrain trim originally registered in Butte, Montana. I'm going to go ahead and replace the damper too, and then put my life on the line and drive 1 1/2 miles between freeway exits
crazy.gif


If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all
wink.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://pugsley.alloffroad.com>http://pugsley.alloffroad.com</A>
 
Mine is an absolute hanful without the sway bar. 2 best improvments I made to mine that helped with the problem was the ORD Brace and the ORD Quck disconnects. Semi's are no longer a problem. Good 50mph cross wind will still give you a scare but not near as bad as before. I would say that it handles just about as good as my wifes stock 79 does now.

It's not my damn planet monkey boy!
Grim-Reaper
 
Fix your tie rod ends!!!

Steering stabilizers are nothing but an excuse. Your truck should steer fine WITHOUT one. All they do is make it feel like your steering works properly when it's actually screwed up. It's nice to have a steering stablizer, but you should fix the actual problem, the stabilizer just covers up the real problem.

Tim
'84 Chevy K10, lifted, loud, fast, and 3/4 ton axles
 
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