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| Viewing Page 1 of 1 (Total Posts: 12) |
| Author | Comment |
jack ward
 IP: 207.200.116.68 Apr 8, 08 - 7:07 AM |
handling problems
My 78 was gutted interior and ran on 5 of 8 with a bad trans when I started on it 2 years ago. With countless hours and only $5300 This is what I have: new 360,good auto trans from a car I drove relaced rear twice already and drive shaft,1 set used tires and wheels and 1 set all new, new rotors wheel bearings drums and frictions,,all rebuilt front end, replaced steering box, shocks all around,all leaf spring bushings and shackles replaced,of course an alignment. Basically if it moves or turns ithas been replaced with new or used from a car I know worked good. PROBLEM: Car violently follows every rut and paint line when moving at highway speed,bunny hops on small bumps in curves(not fun at 80MPH) Had subframes checked at 2 shops(visually)no signs of problems, wife says to strip it and fix the Hornet AMX because "its cuter than the Gremlin" If we Gremlin people can figure this out than maybe I can talk wife into the 401 for the AMX AND save another Gremlin!HELP Thanks Gremmer's, Jack Penrose CO 
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cadipacer
IP: 64.253.117.130 Apr 8th, 2008 - 9:29 AM |
Re: handling problems
 Your description of handling sounds like the old bias belted tire syndrome. I would question the type/brand/quality of shocks used(bouncing)..Then tires: size, any serious rake ( high lifted rear, like using shakles.? The aligment, was it done at a well known Company with experienced help? Also my factory 304 NEW didnt handle good at 80 mph.. Only on the 1/4 mile track( straight ) did it feel more at home.. 70 was about the comfortable speed. All these factors could play into your problems. |
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Scott in Bakersfield
IP: 207.200.116.68 Apr 8th, 2008 - 2:20 PM |
Re: handling problems
I agree. The first thing I thought of was "What tires are you using?" You do not say. Many people want to use bia-ply tires for a factory-correct look, but they are crap as far as handling goes. Also, if you are using two different types of tires on the front and back you could get similar handling problems. I just looked again; you said "one set of good used tires." I'd get a new set and see what happens. You don't need to buy a whole set to know; if you have another car with 4.5" bolt pattern wheels, put those on and drive the car. You will probably notice a much better ride. Goos luck! |
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Dale Fridley
IP: 71.241.237.69 Apr 8th, 2008 - 2:54 PM |
Re: handling problems
Jack; the "following the yellow line" problem is in either the tires, alignment, or steering parts. May be all 3. Depending on the tire you run be bias ply or radial the alignment specs are different, mainly toe in. So it is important to match alignment with tires. this may take trial and error to find what works to get what you want. don't forget to keep a record. Even on low mileage cars steering components can be worn. mainly idler arm, tie rods and steering box play. these need to be carefully checked at the time of alignment. The car should handle fine even with a V8 You can add up grades like sway bars, shocks to help with that extra weight up in front. 
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jack ward
IP: 207.200.116.68 Apr 8th, 2008 - 3:54 PM |
Re: handling problems
Thanks for the replies so quickly. The wheels are Cragar 16x7 inch that are pretty muchcentered back/front spacing. New Tires are Kumho Ecsta 225/50-16 radials all around that were originally ordered for my 72 Charger but look so good on the Gremlin. Car was aligned with this tire/wheel combo.used tires were the ones on it when I bought it, 195/60-14 front and 265/40-14 rear all Goodrich T/A Radial. handled bad with these also reinstalled.As far as weight of V8 over 6, with aluminum intake and headers and stripped A/C components,front end rose 1 1/2 inches. Had to use non a/c springs to get front level. I find same part numbers for v8 or 6 cyl spring, just different for a/c non a/c. Shocks are NAPA radial gas charged. I commute 120 miles one way 3 times a week. I need a car that doesn't wear me out before the 450 miles I drive once I get there. I guess I'll gear it back to tire smoker instead of Auto Bahn. A real kick in the pants around town. I'll check back before I do anything drastic. Thanks again all AMC people. Jack, Penrose CO |
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Dale Fridley
IP: 71.241.237.69 Apr 8th, 2008 - 4:50 PM |
Re: handling problems
Jack; thats what I'm saying. You have radial tires and radial tire shocks and extra wide or other than stock width wheels on bias tire suspention. a stock alignment won't work. find a road racer ask him who does his alignments or a alignment shop who can think out side of the box. It can be done. 
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lone gremlin
IP: 72.161.166.207 Apr 8th, 2008 - 4:54 PM |
Re: handling problems
I"ve had some of the same things happen to my car. first every one is right on things to check out, one more thing to look at is the date your tires were made, even bran new tires can sit in a wearhouse for years,when tire compounds gets hard the side walls will move with the road and cause the car to track the road not where you want it to go,keep this in mind with 16,17 and 18in. rims. the less side wall the more tracking you could do, |
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ben moore
IP: 75.108.37.176 Apr 8th, 2008 - 9:31 PM |
Re: handling problems
Last spring/summer/fall i tore into my gremlin, i pulled the inline 6 and went with a SBC V8, th350 trans and a ford 8" rearend, While doing all this i pulled every stitch of suspension out of my car and completely redid it. New inner and outter tie rods, upper and lower ball joints, new tie rod sleeves, all new prothane bushings in the whole car, new front V8 coils up front, new urethane spring seat bushings, pulled the old power steering box off my 75 donar gremlin an put it on my gremlin. I also installed a disc brake set-up on my car and KYB shocks at all four corners and then i took it over to get it aligned at a reputable alignment shop. Let me just say that the car drives like i could only imagine a 70 gremlin would the day it rolled off the show room floor, the car handles like it is on rails. I will tell everyone i ever meet that asks me that replacing the bushings made the car new. You could not even begin to imagine the difference in ride and the smoothness of the handling on my car now. The Prothane kit i ordered from Summit was a complete kit for small bodied AMC cars and i believe it was a $110 shipped (i think), this came with every bushing for the car, EXCEPT for the spring seat bushings and i had to order them from another company. If you have the money and the time to do this then by all means do it. You will never believe that it could make that much of a difference!!!!
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1sickgremlin
IP: 209.60.47.83 Apr 8th, 2008 - 9:47 PM |
Re: handling problems
Ben ... how dare you put a SBC in a Gremlin j/kGood point on the bushings.. back to the original issue.. if you have slack anywhere in the suspension or if your caster/camber is off it will follow any irregular sections of the road.. period. MPK |
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Gremil
IP: 72.26.17.114 Apr 9th, 2008 - 4:42 PM |
Re: handling problems
I agree with Ben (except about the SBC engine) in that things need to be tight for the car to track right on the road. For example, if the bushings and tie rod ends have slack, the car can be a nightmare on some uneven roads even with good radials. Another thing to consider on manual steering boxes is the adjustment for play in the steering box. On older cars this can get way out of adjustment. |
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Ben Moore
IP: 64.211.107.4 Apr 10th, 2008 - 1:21 PM |
Re: handling problems
my car originally had manual steering and it was sloppy as heck, So i changed myine over to power steering and after i got to looking at my manual box that wasn't the problem at all, it was 38 year old ball joints, tie rods and bushings, OH MY! The steering box was fine, not really any slop or play in it. |
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jack ward
IP: 207.200.116.68 Apr 10th, 2008 - 5:01 PM |
Re: handling problems
Thanks for all the suggestions. The car has had every bushing in the front and rear suspensions replaced but with stock bushings. Every bushing, ball joint, rod end and adjuster sleeve has been replaced with new and P/S box from Great driving Concord. oh yea, new pitman and idler and strut rod bushings also . I might just have to try the local race chassis shop for any alignment tweaks they may know of. The tire placard on this car showed it was a radial tire car factory with DR/70-14. what does this translate to in MODERN...195/75 or 205/70-14? Next weekend I'll try the factory mags and tires off the AMX and see how it does with them (matched set 195/70-14). I just cant quit, looking at 84 Eagle this weekend, how many cars is too many? Have fun fellow AMC'ers, Jack, Penrose CO
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