Drifting while driving

[moparsal]

Hi guys, I took out my 71 challenger yesterday & it was drifting all over the road, it got very hard to control,
I tried the adjusting nut on top of steering box & nothing happened, do I need a new box?
Sal on Long Island

[c00nhunterjoe]

Jack up the front end. Check for loose steering components.

[twodko]

Man, be safe Sal! Don't drive it until you nail down this problem.

[myk]

If you're expecting your car to feel and handle like a newer, more modern car, it can definitely feel like the car is wandering all over the road.  How long have you had the car? Has the car felt like this before?

[Dino]

Besides a loosy goosy steering feel (if power steering) it should not wander and track pretty good.  Sounds like suspension issues.  You're almost describing driving a car with worn suspension and no sway bars.  Put it on a lift, grab some crow bars and go find where all the play is coming from.

Also check all the wheel bearings while you're at it.

[hemigeno]

What kind of tires were you running - bias ply or radials?

I've commented to my Dad a number of times that I don't know how his generation survived using bias ply tires... it feels like the car can change lanes on its own at any time.   

[HemiFish]

Check the alignment first. Simple negative toe-out will cause the car to wander excessively. Plus that will cause premature tire wear on the inside edge of the tires..

[moparsal]

Thanks to all, I'll check

[Bandit72]

i always notice a fresh set of shocks can make a huge difference if everything else checks out ok I would definitely check into that.

[bill440rt]

What kind of tires were you running - bias ply or radials?

I've commented to my Dad a number of times that I don't know how his generation survived using bias ply tires... it feels like the car can change lanes on its own at any time.   

You beat me to it, Geno. 
My first thought as well. 

Going from bias to radials is like night & day. My old set of 14" bias redlines I had on my '68 were downright scary.     It would just track itself into the grooves in the road, like it had a mind of it's own. Radials eliminated that problem, and 15"s made it even better.

Sal, if you are running bias tires see if someone you know has a set of radials on wheels that will fit your car, just to try. Maybe a Mopar buddy, or someone?
If your car tracks better then you've found your problem. 

[Ghoste]

And if you haven't driven bias ply a bunch or in a long time, the effect seems even worse.

[Kern Dog]

The idler arm is probably as loose as the most popular cheerleader in  high school.

[Cooter]

F&P worked on a Viper with rat damage to wiring with 5k miles on a 2006 SRT10 yesterday and the same could be said for going the other way.
if your used to older suspension as I was trying to drive that thing was a challenge to say the least.

Don't get me wrong, it was a beast, but way different than an older car...

[Ghoste]

Thats an interesting point I never thought of before Cooter.  Was it a hard adjustment or not too bad?

[myk]

The idler arm is probably as loose as the most popular cheerleader in  high school.

Pictures would be helpful. 

Oh go ahead and post some of the idler arm too...

[Cooter]

Thats an interesting point I never thought of before Cooter.  Was it a hard adjustment or not too bad?

Well, I began with attempting not to allow myself to just become what I loath, and rip on someone's junk.
that was until I came back and when asked if I "got on it", I replied "hell no guy, your car cost more than my house. Now, that either means I got one helluva cheap house, or you got one helluva expensive car. However you wanna look at it.

Dude told me to drive it like it was mine. So I attempted to kick the ass end out a couple times in 1st through 4th gears. After bangin my head on the window after I let up a few times, I decided handling like a Viper isn't my style. I like getting to 140 real quick.
I like bringing it back down real quick, but y'all adrenalin junkies can have that sustained 140 mph stuff.
it was violent. Viper rode like an old solid mounted axle go kart I had as a kid. It didn't react like what I'm used to.

Believe it oi r nit, I like the feel of older cars when huge power is applied. Not near as jerky feeling. I can clearly see how one could think something's wrong with their car after getting used to that thing.

[moparsal]

Thanks guys, truthfully I've haven't had time to look, between spring time, 9 grand children ,buying & selling
Parts & cars & now boating time car is in garage, plus I have my 69 I use instead.
Yes I have 8 & 10" radials ,
I'll get to it,

[HPP]

I would start by asking does it feel the same since the last time you drove it, or has the time since you last drove it been so long you have forgotten about the feel.

It is rare that a car part just fails through lack of use and certainly a great deal of classic mopar "drifting feel" can be attributed to the era of the car was built in. Along with that go a couple of pure mechanical aspect of tire construction, size, and alignment specifications

The original style tires and original alignment specifications were part of what was considered the norm 40 years ago when driver's preferred a much more isolated and "cushy" feel.  A lot of driver perception has changed  over the years to such a degree that simply putting radial tires on an old car without a corresponding change in alignment to take advantage of that construction will not yield all the benefits.

Never mind the fact that the change in driving feel from a late model to earlier model car can drastically highlight the differences, and like Cooter pointed out, our perceptions of that can sometimes vary wildly.

[myk]

Even when these systems are in good shape I consider them dangerous.  I had my entire front end redone with stock rubber bushings and a rebuilt steering box about 15 years ago.  Sadly enough that rebuild didn't feel anything close to what I would consider safe; my 90's Camaro, Trans-Am, Mustang and an '87 Ford Escort all feel more capable than the Charger.  IMO the bumpsteer is the worst part as you never know what direction the car would go...

[Ghoste]

Really??  I've never found any of my old Mopars to feel dangerous.

[Cooter]

"Dangerous" is a relative term. Wanna drive dangerous? Try 750 hp big block in a stock 45 year old slant 6 suspension..
to anybody who has never had to drive, or grew up driving junk, I guess compared to that Viper, my Charger would handle 'dangerously".

[HPP]

Again, a perception issue backed up by alignment specifications and experience. I too would say I never felt any of my old cars were dangerous to drive, but there were times when they felt considerably different than a newer vehicle.

Even an all brand new suspension aligned to original specs will not feel as dialed in and tight as a newer car. There is a whole lot more going on with direction stability than putting radials and new shocks under a classic. How many here remember the big Pontiac ad campaign in the early '70s for their "radial tuned suspension" and how  a big deal it was to improved handling. All it consisted up was different alignment specs to better utilize the radials' construction that was being installed by the factory.

[Cooter]

Oh, and a stock 58 Plymouth,  on bias ply 800/14" tires.
and pizza cutters are too narrow?