I just picked up a 95 cruiser, trouble keeping it centered... (1 Viewer)

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I test drove it, it drove good, it was a bit wobbly, but the guy put 305/70s on the stock wheels and put 1.5 lift or something.

It goes straight on smooth roads, but if i start hitting some uneven areas i have to fight the wobble to stay in the lane.

also on turns it leans more than stock (i drove only 2 stock one and they were solid on turns) so maybe need of new sway bar?

when i go into a turn fast then i should it seems like the steering wheel doesnt return back to center as fast as it should, i tried out handling in wet the other night and if front starts sliding into a turn id have to help the wheel back into center, as with other cars before you can let go of the wheel and the tires straighten out with ease.

im not sure if i need stiffer sway bars, or stabilizer or maybe power steering is to weak for the 305s?
 
As with any modifications to a stock setup, the changes made to the suspension altered other bits of steering geometry as well. Id try and figure out what type of lift he put on the vehicle if you can; make of springs and shocks, and what pieces were actually added. Im not aware of a 1.5'' lift unless he put spacers on all the springs which would negatively affect handling. Or perhaps he put OME stock height replacement springs and netted a 1.5'' gain??? Look to see if he added a new steering stabilizer and more importantly to see if there was any attempt of correcting castor. Go get a free castor sweep and see where you are. Stock range is 2-4 degrees, my guess is your a little under that range.

I would not suspect the sway bar, but i would inspect it for damage esp where the bar is mounted via bracket to the frame and axle

Power steering should be fine if its not groaning and leaking and handles 305 just fine.

If you sliding going into a turn then your going to fast.....these things dont drift too well :D
 
im not even sure what this castor is, i suppose id start searching some threads. :) my plan is to go through the whole cruiser and tackle one thing at a time
 
I would think the sway bar may have been removed all together, if the body roll is that excessive, or the links may need to be extended to compensate for the lift.

I've never heard of a 1.5 inch lift, but I have a 2.5.

Normally caster isn't a big issue at this level of lift (depends on truck to truck) However the symptons you mention of not returning to center does seem to indiate this as a problem. The bigger tyres may also be affecting it.

Another issue could be worn radius arm bushes. Since installing caster correction bushes fixes not only the caster, but the worn bush as well, poor handling is often incorrectly attributed to caster.

Something else to consider is the coil spring/shock combination. worn, or too soft shockers can cause steering shimmys, sometimes in combination with stiffer coils. That's why it's best to get matched springs and shocks from the same manufacturer.
 

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