[72cat]

Well Ruby is back from the workshop, they replaced the lower control arm bushings, 8 x stabliser bar rubbers, 4 x caster rod rubbers, 'repaired' the tie rods, replaced the shackle and spring eye bushings, right front idler arm bush, set front alignment, could not do rear cos' of bent axle shaft, they took off the steering ram 'control thingie' and greased it all up and replaced the rubber boot. Also took off that extra leaf spring that the PO had put in [for the wide tyres] and when I went to fetch her this morning she was all nice and shiney and clean, inside and out, love it when they clean a car up after working on it. I have not had a chance to drive her yet as I wanted to drive behind her and check if the wheel was still wobbling [I sort of knew it would be, but I was hoping], and the minute we got home I had to go out again. S says that the steering wheel has still got a bit of play, the guy at the shop told me it had and that I could maybe try adjust the steering box but he would not recommend it seeing as the car has had steering problems for so long, and that the PO proberly over adjusted it in anycase and he was not going to take any chances with it. Total cost of all the above US$174.00.

Do you think the bent axle shaft might account for some of the steering play, or is that totally unrelated. Alternatively would a Saginaw steering box off a Fairlane fit? Or else I could just get used to it and live with it......

Anyway its nice to look out the window and see Ruby again.

 

[73XR7]

Dayle,
Well it's good she is home! Never get used to bad steering or any thing not right on your cat! I am not sure on the Saginaw box , I do not know much about steering boxes..lol
The bent axel shaft should not have anything to do with it altho I have seen stranger combos of parts being related.
On another note they cleaned it inside and out?...Wow I have never had a mechanic do that around here!
Well good luck and i sent you a pic of my car with no color.

 

[Cougar Kitty]

Great deal, Dayle!
Rear axle should have no effect on the steering but, who knows.

 

[dan]

Dayle,Living so far away you should look for a ford part exchange book.It would be easier to find parts and save some money.Some times when you say COUGAR at a parts store you can add 20%.But if you have a book with the numbers at least you know what to look for.I call it a junk yard Bible.

 

[leonbray]

Dayle - Saginaw box will give you more problems (I'm assuming it is left hand drive still) The drop arm length is different.

 

[72cat]

Thanks Leon, never thought of the left/right side, its RHD, so gues it won't work

 

[leonbray]

If the Cougar RHD just use an Australian Falcon box - that's all we do. What you probably have is set-up out of the Oz Fairlane or Fairmont GT - they have integrated power seering boxes.

When you look at it make sure they actually welded tubes into the chassis rail otherwise the bolts will crush the rail.

If you have shimmy through the front wheels after it was aligned it probably means that the drag link geometry wasn't done correctly

Incorrect wheels will also cause steering shake, particulalry if they use US wheels on Australian Falcon Uprights and spindles as the Falcon spindles are narrower and move the wheel centre to different axis (mine used to shake from 50 - 55 mph)

 

[72cat]

Hi Leon, sorry meant the Fairlane is RH, cougar is still LH, but what you said about the wheels is interesting, do you mean the rims, or am I completely off the mark, all I know about the ones that were on the cougar is that they fit the ranchero [xy] a hell of a lot better than they did the cougar. If its the rims then I am going to just give up, there is no way I am importing rims from US. I will get an adapter made to fit the cougar and then adapted to fit the rims, wonder if that would work. If US wheel holes are slightly different to SA rim holes then getting an adapter made up specially for front and back would be an ideal solution, so long as I can get the engineering guy to understand what I mean.

Dan, I don't have a problem with them adding 20% on when I say cougar, cos' most of them look at me blankly and say "What??" However if I were to say mustang they would definitely start upping the price. Give me the name of the book and I will look for one, I did try once to look up one on the internet but gave up after about 1/2 hour.