Steering question
 

What are the stipulations on steering dampers, specifically on a 3rd gen Camaro? Stock and/or super stock. Getting some nasty tire shimmy on the landing.

Re: Steering question
 

Ed Quay has a nice kit for that car. Typically if you have shimmy something is loose. I had the same issue on my gen 1 Camaro. Turned out the top bolts on the steering box were loose. Check to make sure everything in the steering system is tight and no slop

Re: Steering question
 

Thanks Mike, I saw that damper but is it legal in stock/super stock? I'm pretty vigilant on checking the car over between runs, keeps my mind busy.

Re: Steering question
 

Almost all 3rd gen camaros run that ed quay piece, actually an early VW absorber...its legal and very important if you don't want to shake the fillings out of your teeth....

Re: Steering question
 

Thats the million dollar answer I was looking for, thanks!!

Re: Steering question
 

Just about every S or SS 3rd gen has one, the others will have one if they wheelstand. As stated there is a problem on those cars cracking the frame behind the steering box and the frame rails flexing. There is actually a factory piece and it's sold aftermarket also that ties the L and R rails with a bar between the sway bar mounts to stop flex.

Re: Steering question
 

Wonder what makes the 3rd gen cars shimmy at landing without one? My 4th gen never has. This is the first I've heard of this. Interesting.

Re: Steering question
 

Up until this past weekend I never really made enough power to even bring the front wheels off the ground. So it definitely surprised me when the steering wheel went nuts for a quick second. Probably going to go with the Quay damper and see how that works. I think it has to be welded on.

Re: Steering question
 

2 small brackets need to be welded......

Re: Steering question
 

Check your steering completely!
Had violent steering wheel shake out of the blue one weekend at Atco a few years ago.
After it left and picked the wheels up steering wheel started shaking and got worse until I stopped the car on the track. Went back to the pits checked what I could tried again same thing.
Tie rod ends and steering box were tight did the standard check on the ball joints for vertical movement but on further inspection there was ball joint movement front to rear.
Replaced the ball joints and added the damper from Pete Z for safety in the future. Pete mentioned tightening the large nut on the bottom of the idler arm if OEM will act like a damper.

Re: Steering question
 

Yikes, that can be scary. Once I landed the car ran smooth the rest of the run. I just want to eliminate that initial shimmy when it lands.

Re: Steering question
 

Ed, I would say then, that the camber and toe in changes are more radical on the 3rd Gen. cars.
After all , they weren't designed to recover smoothly from a wheelstand.

Anyone ever try to fix that, or are you stuck with a band aid solution?

Re: Steering question
 

Mine never shook before and has not since replacing ball joints, put the damper on for safety.

Re: Steering question
 

I'd say the only true fixes would be to stop wheelstanding or replace the complete frt. chassis/suspension which wouldn't be feasible for a stocker. 4ht gens have a different geometry.
You have to experience it to really understand how violent it can be. I'm 240lbs and couldn't hold the wheel to get the car back under control when it happened. Spectators thought I broke something badly on the car. My car isn't a stocker and doesn't wheelstand very high.

Re: Steering question
 

Mark, the 4th gen cars weren't designed for wheel stands either. Those changes can be corrected, or at least minimized. I always considered that part of building the car. May be more difficult to correct on a 3rd gen. I have always, since my Jr Stockers in the 1960s, spent a lot of time there. Toe change corrections can be worth some ET. All easier if you have some wheel alignment equipment and some fabrication skills.

Re: Steering question
 

[QUOTE=Eman;522057]I'd say the only true fixes would be to stop wheelstanding or replace the complete frt. chassis/suspension which wouldn't be feasible for a stocker. /QUOTE]

You never know, with enough complaints and lobbying, maybe NHRA will allow Stockers to replace the stock front suspension with a Chrome Moly, round tube clip, with lightweight Lamb struts and brakes. All in the interest of "Safety", of course!!

Re: Steering question
 

[QUOTE=Rory McNeil;522077]When mine was my daily driver/toy I put all that under mine. Lots of money for not much weight loss, (~ 10 lbs) almost no improvement in toe & camber change (that wasn't where the toe-in change was anyway) all I gained was screwed up scuff radius. Drove like crap.
Sold it all to a kid impressed with all the light (looking) tubing. Toe change is mostly the spindal-to-steering rack height difference.

Re: Steering question
 

I'm pondering getting my k member on my 86 camaro super stocker build done from Ed Quay. They relocate the lower control arm mounting holes as well as make room for a different pan, planning on using a Stefs pan. Anyone have any experience with how that effects the trajectory of the car?

Re: Steering question
 

Eman, I haven't studied this enough to concede that nothing can be done.
If the 4th gen. cars have different geometry, then it seems to me that would be the place to start looking.
BTW, modifying A-arms for alignment purposes ,has been going on since at least the 70's.
Ask Jack Arnew about that.

Re: Steering question
 

;-)

Re: Steering question
 

Been done since the '60s.

Re: Steering question
 

I currently have some racers experimenting with the fix for this problem, at this time. My fix on this wobble when coming down from a wheel stand is to install a stock OEM rubber bushing in the, ilder arm end of the center link. Once installed, point the wheels strait ahead, and tighten nut on the pivot to OEM specs.. That will act as a shock absorber, to help stop the shimmy. Note; It was pointed out to me that the 3rd gen. Camaro, has a pivot built into the end of the center link, so this fix will only work on cars with a replace-able bushing, such as the 55-57 Chevy, early Chevy 2, etc. You may call me anytime for help, or my theory's on front ends, especially for the early Chevy 2.
Eddie Rezac 402 443 8424

Re: Steering question
 

My 3rd gen Camaro stocker was probably the 4th one built in the country back in the 80's and mine was the first one with a stick. When I first ran it , it shook hard and it was not wheelstanding. I changed the caster camber settings a few times and nothing helped, the parts in the frontend were new also. I then called FJ Smith who was building a lot of SS 3rd gen cars at that time. He said but a volks bug steering damper and make some brackets and put it on. All his cars had that set up. I did that and it fixed the shake completely. Still have the car, with a volks damper on it. You can get one easy at a parts store and install it yourself with a little fab work.