My black 68 LeBaron has a different steering feel than the green car. The
wheel return to straight is not as powerful. I was suspecting improper
alignment, but I would not be surprised if it also has a Chrysler idler arm!
The previous owner apparently took many such shortcuts in maintaining that
vehicle.
D^2, 2x68s
Quoting Dick Benjamin <dickb@xxxxxxxxx>:
> The alignment shop won't even know it's different unless they check the
> angle of the right wheel when the left wheel is turned away from
> straight
> ahead. The shorter idler arm will make the Ackerman angle be wrong in
> a
> turn, but the car will still track fine straight ahead. I can't
> estimate
> the danger, but driving a car this way will have more of a tendency to
> understeer, and to go into a skid on slippery surfaces, because the two
> front wheels will have to slide slightly in a turn. Maybe this is too
> small
> an effect to notice, but they must have made the Imperial arm longer for
> a
> reason.
>
> Dick Benjamin
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bar00n" <baroon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Monday, April 28, 2003 12:35 PM
> Subject: Re: IML: Idler Arm Replacement found
>
>
> > I wonder if an alignment shop would know the difference or if they
> have to
> > do something different to compensate for it.
> >
> > Carl
> > http://www.robdiesel.com
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jeff Ingraham" <jeff_ingraham@xxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > Just to chime in here... My brother has had a 68
> > Chrysler 300 Idler arm on his 67 Imp for about 4 years
> > with no adverse effects. The differences in angle
> > and or length of maybe 1/4 of an inch was about the
> > only difference between the 2 when you laid them next
> > to each other.
> >
> >
> >
> >