1972 Newport steering issue

[oliver]

Does the car have good tires?

 

[Jon O.]

Does the car have good tires?

fairly new, i don't know how good they are. It could be the tires, because sometimes you feel like you are trying to stop a tractor-trailer.

 

[CBODY67]

I also have a side question. When I pulled her from her sleep, the first red light I came across, I barely tapped the brake pedal and the wheels locked up and I nearly skid right through it. (It had just rained.) Long story short- the brake pedal is very touchy, it was always a little bit, but not this much. Any suggestions, its almost like there is too much pressure.

Might be some rust in the inside of the rear brake drums from sitting unused for so long. Possibly some on the front discs, too. Even if the main part is "knocked off", what's left can be a rougher and more abrasive surface than normal, hence "more grippy". With time, this should wear down to more smoother metal, but some of the original "rust" can become embedded into the friction linings, so that can still be a little more aggressive in the friction area.

You'll need to get used to using those brakes. I have a '70 Skylark that I used to keep at my house. 4-wheel drum power brakes. Just moving it in the driveway to get to another car, I'd have to be very careful as if I used "normal" pressure, I'd be "eatin' steering wheel" as I was moving it around. But when I was driving it all of the time, I was more used to it and didn't have the same issues as when I had been driving something else for a while.

CBODY67

 

[Moparwilks]

I’ve got a bad box too. no play but will turn if I take a hand off it . Some guy said a gear is worn out in the steering. Doesn’t sound like an adjustment will help me. .??

 

[Davea Lux]

I’ve got a bad box too. no play but will turn if I take a hand off it . Some guy said a gear is worn out in the steering. Doesn’t sound like an adjustment will help me. .??

If the wheel turns itself, that usually is the result of the power assist valve on the top of the steering gear being out of adjustment. Have you had it apart? The power assist unit is held in place by two bolts. (The power steering hoses are hooked to the PA valve) The PA valve has two elongated holes below the two bolts that attach it. The unit is adjusted by moving the PA valve in small increments on top of the gear. The FSM gives detailed instructions on how to do this adjustment. Download FSM www.mymopar.com. Try doing the adjustment first before attempting to replace the gear. The PA valves sometimes get "bumped" when doing other repairs such as an engine replacement. Gears sometimes wear out and cause this problem but if you are not seeing lots of slack, I do not think that is your issue.

Dave