[azuero]

Several months ago I did the Granada brake swap in my daughters 68. (Had the car aligned afterward) I am now tweaking some things before she heads off to college again and I noticed that upon hard braking, (regardless of speed) the car has a tendency to want to wander from one side to the other. What is the solution to this?

Tires are good and front end has new upper ball joints and lower control arms.

Thanks,
Stan

 

[craigh]

How are the tires? It may be an issue with the alignment.

 

[Huskinhano]

There could be a problem with the brakes not working equally, but I agree with you on the alignment problem. I suspect something with the caster under braking and more specifically, the struts.

 

[Dees67]

I had the exact same problem on my '67.

How are your strut rod bushings? Hard braking forces the lower control arms forward and if the strut rod
bushings are worn, then they can't keep the lower arms in place and you end up with more positive caster
momenatrily. That will make the steering wander. You probably won't see a problem when driving normally
either. But if you're on the brakes hard, it's probably for a good reason and loose steering is the LAST thing
you need then!

Check the bushings and if they're worn, replace them with some Midolyne bushings from
Canadian Mustang. They're stiffer than rubber, but softer than polyeurethane.

 

[Guest]

check the tie rod ends, make shure they are granada and not mustang.

 

[Guest]

Could it be the "bump steer" effect? When the suspension travels either up or down, the toe will change with the Granada conversion. That will definitely affect the way the car steers on hard braking.

 

[azuero]

What is the way to correct what you mentioned as "bump steer"
Thanks

 

[Jay]

One way to help eliminate bumpsteer is with a kit, I have had great luck with the Baer Kit. I have been totally against the Granada swap for years after doing it myself and finding it screwed up my entire front end geometry. I had to battle all kinds of looseness and wandering in the front end when I did it years ago. Nowadays there are so many aftermarket options for brakes (several of which come out near the total cost of the Granada swap if done correctly) that I don't feel anyone really needs to use that method. It's very similar to the old Versailles rear search and swap ... certainly no reason to go that route anymore.

You can really get some great info on debugging your situation if you search for posts here from GT350clone in relation to front end alignment and granada swap. Good luck, I ended up canning the Granada swap and installing an Aerospace Components kit and then moved onto a full Baer setup when I found the money to do it.

 

[roadracer]

I'd worry about the front strut rods first. If the car didn't do it before (when it was newer) and you haven't substantially lowered it and it wanders when on smooth road you apply the brakes aggressively,...odds are it's the front strut rod bushings.

Remember, they are loaded to the maximum when your really on the binders!