while I'm at it..

[Mike M]

I might as well throw in another one.
My 69S does not handle as well as it should. The front end feels light and jittery.It pulls to the right, and generally does not feel good. I know it sould be better than that. I have had many alignments.replaced struts,new tires,everything I can think of has not given me any improvement(not much anyway). Anyone have similar problems? How did you cure them?
FRUSTRATED

[pwd72s]

Dear frustrated: Have you checked your car's steering rack? Best, Abby....

[campbellcj]

So many things up front...a-arm bushings, tie rods, steering rack. Tough to say.

What speed are we talking about? The early cars with their non-spoiler valances do get kind of jittery/floaty over 100mph or so.

[dean]

Mine pulled hard. Then I corner balanced it and now it handles like a dream.
Dean

[sammyg2]

Dean said "Mine pulled hard. Then I corner balanced it and now it handles like a dream. "

I was just going to suggest that. When I was lowering my car, I found that having one side lower that the other made it want to pull that direction. now that it is all evel it runs straight again.
Take a tape measure and do a quick and dirty check of the fender height. i know it isn't precision, but it might indicate if there is a helight problem without spending the big $$ for a corner balance.

[dean]

I forgot to say that I had 1" of play in the wheel and it pulled hard. I had to replace the rack and corner balance. Then it handled great. A tape won't work, because the car can be level but the diag. wheels could be heavy. Mine were out 100 lbs. After I corner balanced, they were within 10 lbs.
Dean

[dickster]

i've got an '86 with only the rear wing, no front lip spoiler.

mine handles a bit as you described. i don't feel confident driving at high speed for long. the front goes light.

i need to get the front spoiler and see how that goes.

the dickster

[AirCooledExcellence]

Richard,

I've heard that's it's dangerous to run a car with a rear spolier and no front!

Better get that front one done ASAP!!

Cheers,

Tim.
____________
1983 SC Targa

[Joe911]

MikeM - I can relate….. I also have a 69S. You did not say much about the overall condition but here is my experience. When I bought mine, someone had started a restoration (replaced the front pan and cheap paint job) and of course told me that nearly everything was AOK. It pulled to the right under braking and was light and twitchy at 80+. As we took it apart, every system/assembly was worn out - so after all new bushings/rotors/calipers/shocks/tie rod ends/strut brace. After an eyeball alignment - much better. I still have noticed that in the rain - the right front locks up first. I still need to corner balance. When we set the fender heights even R-L the wheel locks more - trying to shift more weight to the right by fudging on ride height eliminates most of the locking. Of course the new suspension pan could account for some of this (imperfectly aligned).

So my message here is that - things might be a little loose, misaligned, and these old cars are often not totally square. Several on this list have mentioned that there is considerable variability in the fender height and width (offset) of the older 911. For example 15 X 7 fit my car just fine but I have been told that they would not without fender rolling.

My advice would be to (1) check the toe with a tape measure front and rear. - this can cause a pull - front mostly - rear toe out would contribute more to higher speed stability. (2) Check/install new brake pads and pay attention to the wear (sticking pistons) and how hard it is to push the piston back in (corrosion in the calipher/piston). (3) Dissemble the front suspension and check/replace the mushings (sorry Freudian typing slip - I mean bushings). (4) Also old tires can make things unstable. I am sure you have already done things like bounce on the fenders to get an idea of the condition of the shock/struts.

Richardnelson and MikeM - I also have a Carrera with front and rear spoilers - huge difference. At 120 it just hunkers down.