This week, we have been hard at work putting the finishing touches on a Bugeye that came to us for an extensive mechanical restoration. Part of this restoration included doing a front disc brake conversion with new front lever shocks, new outer tie rod ends and camber-adjusting control arms, which we used to adjust asymmetry in the front end due to prior crashes. You can see these new components installed on the car below in the photo of the suspension taken earlier this week.
While performing our typical final test drives, which we do to work out any “bugs” we encounter (centering the steering wheel, for example), I noticed a looseness, or “flutter”, coming from the right front wheel. The video below helps to explain this feeling and what can cause it:
This flutter is something that the average Bugeye owner may not notice while driving, especially if their car has older components in it instead of the all-new parts we had installed. However, after having driven more than 400 Bugeyes on similar test drives, I knew something wasn’t right. But the question is, with all-new suspension components, what would be causing this?
A quick inspection ruled-out loose wheel bearings or slop in the king pins (all of these parts are already new). What we did find was a noise coming from the steering rack, in the area of the inner tie rod ends.
The inner tie rods on a Bugeye don’t wear often but the best way to address this is to replace the steering rack. New racks run about $260 in our catalog (you can order one by clicking the photo below or by clicking here), which will resolve any lingering steering slop issues that may exist.
Be sure to inspect your suspension for play today!
