creel228

I have a 66 Mustang with manual steering. The steering has quite a bit of slack in it and when I go over a bridge or something where the car sorta floats the car with dart to the left for a moment, I am assuming its because of the slack. Is there a way to tighten the slack up some so there's not as much play. Also do you think the reason it darts to the left like that when it goes over a big bump is because of the slack or maybe something else, like the pitman or something??

proeagles

You can check for slack in the steering box by turning the steering wheel and observing the action of the steering arm or pitman arm. If the wheel moves a good deal with no output motion then your box could use a little tightening or replacement. If the arm is moving and the wheels are not reacting, then chances are some or all of your ball joints are in need of replacement.

fastbackford351

You need to get that thing up on a rack and have somebody who knows what they're looking at give it a close inspection A.S.A.P. !

Clapped out ball joints & tie rods are nothing to mess around with and if they fail at speed the results are catastrophic.

creel228

ok thanks for the advise.

bop11

Also insure that who ever did the last alignment knows what he is doing. The early Mustangs were aligned by adding or removing shims. However, after doing what was suggested above, my guess is that your steering box has excessive wear and you ball joints need replacement. Replacements for the ball joints and tie rods is not hard and not that costly. There are several full kits on the market starting around $350 for upper and lower A arms, springs and tie rod ends.

creel228

I jacked the car up and tried moving the tires in and out to check for slack and they seemed tight so I sorta thought my ball joints were ok, but they might not be.

bop11

How about left to right. You should see the drag link move, but if the steering wheel doesn't, the box is lose.

creel228

ok I will check that this weekend and see, thanks