68 GTO front suspension questions

[gtobrett]

I'm new so please forgive me if this is the wrong place for these questions. I've lowered the front end of my 68 GTO about 3" by cutting the front springs and the rear by installing a set of 2" lowering springs. After cutting the front springs I took the car in for an alignment and was told that the geometry was so far off that they couldn't do anything for me except to set the toe (which they did). The car is very "jumpy" on any uneven pavement especially at highway speeds. I'm told that this may be a "bump steer" issue and that there is a Baer product out there that would resolve this by moving the tie rod end in to better alignment. I'd be thrilled if that were all I needed to do. I just put a drum to disk conversion kit on the car last year and opted to stick with the stock type disk brake spindles. It looks like drop spindles and lowering springs are an option also, but I don't want to redo that work if it will lead to similar trouble or if there is another way (Baer kit) that will resolve the issue.

I'm also not really going for fantastic cornering ability, just more of the aesthetics of the lowered look and respectable road worthiness. Any thoughts or experiences would be really appreciated.
Thanks

[gtobrett]

I think I'm going to try the Baer Tracker kit and see if that takes care of the bump steer.

[novanutcase]

DO NOT PUT DROP SPINDLES!!!! This will worsen the bump steer issue you are having. Call Baer and see what they can do for you. You may want to consult with a suspension expert to see what the problem really is but it does sound like a Bump steer issue.

[andrewb70]

DO NOT PUT DROP SPINDLES!!!! This will worsen the bump steer issue you are having.

Do you have or do you know anyone that has actual travel vs. bump plots?

Andrew

[gtobrett]

I'm definitely going to stay away from the drop spindles. The more I've read on this site and others has convinced me of that. It really does seem to be a bump steer issue and the Baer kit sounds like the solution. The expert I had look at it is the one who recommended drop spindles, but I think that's out of date advice. I like the look of the SC&C adjustable upper control arm and tall ball joint kit, but if the $155 Baer kit will do the trick for now, I think I'll take that route.
Thanks

[Norm Peterson]

I think the rest of the alignment settings need to be addressed first, as it sounds like the alignment tech simply "bailed out" on trying to get them set to anything reasonable (and wasn't going to spend half a day on a job that pays only an hour or so). That 1" change in rake, for example, has pushed your caster about 0.5° less positive/more negative (not the hot tip for directional stability) and should be corrected for.

The fix for this, at such a lowered ride height, probably involves adjustable-length upper control arms. Marcus (SC&C) may be able to help.


Norm