Viva GT: Front Suspension
Right just a quick update. As a result of the failure in Spring to set up the steering geometry because (as I was informed) the front ball joints are loose, the wheel bearings are loose and the steering rack has too much play, I was forced to abandon plans to have the GT on the road for the summer.
Its been a while since I looked at the GT as I was upset with myself for sending the car to them incomplete and what appeared to be feedback telling me it a nice looking car but has issues. Not great for the confidence, so its been ignored for a while.
So what is the real score? I have disassembled the brakes, got the suspension back to the hubs, and find both bottom ball joints to be fine? I have re-done the ball joint nuts and split pins, both were tight but I could add another 3/4 turn max. Next I had a look at the tie-rod ends, both were fine. As a precaution I have removed them both and re greased them, and refitted them. I have also redone the wheel bearings and yes there was play there (my bad). What I had noticed (and was informed about) was a small amount of lash movement in the steering rack, I have a spare shim kit to sure that. So once that is re-shimmed, I think that all the play taken out of the steering and no more excuses for not being able to set up the front so the wheels are in the right position.
The list of works to redo from this Spring were pedal box, all done bar the bleeding of the hydraulic fluids and checking for leaks. Second was the trigger wheel, thats been replaced and now I can get a signal, last was the front suspension too which I am almost there now. That just leaves re-assembling the interior to get me back where I was in Spring.
The moral of all this seems to be around asking others to assist and me not giving clear 100% instructions. I sent it to Northampton Motor Sport to setup, they found issues, assumed the car was correctly built before it came to them, (far from it it was all finger tight and weakly adjusted so I could get it on or off a trailer going as straight as I could get it, hence me asking them to check it all). They then started to question who had done what negatively, sent the car back to me saying they were too busy to rectify those issues (to which they were and are, it will be going back there once its sorted), so it came home and was pushed back in the garage unloved for a bit.
I hold no one person or business to blame only myself for not clearly explaining what they were getting in the first place and my expectations, but as a self taught builder sometimes I don’t know what they expect and maybe my demands are too high due to inexperience.
