Hi folks,

I just bought this car. Very well presenting daily driver, but the car has not been driven regularly. I've driven it about 5 miles to get up to temp, listen for any sounds and sniff for any smells. My plan is to drive it fairly regularly because anything else would be a waste.

I have a few questions. (I did try searching the forum).

1. The car steers and tracks straight, but when I am in a constant radius turn, the steering wheel with "... jump" when turning. In other words, if I am using consistent pressure and increasing the turn, the wheel has sort of a skip or miss if that makes sense. Kind of like a needle skipping on a record. Input is fine and light, it just gets lighter as opposed to consistent resistance... If that makes any sense.

2. Car has Michelin Red Lines on stock wire wheels. What tire pressure should I be using?

3. I'll be changing the fluids. Car will be driven regularly in Atlanta suburbs. Occasional highway trips to NC or Savannah. No attempts to rally of any sort. Given that, any salient advice on oil?

Thanks and I'm looking forward to owning this car. They are stunning to look at.

JKC

 

CJ you do not say if your car has PS or not. 70 E types sometimes did. Not to be offensive but there is no pressure that those redlines will work well with. They are simply horrid on an E type (they do look great though). They are also dangerous in wet conditions with an IRS. The compound is too hard and gets worse over time.
The oil question always starts a debate so for our fleet of older cars we simply use Castrol 20w50 and have no issues. The temps in Atlanta will accept that.

 

Thanks for your reply. That's not offensive at all. Frankly, not a big fan of Red Lines, but they were on the car. Not planning on driving it in the rain, but if I get stuck somewhere, the poor performance is good to know.

On to steering, I drove it again this evening for about 10 to 15 miles. Yes, it is power steering... Another way of putting it is that it kinda feels sticky. I'm hoping that as I drive the car and work through all the motions, I may be able to get some cobwebs out, but it probably needs some kind of service. Is there any way to swap back to a manual rack?

Have a great weekend.

JKC

 

First… buy new tires - whichever you like. We have been using old ‘rollers’ through my restoration project and 3 of the 4 we used exploded while just sitting there. One exploded violently even when the car was on jack stands. Old tires are just not safe.

Second… check the attachment of the steering rack to the front frame. These were attached with a metalastik (rubber) mount that fails eventually. There is a backup safety system but it does let the rack move. Check this thing:


Third: do not use water as coolant it will cause corrosion (and check for past issues with corrosion). Corrosion from water is a common issue that can be serious.

 

You may switch to manual but why not servicing the PS first. Change the filter and PS fluid. BTW have you checked the fluid level or the drive belt tension?

 

Kids,

Thanks for the prompt response.

I'd read about that "super coolant" that Jay Leno swears by, but I figured a regular coolant/water mix would be fine in Atlanta climate. I appreciate the heads up and will flush the coolant and switch.

I'll have to blow up a schematic and look at the frame mount Mike mentions.

I haven't put the car on stands yet, but probably will in the next week or so. (Work is taking me out of town next week). When I do, I will change oil, service the P/S, swap out the coolant, probably change out the differential and transmission fluid if it is not too daunting. I'm a little wary of bleeding the brakes, but I may give it a shot.

I'm looking forward to getting into this car as a hobby and doing most of the maintenance/troubleshooting myself and I very much appreciate feedback. Hopefully, I'll be able to return the favor to other contributors as well.

Regards and enjoy the weekend,

JKC

 

The coolant you are referring to is Evans waterless coolant. I use it.

It seems expensive at first glance, but it is permanent (ie: you don’t change it). Also, it has a *much* higher boiling point so you don’t get boiling in tight corners that have less than stellar coolant flow. This is one reason it was developed: to make Corvette engines work. Finally, it does not cause corrosion. To me, it seemed to be well worth the investment. Atlanta might be mild but you still likely don’t want to spend time in traffic.

I hope you will have lots of fun both maintaining and driving your new car.

For your amusement: https://www.hagerty.com/media/automo...-legal-battle/