Stiff GT Steering (Was "handling")

[djjeffbailey@gmail.c]

Hi everyone, I recently bought a 71 Opel gt and need some advice on handling. I'm a strong guy but feel like I just left the gym after a few miles on a winding road. It's definitely a risk shifting thru a turn (it takes a lot of effort), I can't imagine going more than 30 mph thru the turn. The engine runs well. At some point I want to upgrade engine and go to a five speed after handling issues are resolved. It does not have any sway bars and 13" tires which I intend to correct. The turn signal on the column is "floppy" and doesn't work at all. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by djjeffbailey@gmail.c Hi everyone, I recently bought a 71 Opel gt and need some advice on handling. I'm a strong guy but feel like I just left the gym after a few miles on a winding road. It's definitely a risk shifting thru a turn (it takes a lot of effort), I can't imagine going more than 30 mph thru the turn. The engine runs well. At some point I want to upgrade engine and go to a five speed after handling issues are resolved. It does not have any sway bars and 13" tires which I intend to correct. The turn signal on the column is "floppy" and doesn't work at all. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the group! There are a lot of Opel folks in PA that can give you advice and maybe even hands on help.

Opel GT Source has some repair parts that you may be looking for on your steering column.

I don't find it all that difficult to turn the steering wheel as long as the car is rolling. Make sure the air pressure is where it should be and that the front end alignment is correct. The only other thing that comes to mind is that maybe you should clean out the old grease in your rack & pinion and regrease it. I had one GT that had a gritty feeling when turning until I cleaned as much old grease out as I could and replaced it with fresh.

HTH,
Harold

[traytodd]

There is no power assist on the Opels so don't expect one finger Detroit stearing. However, once moving, it shoul d not take great effort to turn the wheel.

If the front end is still original, the grease in the ball joints may have dried up. These are permanently lubed so may still have the original grease. You can fill a syringe with good lithium based grease, slide the needle under the rubber boots (not through them) and inject some fresh grease. Check the boots first for cracks or tears. If bad, replace the ball joints.

Also check the front suspension rubber, OGTS sell polyurathane bushings that are a great upgrade.

Terry

[RallyBob]

Also the steering universal joints often go bad, and can greatly increase steering effort. In truth, these cars have very light steering feel once you're rolling down the road, if all things are working correctly.

[First opel 1981]

First, figure out if its a steering mechanism problem or a handling problem.

Easiest way to check.
Jack the front of the car up and support on jackstands at the jacking points. Then try to turn the steering wheel. Is it difficult? If so, it's a mechanical issue and likely either the dried up grease, as mentioned above, and/or worn parts.

If it moves freely then there is a problem with your cars handling. What I mean is there is something "off" in the way the car is set. You might have a camber issue or some toe-out or something. You might need an alignment shop to help figure out why it steers hard if everything moves freely.

[Aardvaark]

Low tire pressure in the front will greatly increase effort also. Have at least
30psi. (experienced GT owners can recommend pressures better then me).

Also tire size, construction and wear makes a big difference. An example is that I recently replaced my 175/80x13 tires that were about 1/3 worn with new 205/60x13's and with the same 32psi front pressures, my Manta feels
like it gained power steering almost compared to the old tires.
I've seen this happend several times on Opels and other manual steering cars.
The reason has mostly to do with the lever arm length effect of the possitive caster angle
of my cars steering geometery being shortend with the new shorter tires on the same wheels.

[jlthunder]

Welcome to the group.
Yes, there are a few of us in PA. We are located all over the state. There is a member in Carlisle which is probably 1.5 hours away from you. Come to the Carlisle car show in May, you will meet a bunch of us.

One thing I did to help my steering is to pull back the boots on the tie rods and lubricate the rack with some grease. This lightened up the steering a lot. The other suggestions here will help too.

Good Luck and I hope to see you in Carlisle. BTW, you don't have to bring an opel to have fun.

[Dennis Texas]

If the boots on the tie rods is worn with holes like mine were it needs to degreased (used mean green here) and apply fresh grease to the shaft the tie rods attach to the rack as they call it. Hopefully you will have new rubber boots to enclose the area after cleaning, the improvement is awesome. I use to have to steer my car literally as I navigated the road, where ever I turned the steering wheel thats where it stayed now it floats.