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Hi, just a quick question - I find that once I'm moving the steering is fine and straight. At rest it appears very heavy (a woman would have a really tough time steering my '39 Super 8). I found with the car on the lift the suspension is in pretty good shape except for one thing - the center arm steering bushing has a lot of up and down and sideways slop when I lift up and down on the left and right tie rod ends. Now just to be correct, is what I'm calling it, the center steering arm bushing, the right term? It's located under the center of the crankshaft wheel, pretty much, and looks protected by the suspension housing which has slots where you can see but not easily get to and would it give that heavy steering feel at rest?

Thank you!

Steve

341162...very common wear point.

If there's considerable wear you will need both the bushing and the pin

I see, and would that give that heavy steering feel at rest?

Simple physics, you will always have heavier steering when the car is not in motion regardless of whether the front suspension is factory-new or worn to a frazzle. I guess what you're asking is whether a worn center link bushing would add to that normal heaviness? I can't answer that, perhaps others can; but a worn center link bushing will certainly contribute to wander and poor driveability.

I guess what you're asking is whether a worn center link bushing would add to that normal heaviness? ..................exactly!

Worn center steering bushing/pin will not make the steering heavy. At very slow parking speeds the steering should not be heavy, what will contribute to heaviness is ungreased and worn king pin thrust bearings.

Adding to what Fred said, underinflated tires. More so if oversized. Yet more so if old, dry, and worn.

If memory serves - no bushing. It is a needle-bearing assembly on all Seniors '37 - 39).

I personally think Packard got a bit "carried away" on the use of roller and needle bearings when ordinary bushings would be more logical from a physics - engineering standpoint. Any half-way decent machine shop should be able to make you up something. Just keep it greased !

Which reminds me - should you have occasion to want to dis-assemble the front end, DO NOT ATTEMPT to use an ordinary spring compressor. The Steele people used to provide an instruction list on how to dis-arm the springs on the Safety-Flex suspension. It simply "walks you thru" the only way...the safe way Packard assembled and disassembled that potentially VERY dangerous system. ( I know those instructions are good...because I wrote em...! )

Not just Packard and not just automobiles, but I've often wondered about the advisability of using needle bearings, caged or otherwise, in applications that never complete full 360? rotations. One might think that since the needle rollers never complete a full revolution but simply work back and forth, that they would be prone to flat-spotting. No facts or even personal observation, just curious.