Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

My 1936 120 Coupe is very sensitive to ruts. Then the steering needs full attention. Compared to my Ford Model A, the Packard is much more sensitive. When the road is ok, the car has very good straight-line stability.
Have you also observed this?

Could be several things. When does it occur?

Do pot holes or road high spots cause any issues or just ruts?

Do you have play(slop) with the steering wheel when the car is running or when it is off?

Gar

With modern fully independent front suspension on the Packard versus the archaic fixed beam axle on the Ford, the Packard should by far have the better handling characteristics.

If you are observing the opposite, the Packard suspension warrants a very thorough inspection.

May be play in center steering arm. Check up/down play, should be almost nothing.

New bearing may be needed

Thanks
James From
Kanter Auto Products

How worn are your tires?
You might try rotating back to front and seeing if it makes a difference.
I developed this problem several years ago. Putting a new set of tires on cured it.

Having had two jr. Packards (had a 39 120 sedan, have a 40 110 conv coupe now) and two Model As (had a 30 sedan, 30 roadster now) I thought this was interesting.

I noticed some sensitivity to irregularities in the road with my Packards as well, but also realized the average speed in the As is usually around 30, 35. We go further and faster in the Packard and 45, 50 is not out of line on many roads here in New England, nor is rough condition from our winters. Just wonder if perception is possibly skewed a bit as that is not apples to apples if you drive the cars a bit differently as we do.

In addition to worn or loose linkage, if the caster angle is a bit out of spec doesn't that also cause the wheels to want to follow a rut.

I only ever had the problem on a motorcycle that had the treads that were radial around the circumference that wanted to follow the slightly zigzag anti-skid cuts that pavement sometimes had in the ‘70s. I drove my 1940 110 all the time at highway speeds and never noticed it but that was with rebuild front suspension and new tires so as others have indicated, looseness is the first thing to check.

Thank you very much.
The steering has hardly any play. The wheel bearings have also been renewed. The tyres are older, but the tread is like new.
The problem only occurs when there are ruts in the asphalt on older roads. For example, caused by trucks.
I'll have the camber checked again.

Are you running bias ply tires? The roads here are frequently rutted. I installed radials and experienced a huge improvement in handling, especially at speed.
Best of luck....