bucket of bolts

[wengr]

Well my car is finally back together and largely sorted. Only twenty miles on it so far, so I don't want to speak to soon. I believe I may have the record for most things simulaneously wrong with a cooling system. More on that later. Now that I can actually drive it, I notice all the attention the other systems need. My first question is - how can I reduce the bucket of bolts feel that it has when on rough roads? It does not seem like the front suspension is loose\worn, but more like cowl shake. the dash shakes, maybe even the doors. any tips on how to tighten it up?

[pope]

That shakey feel can come from the worn control arm bushings, worn shocks, worn steering linkage, worn sway bar bushings and steering box and idler arm with not enough oil in them to cushion the vibration through the steering wheel. Make sure you have rubber cushions on both ends of the front and rear springs. Last but not least,(I am sure someone else will chime in) make sure that the ball joints are not worm. I would say that this is a list of things that will have to be changes in the near future if you dont know when they were last done. When all theses items are replaced, these Spiders really have a fairly tight and straight ride.

On the other hand, if you have a cowl shake at speed, most likely tires need balancing and wheel alignment.

On the third hand, a combination of all the above!

[joshuagore]

Even with things tight, it seems the car has some cowl shake. More than a Miata less than a British car. Has anyone ever made an underbody brace to tighten things up? I see an XX pattern going from the subframe to below the transmission, then from the center of the car to one of the trailing arm mounts? A roll cage probably helps more.

Josh

[So Cal Mark]

simply adding a roll bar stiffens the chassis a lot