Steering Feel

[Ric S.]

I have a few steering related questions. I will also call Alan but I know he is very busy with Maurice out praticing early retirement as he recovers from foot surgery.

Having never driven a cobra, I do not know how the steering should feel. I got the column installed today and in moving the wheel felt the motion was stiff. I have a CJ5 with rack steering and it moves w/much less resistance. It felt as if someone was holding onto the rotor as I was trying to turn the wheel. No tires are on at the moment. She is high and dry on jack stands.

Second, the set screw on the middle steering linkage is so close to the nut holding the throttle linkage, I could not get a piece of paper between them when they pass while rolling the wheel.

Finally, as I turn the wheel the mechanism that engages the turn signals clicks even though the signal arm is not engaged. ?????

OK, that concludes this series of rookie questions. I am guessing operator error may be at work here but some of the concerns above have me back to my normal stand and stare position.

Thank you all in advance.

Ric

[pgermond]

Put the car on the ground with wheels and tires and you will see a difference.

The steering set screws can be relocated by disassembling and reassembling the steering linkage and relocating the u-joint knuckles so the set screws don't interfere.

Don't know about the turn signal.

[weaver]

The stud on the steering shaft that cancels the turn signal might be a little high, you can file it down to fix the problem.

Alan

[Naumoff]

Ric,
The steering rack has a very quick ratio. Which gives it a stiffer feel. But you have to drive it on the road to appreciate it.
Get a four wheel alignment .
I love the steering on my car. I have driven a Kirham, Backdraft, and a Thunder Carriages and none of them have a more responsive steering than my Unique. A Solo-1 Champion at a driving class was so impressed with my Unique Cobra as I drove through the course, at lunch time asked if he could drive my car at the end of the day. He had swore off Cobras
and wanted nothing to do with them until he saw then drove my car. Not once but twice through the course. He had the biggest smile on his face and said that is what he thought a Cobra should be. He said the other Cobras kits he had drove were awful.
He made me feel good and I was glad to have helped change his opinion.

I got a shorter set screw and loc-tite for one of my steering linkage joints.