Front Suspension, Do or Delay Options

[DennisV]

How critical is it to replace the bushings and related from suspension components on a car that has sat indoors for 20 years? Is the worst case the handling a little sloppy? Or am I looking at high risk for being stranded or in an accident?

I have been working to get our 1970 914-6 back on the road. Safely and reliably of course.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

I have very limited windows to work on the car. It is in another state. So to avoid this becoming a never ending project, I have tried not to slide into a full restoration. I have focused on:

• Engine rebuild
• Transmission rebuild
• Brake system replacement
• Fuel system replacement

I have access to a lift where the car currently is, and the brakes are off. So I'm real tempted to do the front suspension now. That said, if everything went great that will add another few months before the car would hit the road due to the distance and how frequently I get access to the car.

[technicalninja]

I too, hate the current crop of tire monkeys...

If I had a set of straight rare wheels, I'd mount each wheel on one of the front hubs and take a video of it spinning.
I'd reference both beads with a pointer held closely to show run out and I'd video the faces and the back sides of each wheel. I'd place a piece of masking tape with a number on it to denote each wheel.

This would both prove to me and maybe later to the manager of the tire store that the wheels were straight when I brought them in.

I might speak with the manager before I had them mounted and advise of the fragility of the wheels. This might backfire and the tire shop might decline the job.

I haven't taken the whole car to a tire shop in a long, long, time.

I DO NOT trust the monkeys to mount the wheels properly and you will not see a torque wrench in 90% of the chain stores today.
They use an IFFY torque limiting extension that is not good enough in my book.

I had some warranty work done on my wife's Odyssey once and the Honda dealer tech completely blew the mounting of one of her wheels.
Dangerously blew the mounting...

From that point I always put a note on the steering wheel requesting no further work being OKd on the car except the warranty work being done.

I don't trust anyone but ME to put my families wheels on their cars...