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FRONT-END OVERHAUL
Dave’s Brake & Alignment Service can service vintage and modern
vehicles. It’s getting more difficult as time passes, but search for a
shop that enjoys working on vintage vehicles if it’s necessary to
have someone else complete work on your old car or truck.
By John L. Bellah
K, it’s time. The steering is loose, a funny wear pattern is showing
up in the front tires, the wheels vibrate like crazy at freeway speeds
and it won’t stay in alignment. Time to overhaul the front end!
But before you get “down and dirty,” let’s back up a bit and do some
planning. This is important, even if you are not doing the work yourself.
If the vehicle has a lot of miles, it might be best to look for a complete
front-end kit. A kit should have everything: bushings, ball-joints and/or
kingpins and tie-rod ends. There are several suppliers that market such
kits, and if one is looking for improved handling, there are high-
performance kits with upgraded components. Be careful to look for
quality components. There are many components and kits that are
manufactured off-shore and may be inferior in quality.