Then I had an appointment to get the car aligned. First try didn't work as the ignition lock failed on me (keeping the key spinning without engaging anything). I ended up taking the mechanism apart, removing the old grease and putting it back together. As a bonus I did put a new switch on it and the many subsequent starts are giving me confidence that it'll last a good while.

Second try for alignment now was a success. Rear wheels were within limits (one being on the edge) which was great to experience as I aligned it myself. The front was quite far off though and we put it back to spec. Resulting numbers:

Front left / right
Camber: -0deg 41' / -0deg 39'
Caster: 7deg 33' / 7deg 37'
Toe: 0deg 02' / 0deg 03'

Rear left / right
Camber: -1deg 08'/ -1deg 40'
Toe: 0deg 05' / 0deg 01'

Even though the left rear was on the edge of what we could do (toe link set to the extreme, than adjust the control arm to get the toe correct.) I see no reason to doubt the chassis. Knowing it has taken a hit at some point, this was the main thing I wanted to find out.

So with that out of the way, some experiences and things to work on (knowing it makes sense to spend more on it):
- The engine whine (see separate thread, will report any findings)
- It has some shake in the steering on light cornering. Could just be the tires so will swap them first.
- Feels like the engine mount is gone and I need an extra one for trial fitting the V8 in the wreck anyway.
- The car is very noisy inside (even more than outside...). So I guess the lack of engine bay insulation is not helping and the rear cover doesn't fit very flush. Need to improve a bit.
- All gears are functional (now I was able to test 6th gear on the 'new to me' gearbox). 1st gear is a bit hard to engage on downshifts, need to go really slow. Otherwise it synchronizes very nicely.
- AOS was a main issue. The car doesn't smoke anymore and it smells a lot better. Also pulls better in the revs.
- Seating position still is an issue and does make it less enjoyable to drive.

Anyway,. to be continued.

You can notch that area out without repercussions. I did on my car. 50k with no issues from that area. Lots of hard launches and beating the car in the mountains for testing purposes of course. :D


I love a V8, but I'm now on a mission to never own a V8 anything. I'm going strait to V12 on my next project. Your build looks good wish you the best on your swap.

Tires swapped today (for some old, but A-brand low wear winter tires). Car is more steady, but still the steering feels a bit disconnected and some shake persists at light cornering (or across crests). So the tires are indeed to be improved, but I need to look at the steering mechanical parts as well.

Overall condition of suspension arms is very good, so not the most likely source. Breaking down the steering I get to three main parts
- Inner and outer tie-rods.
- Steering rack
- Column / shaft

Is there a common approach to find which one of these is my source? Other than throwing new parts at it?

Engine whine persists with belt removal. Needs further checking as well.

So I figure the disconnected steering feel could well be a separate issue from the shake. The swaybar bushings are in pretty bad shape. And with this anti-roll bar being of the original suspension, it would make sense to fit an M030 one to go with my new M030 suspension. These bad bushings might well be the cause of the vague transition side to side.

When we rock the steering wheel violently it does sound like there is a bit of a knock. And when feeling the wheel or tyre at the same time, you can feel a boink. Do you think steering rack or tie-rods?

The only way to diagnose is to inspect. The outer tie rod ends are super easy to see once the tire is off, obviously - for the inners, you will have to pull off the boot.

I looked up the prices for inner and outer tie-rods and new boots. Both TRW and Meyle are cheaper than I would have expected, so I'll go ahead and order these. I am refreshing the whole suspension anyway (rear already done except the anti-roll bar, front only the strut assembly and drop links done), so taking this step first. Will report back once that is all on the car.

Today I 'inspected' the steering rack. I was mainly searching for the part number to ensure I order the right boots. Didn't succeed in that, got the 996 and a bit, but not the last numbers that actually matter.

Anyway, I noticed the driver side being dirty;
Attachment 23808
Having read that the main failure of the racks can be found by a boot full of power steering fluid, this did scare me a bit. I popped the boot off but found nothing but a greasy rack :)

I was now able to rock the tie-rods in different directions on both side. Passenger side, no play found, no noises, all good. On the drivers side I could get the clunk by rocking the tie-rod up and done (fore-aft was silent). It didn't sound like it was coming from the tie-rod itself. With the boot shifted aside I could see the rack (to toothed part) move along with the clunk.

So I guess I am looking at getting a replacement rack....

Could a bent wheel or two be the source of your vibration?

I already changed the wheels to my second set, no difference. So I kind of ruled that out (along with the shabby tires).