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> Looking to pass, you press down on the pedal and - the car makes a
> quick but gentle "swerve" to first the right, then the left, then
> settles down.
>
> As you finish passing, you ease back on the pedal and - the car
> makes
> a quick but gentle "swerve" to first the right, then the left, then
> settles down.
>
> In fact, by playing with the gas pedal, I can kind of do a little
> sashaying down the road.
As others have stated, this is classic for loose U-bolts at the rear
axle. The rubber pads deteriorate and the formerly tight U-bolts
become loose. This allows the rear axle to 'steer', typically one way
under acceleration and the other way under deceleration.
One other place to check are the rubber pads between the front
cross-member and 'frame' rails (OK, I know a unit-body doesn't have a
frame).
I spent a long while chasing down an odd 'self-steering' problem in
our '78 MGB. Although I snugged down the large cross-member to frame
bolts, the cross-member was actually still rocking slightly because
the rubber pads were perished. The bolts are shouldered so I was
actually only snugging them down to the shoulder.
I replaced these pads with polyurethane replacements. Now the front
end is nice and snug.
Eric Russell
Mebane, NC
http://home.mebtel.net/~ejrussell
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