The G Body Shuffle??

[Carl1984Gbody]

So had my 84 cut about a year, had been sitting for about 10 so it needed new shocks. When i got it back running and took it for a ride, I was shocked at the body shifting or as my Olds guru explained, that's the G body shuffle. You have to drive one to really understand or at least ride in one. Kind of amazing really, and kind of scary with old shocks at first, lol. The sensation is hard to explain.

Under regular braking, its like the right rear wants to come up and the left front is going down as usual, but then you feel this weird shift to the right front, then the back settles, etc., like the car is shuffling to each corner as it settles down as far as body movement, IDK kind of hard to explain. It even does it at speed, giving it gas to pass, you can feel the shuffle. The shuffle isn't quick, its like the car has to get settled down with the movement.

I will say that new shocks helped quite a bit, but it is still there, but not as bad. Kind of curious how a good sway bar up front and out back would help. I have a 67 camaro with no sway bars and doesn't do it at all. Of course totally different design, but the shuffle is very odd, lol.

I searched Shuffle and nothing came up.

So my question is, what the hell causes the G Body Shuffle??

How bad is your Shuffle, lol??

 

[L92 OLDS]

So had my 84 cut about a year, had been sitting for about 10 so it needed new shocks. When i got it back running and took it for a ride, I was shocked at the body shifting or as my Olds guru explained, that's the G body shuffle. You have to drive one to really understand or at least ride in one. Kind of amazing really, and kind of scary with old shocks at first, lol. The sensation is hard to explain.

Under regular braking, its like the right rear wants to come up and the left front is going down as usual, but then you feel this weird shift to the right front, then the back settles, etc., like the car is shuffling to each corner as it settles down as far as body movement, IDK kind of hard to explain. It even does it at speed, giving it gas to pass, you can feel the shuffle.

I will say that new shocks helped quite a bit, but it is still there, but not as bad. Kind of curious how a good sway bar up front and out back would help. I have a 67 camaro with no sway bars and doesn't do it at all. Of course totally different design, but the shuffle is very odd, lol.

I searched Shuffle and nothing came up.

So my question is, what the hell causes the G Body Shuffle??

How bad is your Shuffle, lol??

I have zero shuffle after poly mounts, frame reinforcement, big sway bars, etc. etc. This has been brought up several times here and as stated before many people have different definitions of the G body shuffle. From my perspective it is caused by the body on frame construction and the fact that many factory G bodies have soft and inadequate body mounts. Check out the thread below

https://gbodyforum.com/threads/g-body-shuffle-quarter-warp.60778/#post-516873

 

[Carl1984Gbody]

I have zero shuffle after poly mounts, frame reinforcement, big sway bars, etc. etc. This has been brought up several times here and as stated before many people have different definitions of the G body shuffle. From my perspective it is caused by the body on frame construction and the fact that many factory G bodies have soft and inadequate body mounts. Check out the thread below

https://gbodyforum.com/threads/g-body-shuffle-quarter-warp.60778/#post-516873

Awesome link, thank you. Great info on that one.

 

[motorheadmike]

Nothing quite like having your car held together with marshmallows.

 

[GP403]

I thought it came from the drag racing guys and the frame twist causing unpredictable handling. Ever seen one twist and shift and want to pull sideways under a hard launch?

 

[lilbowtie]

Carl - what you are talking about sounds like worn out control arm bushings. The G-bodies have a frame if you want to call it that but it's weak. If your going to throw power at it, it will twist. Depending on the amount power dictates what you should be doing. Boxing the frame helps, a cage really ties it together (10 pt). What ever you do is beneficial

 

[Texas82GP]

Carl - what you are talking about sounds like worn out control arm bushings. The G-bodies have a frame if you want to call it that but it's weak. If your going to throw power at it, it will twist. Depending on the amount power dictates what you should be doing. Boxing the frame helps, a cage really ties it together (10 pt). What ever you do is beneficial

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I love that car wheels up!

 

[Jeff L]

When running a stock hp setup, replacing the worn out bushings, body mounts, etc will do wonders to the ride. I had my front sway bar end links with worn out bushings and could not believe how loose the front end handling in turns felt. Similar to when the shocks are worn out. Some of the bushings had dried up and fell out. Once I replaced the end links with stiffer poly bushings the front end was so much tighter in sharp turns. Yes I know this sounds like Captain Obvious but I do not drive my car like it is in an autocross and only knew the bushings were gone when I heard something thumping under the car in turns which was the loose ends of the sway bar.

In the past I was told that if I planned to add some serious hp to beef up the frame. Stock frames were prone to twisting. The situation was similar to what was happening to late 80's Fox body Mustangs unibodies when high hp motors were twisting the frames and A pillars were bending and other body parts getting ripples from weak stock frames. I know this is like comparing apples and oranges but what was always drilled into my brain that the minute you modify the motor, do not neglect the frame or you will pay later on.

 

[Bar50]

G-body shuffle, as I learned it is the twisted tweaker take off during drag racing because the aforementioned lack of lower half of the body bushings on G-body cars from the factory.

Also got ALOT of attention after being mentioned on a certain street racing show.

 

[Carl1984Gbody]

Carl - what you are talking about sounds like worn out control arm bushings. The G-bodies have a frame if you want to call it that but it's weak. If your going to throw power at it, it will twist. Depending on the amount power dictates what you should be doing. Boxing the frame helps, a cage really ties it together (10 pt). What ever you do is beneficial

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Makes sense, nice ride BTW. Its pretty much a cruiser right now, the 403 is a pig, low compression. Cool for now, but i am itching to put a BBO or decent SBC in there. But i have too much time getting the 403 in there with all the brackets, etc. maybe next year.

Have to check all that including the bushings.