braking question

[Budduncan]

Hello all:
My 71 spider wants to visit oncoming traffic when I hit the brakes hard. I have to steer right to keep it straight. Reminds me of flying a Mustang with a lot of torque (I have never flown a Mustang, but you have to insert rudder to offset torque) .
I replaced the front brakes, pads calipers and only a very slight improvement. I guess the rears are next with maybe a new brake compensator and master cylinder. I can do the mechanical work, but I am not solving the underlying problem, so I thought I would toss it out to those of you with much more experience with Fiat brakes. Thanks in advance for your comments. In only drive it a few hundred miles a year as I live in Seattle, and this is strictly my summer evening ride to local watering holes.
Cheers,
Bud

[BEEK]

did you replace the front brake hoses?

no repair in the rear will stop the front end from pulling, the compensator is for rear braking bias

[aj81spider]

I had the same problem and it was a worn tie rod. The steering was sloppy and it pulled hard to the right when I braked hard. Changing the tie rod fixed both problems.

[djape1977]

or it could be bad silent block, or a rotten chasis leg

[Budduncan]

Thanks for the great responses. I have a pretty loose front end, so will check out the tie rod. That could well be the problem. I questioned my own theory about the rear brakes, but the pads are down so they should be replaced. Rotors are cheap too, so I will replace them with new pads. Should I replace the calipers too, or are they generally ok, or is that an unanswerable question without seeing? Thanks very much for the tips. I think a front end rebuild will help overall handling anyway.
Cheers,
Bud

[redcars]

I had the same problem and it was the passenger side front brake hose. It was collapsing inside and slowing the flow of the brake fluid. A good why to check this is, when you put the brakes on and hold them until a stop does the pulling to the on coming traffic go away and steer even the longer you have the brakes on. If the pulling stay strong all the way to a stop then it is most likely not a hose.

[danaspider]

Hoses are a good call, but really pay attention to the tie rods. The joints go bad, and are not really difficult or expensive to replace. If under light braking it does not pull as much as when it is under hard braking most likely the tie rods. When you drive down the 405 and lightly brake is it OK, but really bad when you dive off on one of the down hill exits? Tie rods.

I lived in Seattle for 12 years and drove my spider almost every day form June into September. It is the best place in the world to own a convertible. Get out and enjoy it!!!!

Dana