BigT-65

Looking at the car from behind, my '65 Convertible is sitting a little lower on the right side, maybe an inch. This is something that I first noticed about a year ago. The car drives straight but looks a little off. I would like to fix it without having to do a lot of guessing or unnecessary repairs. What would be the most likely suspect and how could I test for it? All suggestions are welcome. I think I saw a thread on this subject some time ago but now I can't find it.

1969RAY

No answer but questions---does it settle that way after you bounce the rear of the car? Are the bolts from the trailing arms through the leaf spring, equal in length and quality? Notice any leakage from either of the rear shocks?

LB66383

Does the rear spring have the same arch on both sides of center, or is it asymmetrical? If it's not the spring, then it has to be something with the thru-bolts. There are supposed to be rubber bushings at each end of each bolt. Check their condition. And, as stated above, are the distances between the heads and the nuts the same?

DansYellow66

The first thing I would do is measure the chassis ride height front and rear per the shop manual/AIM. This thread recently posted the instruction page on how to do so.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...de-height.html

From the chassis checks you will really know where you are. Forget measuring to the body. These bodies are so wonky - especially if ever hit - and then shimmed all over the place - measuring to any point on them is just a waste of time. Is there any evidence the car has been hit in the rear sometime?

Also check if the front springs are indexed correctly in the upper spring pocket in the frame. A lot of springs are incorrectly installed by indexing to the lower a-arm depression. Surprisingly an uneven problem in the rear is sometimes the fault of the front suspension.

Then as noted above - look for incorrect rear spring bolts, missing rubber cushions on the spring links, etc.

MikeM

Seems like the trend. Many complain about the right being lower than the left. I've never seen anyone complain about the other way around.

That doesn't mean you can't correct it but I'd be surprised if you found the root cause.

BigT-65

Thanks for the come backs. I am going to get out in the garage to do a brake job on the Vette tomorrow and I will check those measurements and get back with them.

Jackfit

Hi , isn't the motor offset a few inches......that could account for the lean....whenever I jack up my car...one side it always a bit lower even though I put the jack right in the middle of the car frame.

Jack

DansYellow66

Without a driver in the car that is probably about as good an explanation as any.

Tampa Jerry

Bruce: Is it possible that one of the front springs settled a little too much? I know that the springs in your car are original. What's up with the brakes? If you need to rebuild the brake calipers and are using lip seals, I have the tools to make the job easy. Give me a call if you want to borrow the kit. Jerry

BigT-65

I looked at the measurements on the diagram but I am not sure about the numbers. The front looks like 8.67" but the rear is not as easy. I think it is 8.16". It's a weird looking 8.
I got started on the brakes before I checked the measurements. I'll have to get back to them in a couple of weeks, I had to order parts.

DansYellow66

The "K" dimension to the rocker is 9.16" but you don't want to mess with that - it's meaningless since it depends on tire diameter and body shimming. It measures to the bottom of stock sill moldings so if you have side pipes there's nothing there to measure too. My front and rear suspension settings fall very close to the AIM dimensions for "D" and "Z" up front. But the bottom of my side pipe covers is barely 6" to the ground in the rear with 205/70 tires. Even if my tires are 1/4 less radius than the originals and side pipe covers are a 1/2 inch or so shorter than the stock rocker panels, I would still have to jack it way up in the air to get anywhere close to the equivalent of 9.16 in. That's about the equivalent of 8-1/2 inches frame clearance which is nearly SUV territory. That dimension never made any sense to me.

The "D" dimension is the one that counts in the rear and it's 3.78". For a 427 car you need to subtract .09" from that for 3.69"

MikeM

It makes a lot of sense to a lot of owners because that dimension difference, side/side is what owner complain about. It does not identify the problem. It's only a symptom, just like the suspension measurement.

Personally, I think C2 Corvettes just like to lean to the right through a combination of build tolerances and manufacturing elements.

MikeM

I've never paid attention if the complaints are all on convertibles or if a like number of leaners is seen on coupes and convertibles. Might be interesting to know that.

DansYellow66

After thinking about it a bit - I wonder if that "K" dimension is to the low point of the body sill and not the rocker molding? That probably would be close to the 9" range. You just about would have to remove the rocker molding or side pipe cover to measure to it. But if so it's still a very imprecise measurement of car suspension condition - ignores tire height, tire pressure range, body shimming, wonky body construction, etc.

00fxd

Same here Mike, low on the right side .... bugged me for years, so a couple years ago the spring was laying on the floor so when I re-installed I switched sides. It seems level now and has been good for quite a few miles now.