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I have a 1973 L82 convertible. The passenger front wheel sits back a half to three quarters of an inch from center in wheel well. Upper control arm rear bolt is shimmed heavily compared to one on the front. I do have slight cradle sag of 1/8" when measuring between top towers. Are there other measurements available that could help me isolate this issue for example lower control arm brackets mounted to cross section? I have read myself into confusion any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Shannon
I have the factory assembly manual, Haynes manual....just ordered a third manual forgot the name at the moment.. I have googled frame dimensions but i do not have a GM service manual so i will be sure to order one right away.
thank you,
Not saying this is your problem but my 76 had the right upper control arm heavily shimmed on the rear position. Further investigation revealed the car was hit in the right front wheel area. When I pulled the front suspension out for rebuild the right lower control arm shaft was bent at the aft attach bolt hole. The steering relay rod was slightly bent as well. The heavily shimmed upper control arm was compensating for the lower arm having been pushed aft and in. Good luck and hope it turns out not to be serious.
The one on the left in the photo is the passenger side(bent)
Thank you for not telling me to buy another manual...lol I have the control arms off but my shaft doesnt appear to be bent not as noticeable as yours anyways. When i bought the car 27 years ago the previous owner had ran off the road and took out a mail box on the side in question. It cracked the front fender and apparently had taken a good shot to front as well. The car was fixed and painted back in 1995. I drove it off and on until 2003 and it has sat in garage ever since. I do have the dent in front cross member and have noticed a slight crack near one of the lower arm mounts on frame. I have been trying find out how far those lower control arm brackets are apart on lower cross member or some way to measure to figure out if they have been bent. I havnt found that info in anything ive read and have been told everything from the dont exist to read another manual.
Comparison can be made of the right side attachment point for the rear bolt hole of the lower control arm shaft, which is attached to the cross member. You will probably find that it is kicked back. If you have the talent, rent a portapower kit to get the attachment point back to where it should be. Your going to need to put some heat on it.
Comparison can be made of the right side attachment point for the rear bolt hole of the lower control arm shaft, which is attached to the cross member. You will probably find that it is kicked back. If you have the talent, rent a portapower kit to get the attachment point back to where it should be. Your going to need to put some heat on it.
I have taken measurements of the frame everywhere that i have read or know to do so! Just to be clear......are you saying from rear bolt of lower control arm to a hole on side of frame rail or similar spot on each side?
I have a 2 week wait until i can get into a frame shop. I will be taking it in to be put on a laser system. I hear the term "bubba" mentioned frequently on this site and that is not my intentions. I like to do things myself or at least have a good idea of what is going on. I appreciate all and any input on the matter and thanks again to all that have responded.
Last edited by shannon1970; Apr 11, 2018 at 02:16 PM.
Reason: just a test to add a pic....thats it
The extension that is welded to the cross member on the right, (passenger side) may be kinked a little as a result of a former owner hitting a curb or something with enough force to cause damage, bending that extension back, resulting the tire being located off center.
Given that the left side is okay, and for use as a reference as the tire is located in center of wheel well, just do a visual inspection, comparing the left cross member extension the the problem right side. It should be vision just by eyeballing it.
I always measure to the lower ball joint also...which can aid in detecting issues with the lower control arm and frame.
I am not aware of any extensions being welded on the frame in front of the control arm area. They are a part of the frame and this area is where the impact bar is bolted to for the front bumpers and so on. YES...this area can be hit and kinked...but that is in front of the wheel and means nothing for this issue of a wheel set-back.
BUT...if the impact was great enough... it can effect the 'S' bend in the frame BETWEEN the control arm/cradle area and the #1 body mount location. You can have enough of bend in this area after an impact that may not even show up any type of kink or buckle in the metal. Those can be very hard to see...but when it is measured out....the gauge will not lie.
Also verify that the indexing holes UNDER your door sill plates... that are used to make sure the body and frame are indexed correctly. You pull out the plugs (one on each side) and verify that the body is SQUARE to the frame. Front orange plug on the drivers side and the rear orange plug on the passenger side.
Frame or control arm HELP?
