Bee Jay

I just put my car back together with an aluminum batwing and offset trailing arms. I was very careful to measure the midpoint of my fiberglass spring before I mounted it, but the drivers side was 1" lower than the passenger side. I measured at both the fender lip and the frame. I cranked the drivers side spring bolt about 1 1/2" before it started to appear level. I didn't like that, so I pulled the spring and reversed it, right for left, thinking I will either fix the problem, or move it to the passenger side being low. But after driving it around the block, the drivers side was still 1" lower. I want to move the sprig over off center about 1/4" to see if that fixes it. I just need to know, what direction to I move the spring to raise the drivers side, or lower the passenger side? Any Physics or Geometry nuts?
Bee Jay

bt57

you may want to measure it with someone in the drivers seat
also check the body mounts they may be the problem

dannyman

How does the front end measure up? Weak coil on drivers side?

Are you 100% level ground? Can check by positioning car in the same spot but 180 degrees (turn around vehicle).

Moving the spring toward the passenger side would lower passenger side eventually. I'm not sure how far you would have to move it to pick up an inch?


Possible that it needs to be driven a bit to fully settle into place? Take it for a good break-in ride.

...Roger...

Because the rear spring supports the car in the center the front of the car has far more leverage over how level the car sits.

edit-BeeJay here is a thread where some of us were talking about leaning.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...r-wrecked.html

Bee Jay

Both sides of the front measure 26". Level ground. I will try nudging the spring slightly toward the passenger side.
Thanks.
Bee Jay

jazz81

I have/had the same issue with my 81. In my case, the car was hit on the drivers side rear (prior to my ownership). The frame was straight and true except the last 2 feet of the rear. This was off by approx 1/2" to 3/4" from drivers side to passenger side. As it was straight, it did not affect the ride only how the car sat, passenger side 1/2" lower than drivers side. After many attempts at leveling the car, the most successful attempt was in the shimming of the body thru the mounts. Adjusting the spring off center will not affect how the body sits on the frame as the difference will be compensated by the trailing arm movement and the only thing you will notice is the clearance of the wheel as it relates to the wheel well.

It will take a combination of shims at the #4 and #3 body mounts to change your height of how the body sits on the frame and its level appearance. Also, remember, these cars were not perfect when they left the factory. If you get it within a 1/4", you should be satisfied as only you will really notice that difference.
This is still theory in my case as i am still rebuilding the wheel spindles, struts and shafts in the rear end and have not yet lowered the car down. At this point i am basing this on field measurements of the distance from the center of the wheel spindle hole in the trailing arm (in its suspended state) and the distance from the level ground to the top of the wheel well. It will be another week or so before I finish rebuilding my wheel spindles and complete the assembly. I will gladly post the results whether successful or not if your still interested.

Mark

...Roger...

If the floor is level and both front fenders measure the same side to side and the rear measures 1" low on the drivers side it sounds as if the body is not square.Maybe the RF fender was remounted low ?

Bee Jay

If the frame was sitting level, I would suspect the body mounts, but both the body and frame are 1" higher on the passenger side. I think I will try switching the gas billsteins from side to side.
Bee Jay

BTAL

Am certainly not the expert, but have you incrementally measured your frame - meaning starting from the front and working back to see if there is a "trend" or indication where the changes start to occur? Just trying to apply a different perspective to the trouble shooting process.

69autoXr

Try putting the old spring back in and see if it improves.

cumbercr

BJ,

Is it possible to shim the spring at the center bracket? A little shimming in the center could add up at the end of the spring.

Oh and Judy says to tell you the frame is twisted a little from all the engine torque. She was serious.

Bee Jay

Tell Judy to come take a ride in a real Vette.
All I have to do is crank the end spring mount nut up about an inch and a half. I was just hoping I wouldn't have to do that.
We are going to do John's Vette on Feb. 7th. Can you make that. Also, I'm off of the lift, so bring your exhuast around.
Bee Jay

...Roger...

BJ does the front sit exactly where you want it ? If your making an 1 1/2 " correction in the rear it will take far less of a correction in the front to get the LR to come up.In other words if you lower the RF say a 1/2" the LR will come up. If you raise the LF the LR will also come up.
(I always set the LR 1/2" high to compensate for the drivers weight.)

TheSkunkWorks

The Power book instructs to have driver's weight, as well as a full fuel load, on board for checking ride height for this very reason. Bee Jay, I hope something about the rear section of your frame isn't tweaked out of square

1nicecorvette

i was always told that the spring bolts in the rear would be uneven when adjusted anyways and this is normal.

...Roger...

Thats the part that I'm not getting. If the body (not the frame) is square and the front fenders measure the same side to side from floor to bottom of fenders then the rear fenders would also have to measure the same side to side or the body would have to be twisted.Correct ?

FB007

If you turned the spring around, and it's still there, your install may be crooked. Remove the spring, bolt on a straight edge, and check the edges to the frame. A few degrees off, and there is your 1".