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I have done many many searches on this forum about ride height, and many are adjusting or lowering ride height. I haven't found one with my problem. I have both the AIM and the chassis service manual. The CSM says where my frame should be, and mine is within 0.25" so I am not worried. My body however, is almost 2 inches higher than it should be. My wheel arches are at almost 30 inches, front and back. As far as I know the suspension is stock, but would an aftermarket suspension raise the body or is this a body mount issue?
Are you running a stock wheel/tire diameter of 27"?
How about some pics of the rear suspension from behind the car and pics of the body mounts (#4 is easy to see).
Some possible reasons,
Wrong shims/cushions used on the body mounts.
Wrong front springs used, front end sits too high. Rear spring adjusted high to level car.
you are measuring ride height center of wheelwell, to ground.
if this is fresh assemble springs have to settle into place.
then you go back and final tighten all suspension.
pictures will tell us.
69Vett, it is not a fresh rebuild, it has been this way for many many years, since the PO. I am running 215 70/R15 tires that measure approx 26" from floor. The rear spring is not stock, it seems to have quite the curve in it, and the bolts are 6.5"
Last edited by ace_cobra; Mar 20, 2017 at 03:26 PM.
I know the rear spring isnt stock, and I can fix that with the longer bolts, but what could be done with the front. Does it make sense that the frame is where it should be and not the body. Can that be fixed with suspension lowering?
Hi AC,
The rear spring in the photos isn't the spring that was originally on any 70 car.
Some details in the pictures you posted show parts that would have been used only on a bb car or a car with the F41 suspension option.
Is the car presently a big block? If not, could that be part of the reason that it's sitting so high in front…. bb front springs.
Regards,
Alan
The car is not a BB, it is a 350 SBC. I wouldnt be surprised if the front suspension wasn't what it should be, from some of the other things I have found on the car that arent meant to be. Is there any way to tell if the springs are for a BB?
Hi a-c,
There are so many aftermarket front springs, of so many specifications, that it's not possible to tell what a spring is by just looking at it.
It's a little easier to determine that with rear springs since rear springs have certain configuration characteristics.
Regards,
Alan
I'd say get the springs front and rear back to correct specs and see where you ride rather than trying to bodge it to change the height.
By the way, as a rough guide your rear drive shafts should be horizontal with the car on the ground.
Graham
Last edited by Grahamred70; Mar 21, 2017 at 05:57 AM.
It's tough to guess based on the pics, but the front springs do look to be a bigger/thicker diameter than my 70 small block. I can measure when I get home.
My opinion is that the wrong front springs were installed raising the front end higher than it should be and an incorrect rear spring is installed and is adjusted to keep the car level(but is still out of whack based on the angle of your half-shafts).
So basically, two wrongs with one wrong adjusted wrong to create a level car.
if the front springs aren't in right it can make the car sit higher .
550 springs don't cost much , 460 will make it sit a bit higher than 550.I tried 460 then went to 550 .
maybe cut those clamps off the back as well , they were for transport only as I have read .FWIW I would go 550 ,cut the clamps and see if you need the longer bolts .that's what I would do anyway , might end up a bit lower than stock springs if that bothers you
btw you might want to check your trailing arms where the spring bolts hang ,might be just camera angle but they don't look right . also your battery bolt down plate is a hanging .
Hi a-c,
I agree that at least from the single photo of the number 4 body mount the body seems to be in it's typical position on the frame.
The photos seem to show a mixture of aftermarket suspension components that when added together are resulting in the ride height you're seeing.
Regards,
Alan
The shims on the #4 mount are placed under the aluminum spacer rather than on top of the spacer. Not a big deal, but….
This MIGHT be an indication that folks who have been working on the car haven't been paying close attention to what they're doing or are unfamiliar with 68-82 chassis and running gear.
Alan, I have no doubt that this car was half-heartedly put together with whatever pieces were in stock that day, it has been a struggle every time I work on a system.
Bazaa77, what do you mean by this?: "btw you might want to check your trailing arms where the spring bolts hang ,might be just camera angle but they don't look right . also your battery bolt down plate is a hanging"
the trailing arms where the spring bolts are don't look right , they are basically two "c "sections welded together, it looks like the welds have opened ,have a look at the right side one ,at the bottom edge you can see the two pieces have a gap where they should be against each other .
the battery piece is in the pic of the left side trailing arm, above the spring , it should normally be riveted to the bottom of the battery compartment so the welded nut on it can be used to put the battery tie down plate in securely with a bolt .
not trying to pick on your car , just want to let you know is all.
My 79 used to sit like this, since I wasn't sure what springs were in the car I cut a full coil out to lower the front it helped but still sat way to high
with 27 " tall tires, I removed the coil again and heated the coil i cut and bent it to look similar to the uncut end. That dropped the car down to the 26.5" ride height i was looking for, if it hadn't new coils are like $60 so it wouldnt have broke the bank to resolve the issue if i went to far.
Hey ace_cobra, having the wrong size springs is also a possibility. The attached photo show what was installed in my 70 coupe. My mechanic said they looked like they came from a Ford van! You can certainly see the difference in the before and after shots.
1970 Ride height high
