M Pete

Hi all, I have been searching for some time on a way to fix this issue and can not find a writeup on it. Yes, another body height issue. My passenger front is much higher than driver side, like well over an inch higher. Many, many people have said that the body mount shims and not the way to adjust the body and I've only found one thread where someone adjusted the front corner, but no pics or actual description of how to do it. Below are pics of under my car, as you can see the body on the driver's side is not far off of the sway bar and on the passenger side there is a gap and the body is higher. I have measured and the sway bar is not bent.

Can someone please point me in the right direction on how to even the sides out?

Driver's side:



Passenger's side:

Big2Bird

If the springs have never been changed, I would start there. Drivers side tends to sag.
Moog makes a better spring for radial tires. These old ones are wound for bias ply tires.

gjohnson

Post pics of the wheel/ fender clearance.

Alan 71

Hi MP,
You might want to begin figuring this out by measuring the distance from the ground to the center of the wheel arch on each side of your car, both at the front and rear.

You can then compare these dimensions to those given in the Assembly Instruction Manual (AIM) for your year car on the "Trim Height" Sheet in the Manual.

For many cars the dimension is just slightly less than 28"…it's 27.91" in 71 for example.
You need to realize that this dimension takes the height of the tires being used into consideration and so the dimension in the AIM is with the original F70-15 tires which were about 27" tall.

Comparing both sides to the trim height dimension will tell you if indeed one side is low and the other is correct, or if perhaps one side is actually a little high and the other side a little low.

So what are the dimensions on your car currently?

Regards,
Alan

M Pete

My front driver side center wheel arch is at 27 1/4" and my front passenger side center wheel arch is just 0ver 28, about 28 1/8" this is using the 255/60 tires. If we are to be at ~ 28 I think that it would make since that the driver side lowered some which would also kick the passenger side up a tad???

There is only 69K miles on the car, although it IS 37 years old, why would the driver side spring compress over time more than the passenger side?

Alan 71

Hi Mp,
It appears from your photos that you're comparing the sway bar to the bottom of the radiator core support.
The core support moves independently from the sway bar is mounted to the frame rail while the core support is typically mounted to the front crossmember.
What year is your car?
Does it have a front crossmember that's bolted to frame extensions on each frame rail?
Are those extensions symmetrical on each side?
Regards,
Alan

The last thing you want to do is to begin changing or cutting the front springs since this often leads to other ride-height problems.

The frame extension, front crossmember, and sway bar mount on a 71.

gjohnson

Because of the drivers weight on the left side for 37 yrs? Whats the rear like?

mortgageguy

Is this a factory a/c car that has had the compressor removed? Or, is the compressor still there?

M Pete

This is a 1980 with factory AC and compressor.

Here are my heights that I just took (a little different form the first one this morninga s I was in a rush):
Front Driver - 27 1/2 Front Passenger - 28 1/2
Rear Driver - 28 1/4 Rear Passenger - 28 1/2

I checked the sway bar again and it is level. I have to take the wheels off to look at the frame rails to compare them.

in this thread, https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nger-side.html, Chevymans77 said that he did an adjustment at the "core support bolts". Are those which you are showing in the pic Alan? Just above the sway bar?

M Pete

I have yet to find the "Trim Height" sheet in the AIM as well.

Alan 71

Hi Mp,
I just looked at the 80 AIM and the Trim Height Sheet is near the front of the manual.
UPC 0a, Sheet 19.
BUT, there are no ground to wheel arch dimensions. ???
You could check the J & K dimension which are from the bottom of the rocker trim to the ground.

On 68-72 cars there are 2 bolts that run up through the front crossmember into the bottom of the core support.
I'm not familiar enough with later cars to know how to advise you to check your front crossmember to core support fit.
Hopefully someone familiar with 80 cars will be along to give you some advice.

Sorry to leave you hanging!
Regards,
Alan

M Pete

Yup, that is the one I found as well. I was looking for dimensions from ground to wheel well too! Any way, I'll double check those as well. Thanks Alan.

If anyone else can chime in that would be great. I'm hesitant to assume that it is the spring going bad on the driver side though. Given the hypothesis that it is from the driver sitting in the car, it's not like someone has been sitting in it for 37 years, there is only 69K miles on it. unless they were using some truly terrible springs that is not nearly enough miles for a spring to go bad (based on my experience).

M Pete

This morning I took measurements at the locations indicated in the AIM and they were all at least 1/2" lower than what was written, so I just compared passenger side to driver side. Passenger side body behind the front wheels and in front of the rear wheels was 1/2" lower than driver side. then I started measuring in the wheel well. I'm using Alan's pic for reference as his is nice and clean!




The support indicated with the red line on passenger side is a little over 1/2" lower than driver side. If I were to loosen the three bolts in the yellow circle could I adjust the nose of the body up or down? I think that may alleviate much of the difference I was seeing and what some others had referenced on how to adjust the front end without changing springs.

Alan 71

Hi MP,
The bracket you have underlined is the 'frame extension' I mentioned in my posts.

You DO NEED TO BE CAREFUL when you loosen those bolts! The front crossmember, core support, front clip, and front bumper are all controlled by those bolts. Although 3 bolts are visible there's another hidden by the bumper bracket.
2 of the bolts secure the extension to the frame and 2 other bolts secure the bumper bracket to the extension and frame.

I would look very carefully and thoroughly for other signs or reasons there's such a difference in that bracket's location from side to side on your car

Be cautious in what you do!
Regards,
Alan

lionelhutz

Just to note, you can't simply raise the RF at the frame without affecting the rear too. RR will go up and/or LR will go down at the same time.

So, you're likely onto the issue something checking how the body is attached to the frame at the front.

M Pete

Great info as usual Alan, now I understand. I hear you on being cautious, that's why I ask you guys. I have a few other things to do so I think I'll re-address this as a final stage if needed once everything else is complete.

Lionelhutz, I literally LOL'd when I read your name. "This is the most blatant case of false advertising since my suit against the movie The Neverending Story"