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Lowering in Progress need help.....

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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 05:04 AM
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From: King George VA
Default Lowering in Progress need help.....

I bought a kit for my dads 1996, he is in the process of lowering only the rear. When he did the inital measurements they were....

Left side which was 28 1/2
Ride side which was 29 7/16

Yes the car is uneven. And than intails the problem, why is the rear uneven? The stock bolts had the same amount of used threads on the lowering bolts.

So he moved on installed the lowering hopeing it would fix the issue. Well the new measurements are...

Left side which was 27 3/4
Ride side which was 28 7/8

As far the left side is he's on the money for it but the right something is going on, 1-inch difference. SO what could it be? Shocks? Faulty suspension part? Any kinda of Idea or solution would be great.

Thanks
Ed
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 05:25 AM
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if you still have something left in the bolt,even it up.Thats the beauty of INDEPENDENT suspension.
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 05:47 AM
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From: King George VA
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He told me
"Both nuts are at the ends of the bolts and you can see about 2 threads coming through the nyloc nuts. "
I havent seen how this works but if he screws the bolt on more it lowers the car more correct? So he basically has to screw the right one in more til is even?

Thanks
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 10:15 AM
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Exactly. That's just the nature of the beast. Just adjust them so that the ride height is the same.
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 10:44 AM
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Mine's the same way. I tried to even it out, but it's still off a bit. Got it down to around a half inch difference. The nut on one side is probably a good inch and a half higher than the other. Also, the more you screw the nut on, the higher the car gets.
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 10:50 AM
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Thats what I thought is there any way to get this even? New suspension parts? A even longer bolt and try and lower the one side more? Any suggestions?
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 11:02 AM
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The way I did it was just put both nuts on the very bottom of the bolts, as "low" as they will go. Then see which side is sitting lower, and raise that side to match the other "bottomed-out" side that's already at the bottom of the bolt.

The bolts WILL NOT be even. Just adjust them so the ride heights are even. It's not a problem, just inherent in the design of the suspension.
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 12:08 PM
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I guess we'll do what you said but I may try and do a shock swap to see if that may fix it. The vette has 114k so it wouldn't hurt to get it some new shocks.
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 12:16 PM
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Originally Posted by fc_soldier
He told me
"Both nuts are at the ends of the bolts and you can see about 2 threads coming through the nyloc nuts. "
I havent seen how this works but if he screws the bolt on more it lowers the car more correct? So he basically has to screw the right one in more til is even?

Thanks
Nope, that is backwards. You lengthen the bolt to lower the car. Don't forget it needs to be taken out and driven in order to settle the suspension and then rechecked.
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 12:58 PM
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From: King George VA
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He said
"The new bolts are longer and right now I have them (the nuts) almost at the end. When you hold up an old bolt you can see the new nut is at least 2-3 inches lower than it was before, yet it raised the car up by like 1/8th inch...still have a 1 inch difference in height...lower still on left."

Than he drove around the block and we have the current settings once it settled.
Left side which was 27 3/4
Ride side which was 28 7/8


He drove around a 1/4 mile block you think he should ride around longer?
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 01:01 PM
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Yeah, I'd drive it a mile or two at least. I'll even rock her back and forth in my neighborhood like GT cars warming up their tires during a caution lap. You really want to work that suspension for a bit.

Last edited by shakedown067; Aug 17, 2008 at 01:04 PM.
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Z51JEFF
if you still have something left in the bolt,even it up.Thats the beauty of INDEPENDENT suspension.
I had that problem and it worked for me.
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Old Aug 17, 2008 | 11:32 PM
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Fc_Soldiers Dad here. Driving it has really helped to get it to settle down. The left side came down to 27 1/2, so I brought it back up to 27 3/4. That's just where I want it to sit. I took it out for a good drive today, used about a quarter tank (and had a blast!). The right side came down 3/8" more to 28 1/2. I'm going to monitor it for the next few days and if the right doesn't come down anymore then I'll just bring the left up to match. Working the suspension is definately the answer. Maybe in this case it's a lot stiffer because it was out of whack for quite a while (wishful thinking). Most owners (with lower miles) will probably see it come down a bit quicker. I didn't try rocking it yet, thanks for the suggestion...good idea!

Thanks for the replys guys! Thanks for all your help son!
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 09:32 AM
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A 'last resort'ption would be to take the spring out and reverse it end for end. Typically the left side is lower because there is always a driver, rarely a passenger. I have mine at 27 1/4" on both sides and am running the 315/35s on the rear with no rubbing and I run some darn twisty and hilly roads.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 10:19 AM
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Make sure to measure ride height with a Full tank of gas.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by aminnich
A 'last resort'ption would be to take the spring out and reverse it end for end. Typically the left side is lower because there is always a driver, rarely a passenger. I have mine at 27 1/4" on both sides and am running the 315/35s on the rear with no rubbing and I run some darn twisty and hilly roads.
I don't know how much but the 35s will give you alittle lower. He's running a 40. I'd like to see him at a 27 3/4 at least.
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