There is a 1" difference between the right and left front, Measuring from the ground to the bottom of the wheel wells. There is a 1/4 inch difference, using factory height measurements from the ground to the bottom of the rocker panels. Would this affect alignment measurements, effecting a left hand pull if both front sides were set to the same alignment spec's .5 + camber, and 6+ caster. Would replaceing the front leaf spring or shock maybe correct this.

 

ttt

 

When I lowered the rear of my '88 there was only a 1/4" difference in the front so I dropped one side a little more (in the rear only) and nearly evened up both front & rear.

In your case you may need to either shim the low side front spring or replace the spring. In theory the shocks are only dampers and as such should not effect ride height.

 

like the shim idea. Probaby any thick rubber would work? I wasn't sure if lowering the back would help, since the front lifts forward seperately.

 

Was the 1/4 inch measured from the ground to the front wheel wells or at the doors/rocker panels to the ground?

 

Sounds like the usual "C4 lean" towards driver side. A lot of C4's seem to have this in varying degrees. 1/4" as you state is not uncommon at all and I would not worry about it.

 

Even though its 1 inch difference between the ground and the bottom of the wheel well, with rt. 1 inch higher than the left? Have you seen this before? Do you think new shocks would help?

 

You have to go by the height difference on the frame, not body panels. You mentioned 1/4" at the rockers, which is a more reliable area to judge off of than the front fender/wheel wells due to the clamshell hood could be out of fitment somewhat and contribute to an illusion of a lean when its really jsut the hood fitment that is out of whack.


[Modified by Lone Ranger, 11:46 AM 1/10/2004]

 

I agree with Lone ranger on this. I drove circle track cars for a long time. We call this tilt. We lean the car to the left on purpose to help the car turn left. In racing ride height left to right and front to rear is critical. Always measure from the ground to the frame. Always on flat level spot. We always use the same spot in the garage. Think of a table with four legs. Lowering the right rear leg will take weight off the left front which will raise that corner. So if you lowered the right rear a little it would probably even it out in front. For the street I want my car to have even ride height left to right. First make sure you don't have a tire going down. Then make sure your tires are the same circumference. We call this rollout. Jack the car up and measure with a tape measure. If it's not tires it's probably spring rubber or spring. SHOCKS HAVE NO EFFECT ON RIDE HEIGHT. They only control the rate of roll. That is the speed of compression and rebound. The purpose of shocks is to keep the tire in contact with the ground. For instance drag racers want soft shocks in front (easy up)and stiff (tie down) in back to help transfer weight to the back. That is why adjustable shocks are well worth the money. You can have them set one way for drags and another way for road racing or spirited driving. So one set of shocks are good for a lot of different conditions. We always check ride height when doing alignment work. :steering:


[Modified by Gar, 9:22 PM 1/10/2004]

 

Best place to measure is to the bottom of the frame rail just behind the front tire and just ahead of the rear tire. You can pick landmarks so the measurement is at the same place on both sides. Body panels can vary from side to side, and the suspension ride height should be relative to the frame (unibody).

You could also measure to the bottom of the lower A arms in front and the knuckles in the rear for side to side evenness.