car sits unlevel

Discussion in 'The whoa and the sway.' started by austingta, Jan 23, 2005.

  1. austingta

    austingta Well-Known Member

    Well, I put the 455 into the car (71 GS Conv) yesterday... all OK. I replaced my springs to handle the extra weight with brand new springs which appeared to be identical to each other.

    My car now sits with the passenger side 2 to 3 inches higher than the drivers side. :Dou:

    The drivers side sits at the correct level.

    I don't think I could have installed the spring wrong (like mounted on one of the perch ridges) even if I tried. The shock goes straight up through the spring.

    Do you think something is wrong or do some springs need to settle and some don't? :Do No:

    TIA :beer

    Frank
     
  2. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    Make sure the shock isn't jammed for some reason, and holding up that side. 2-3" is alot. Maybe mismatched springs? Something isn't right.
     
  3. austingta

    austingta Well-Known Member

    Nothing is jammed. It bounces up and down like normal. The springs looked identical in the box, but the spring rates could have been anything...

    I just went out and measured it. It's 1.5 inches higher on the passenger side.

    When you push up and down on either fender, the effort required to induce a given amount of bounce feels exactly the same, and there is nothing unusual sounding or feeling.

    The springs I bought were not tapered. They had a top and bottom, and they were installed top up. But, it may be possible that I didn't turn them so the beginning of the spring is in the deepest place on the perch??

    Does that make sense?
     
  4. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    That would be my guess.
     
  5. 10sec 455

    10sec 455 Well-Known Member

    Frank,
    Are you sure the top of the spring is sitting correctly in the pocket. It is possible that it is sitting on the tabs of the pocket. Jack the car up, take the shock out and look up throught the lower a arm "shock hole" to see if it is in correctly.
    Jeff
     
  6. austingta

    austingta Well-Known Member

    I think I'm going to have to do that.
     
  7. Steve Craig

    Steve Craig Gold Level Contributor

    The spring bottom end should be sitting at or near the 1/4" hole in the pocket. This allows a bit of travel as it gets compressed during normal driving. If you jam it in too tight, it has nowhere to go & you might get a clunking sound out of it when you get on the road.
     
  8. austingta

    austingta Well-Known Member

    Thanks. I'll check that too.
     
  9. nailheadina67

    nailheadina67 Official Nailheader

    I did that once........the ends of the springs were not aligned with the holes in the lower control arms.......that's important. You'd be surprised how much just a little bit will throw it off.

    Also, if you replaced any bushings, the bolts need to be tightened up with the weight of the car on the ground and the suspension at normal riding height. :Smarty:
     
  10. tlivingd

    tlivingd BIG BLOCK, THE ANTI PRIUS

    my buddie did a full suspension rebuild on his 68 gto convertible. Had the same problem when he was done. Turned out that the previous owner was in an accdent and the frame wasn't square. a little time on the frame rack and good as new. hopefully it's just on the spring perch wrong.
    -nate
     
  11. austingta

    austingta Well-Known Member

    I sat level before, and I'm sure by the condition nof the springs in there they were the originals.
     
  12. Steve Craig

    Steve Craig Gold Level Contributor

    Mine actually sits a bit low on the pass. side. It's an AC car. Springs are new front & rear. Wheelz from Fla. advised me to look at the coils. They are usually sold as a pair.
    One should have a paint dot or some other kind of identification on it. The identified spring goes on the pass. side. Will get them swapped in the Spring to see if it helps.

    Parts book shows same spring for a 350 car unless you use HD. HD are different per side. 455 ragtop car shows different springs per side, including cars with/without AC. HD are also different numbers.
     
  13. tlivingd

    tlivingd BIG BLOCK, THE ANTI PRIUS

    his goat did too.
     
  14. austingta

    austingta Well-Known Member

    I bought them from ESPO. They were not marked left and right.. only top and bottom. :Do No:

    Frank
     
  15. flynbuick

    flynbuick Guest

    I have purchased a couple of sets from the same place and the car ends up just right. I did notice that it does start out sitting high until it settles in but I do not remember it starting out uneven. Did you set the pigtail within an 1/8 inch of the hole in the lower control arm per the assembly manual?
     
  16. 70 gsconvt

    70 gsconvt Silver Level contributor

    I would definitely check the top part of the spring to make sure it's seated around the "cup" that's up there. The flat end of the spring goes up. And on the bottom, the end of the spring should be turned so that it is in/next to the notch that hold it from spinning around. Those two combined could easily be a 1.5" difference.
     
  17. austingta

    austingta Well-Known Member

    I cannot say that the bottom of the spring is in the right place. I will check it this week. I don't think the spring is installed on the top lip/ridge.

    I hope that's ll there is to it...

    Frank
     
  18. austingta

    austingta Well-Known Member

    I fixed it

    The problem was that the upper end of the spring WAS NOT properly seated around the perch ridges :spank: :Dou: !

    I had to completely disassemble the passenger side and put it in straight.

    Problem solved!

    Thanks for everyone's help! :beer

    Frank
     

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