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Topic: Ride Height

in Forum: C3 Handling Components


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Ride Height (1/15)
 10/17/09 8:15pm
bio11
Former Member

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Oklahoma City, OK - USA

Vette(s):
1972 LS5 Convertible,Auto.Targa Blue with Black Interior.


Joined: 4/1/2007
Posts: 432

New steel rear spring and long spring bolts and spring rubbers. My ride height is fine measured at the frame, but from the bottom of the fenders my left rear is lower than right rear by about 1 inch. Could I have a bad body mount or something.
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Ride Height (2/15)
 10/17/09 8:47pm
jp75vette
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Bloomfield Hills, MI - USA

Vette(s):
1975 Corvette coupe, 4 speed manual, 383 ci 9.5:1,Edelbrock dual plane Air Gap intake, Alum Heads,Comp Cam, roller Rockers, PS,PB,Tilt


Joined: 6/29/2008
Posts: 199

I have a similar issue. Differenece is not so big, approx 3/4" diffrence.
 
I went to longer 8" bolts, but diffrence is still there.
 
Can spring be form un symetrical?
Ride Height (3/15)
 10/17/09 10:57pm
fp_vetter72Lifetime Member
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COPPERAS COVE, TX - USA

Vette(s):
1972 corvette stingray convertible 2007 coupe


Joined: 7/6/2002
Posts: 417

72 has metal body mounts, they dont crush like the rubber ones do. I would look at something else, measure the frame in several locations to the ground and make sure it isnt tweaked a little. Correct air preasure in all tires,etc. etc.

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Ride Height (4/15)
 10/17/09 11:22pm
bio11
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Oklahoma City, OK - USA

Vette(s):
1972 LS5 Convertible,Auto.Targa Blue with Black Interior.


Joined: 4/1/2007
Posts: 432

I'll do some measuring tomorrow and see what I can find out. Hopefully nothing to bad.
Ride Height (5/15)
 10/18/09 12:34am
lukesvetteLifetime Member
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HOWELL, NJ - USA

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1979, Targa Blue (72 Color), Pace Car rear spoiler, L88 hood, Dark blue factory interior, 525HP 406, HD 700R4, 370 gears,Steeroids, composite rear spring, TT IIs wrapped in T/A Radials.


Joined: 5/18/2004
Posts: 6812

Keep in mind that if both sides are off by 1/2" with everything looking even, a 1/2" adjustment on both sides will level you out...
Ride Height (6/15)
 10/18/09 1:27pm
bio11
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Oklahoma City, OK - USA

Vette(s):
1972 LS5 Convertible,Auto.Targa Blue with Black Interior.


Joined: 4/1/2007
Posts: 432

I measured everything I could get my hands on this morning, and with 1" of spring bolt below the  nut. everything on the car is the same except distance from the top of the wheel opening of the fender to the floor. 27" on driver side 28" on passenger side. I have not drove it except around the block once. Hopefully get to the alignment shop tomorrow. Maybe after driving it a little it will settle out.
Ride Height (7/15)
 10/19/09 12:09pm
VetteSpecialties
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Mounds View, MN - USA

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70 LT1 coupe, 69 350 HP coupe, 69 390HP 427 coupe, 71 LS5 convert, 85 coupe, 93 coupe


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Before you take anything apart, you must be sure exactly where the problem is.  Is the frame different by an inch from side to side?  Is the body even on the frame?  Do you know for sure if it was level before you started?  Did you tighten the center spring bolts gradually, moving from side to side to pull it up evenly?  If you are sure it was level be fore you started, you almost certainly can loosen the center bolts and re-tighten them to solve the problem.

Larry
Ride Height (8/15)
 10/19/09 12:27pm
bio11
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Oklahoma City, OK - USA

Vette(s):
1972 LS5 Convertible,Auto.Targa Blue with Black Interior.


Joined: 4/1/2007
Posts: 432

I was very carefull about tightening the center spring bolts. I just got them a little more than finger tight before I let it down off the jack stands. Bounced it up and down a few times and even rolled it forward a few feet and back so the tires would square up. Torqued them in 2 stages after weight was back on the ground. I measured the distance from each end of the spring to the center of the rear end and it is perfectly centered. I think I'll look at my body mounts and see if maybe something is wrong with them. It wasn't level before, thats one of the reasons I changed the spring because I thought it had a sag in it allowing the driver side to be lower.
Ride Height (9/15)
 10/20/09 1:05pm
bio11
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Oklahoma City, OK - USA

Vette(s):
1972 LS5 Convertible,Auto.Targa Blue with Black Interior.


Joined: 4/1/2007
Posts: 432

Had my alignment done this morning...I guess I should have changed these rear strut rods and bushings out at the same time I did the spring. Front end is great but adjustment is maxed out on my rear strut rods so I guess I'll change these out next. Can't adjust rear camber out all the way. Driver side is worse than the passenger side. The passenger side is just about right...so fixing these may help the ride height issue. 

Ride Height (10/15)
 10/20/09 1:20pm
anips
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sonoma, CA - USA

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72 LT-1 AC coupe,69 l-36 coupe


Joined: 8/9/2002
Posts: 784

are they bent, when aligned the rack should have been a 4 head computor set up so as to get a print out before and after alignment, front and rear should have been done at the same time, the rear also has along with a camber adj. a toe adjustment. anips2009-10-20 10:24:10
Ride Height (11/15)
 10/20/09 2:05pm
bio11
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Oklahoma City, OK - USA

Vette(s):
1972 LS5 Convertible,Auto.Targa Blue with Black Interior.


Joined: 4/1/2007
Posts: 432

The strut rods for the rear appear to be straight...just worn bushings I guess. He does have the four head system. I got pretty close putting the front end together. I used my level to put in a few shims and a tape measure to set my toe in for the drive there. With the adjustment maxed out on the rear camber adjustment bolts it still won't get to 0 degrees. So with that being the case we didn't mess with the toe in on the back. Although it's not toed in enough. I'll replace the strut rods and I might as well replace the trailing arm bushings and bolts. He told me to bring it back and he wouldn't charge me to do the rear. Front was only $49.00. I think I can take out a little lash when I get home tonight but other than that this thing drives like a new one. I know it just psychological but I think it even runs better now.
Ride Height (12/15)
 11/1/09 3:26pm
bio11
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Oklahoma City, OK - USA

Vette(s):
1972 LS5 Convertible,Auto.Targa Blue with Black Interior.


Joined: 4/1/2007
Posts: 432

I'm still chasing my ride height problem. After doing a lot of measuring and crawling around under this thing, what I've found is that the frame measurements every where on the car is OK. It's just the rear driver side of the body is low. I've found a few pictures and references to body mount bolt shims in my Corvette Restoration Guide. I can't see any shims on my body mounts. Maybe this is the answer to my problem. I don't like trying to even this out with my spring bolts because it puts uneven pressure on my spring. Any Ideas.
Ride Height (13/15)
 11/2/09 11:56am
anips
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sonoma, CA - USA

Vette(s):
72 LT-1 AC coupe,69 l-36 coupe


Joined: 8/9/2002
Posts: 784

C-3's were built a little crueid back in the day not like today and they are not perfect, was the car repaired before you got it, if the frame is square and level and if you took your measurements on a level surface and it handles well you might just have to live with it, when I mesured mine it was a little off also.
Ride Height (14/15)
 11/2/09 12:06pm
fp_vetter72Lifetime Member
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COPPERAS COVE, TX - USA

Vette(s):
1972 corvette stingray convertible 2007 coupe


Joined: 7/6/2002
Posts: 417

Maybe it is the fiberglass, did you measure top of fender down to wheel opening? See if both sides are the same?

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Ride Height (15/15)
 11/3/09 1:57pm
VetteSpecialties
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Mounds View, MN - USA

Vette(s):
70 LT1 coupe, 69 350 HP coupe, 69 390HP 427 coupe, 71 LS5 convert, 85 coupe, 93 coupe


Joined: 5/24/2007
Posts: 1031

I would stop, back up, and start measuring everywhere before I took anything else apart.  Measure from the floor pan to the ground on both sides, and from the rocker panels, and the frame, tops of the fenders, wheel openings, and every other place you can measure, until you find where the difference is.  Then you can decide how to fix it.

Larry
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