Suspension and Chassis Questions about your suspension? Need chassis advice?

Unlevel rear suspension

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Old Apr 20, 2007 | 01:20 PM
  #1  
mikeirocz1's Avatar
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From: San Leon, TX
Car: 91 RS and 88 IROC-Z
Engine: 305 TBI and 383 Carb
Transmission: 700R4/2200 stall & 700R4/3500 stall
Axle/Gears: 3.42 posi and 4.11 posi
Unlevel rear suspension

I have a 91 RS and I put 1.75" lowering springs and new shocks and struts. The passenger rear side sits between 1/4" and 1/2" lower. I've checked the springs and adjusted them a couple of times to make sure they are seated right, but that side still sits lower. I don't remember it sitting lower on that side with the stock springs. Maybe some other bushings are out?? Anyone ever had a problem like this?
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Old Apr 20, 2007 | 01:46 PM
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Re: Unlevel rear suspension

What happened when you swapped the springs from side to side?
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Old Apr 20, 2007 | 01:52 PM
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From: San Leon, TX
Car: 91 RS and 88 IROC-Z
Engine: 305 TBI and 383 Carb
Transmission: 700R4/2200 stall & 700R4/3500 stall
Axle/Gears: 3.42 posi and 4.11 posi
Re: Unlevel rear suspension

I haven't tried to switch them from one side to another. Think one of the springs might be defective?
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Old Apr 20, 2007 | 02:12 PM
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Re: Unlevel rear suspension

No; but they may be different. That's just the most basic possible "one is different from the other" test.

See my signature for a hint as to my troubleshooting philosophy.
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Old Apr 20, 2007 | 03:25 PM
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From: San Leon, TX
Car: 91 RS and 88 IROC-Z
Engine: 305 TBI and 383 Carb
Transmission: 700R4/2200 stall & 700R4/3500 stall
Axle/Gears: 3.42 posi and 4.11 posi
Re: Unlevel rear suspension

The springs are the same
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Old Apr 20, 2007 | 09:03 PM
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Re: Unlevel rear suspension

What happened when you swapped them?
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Old Apr 20, 2007 | 09:19 PM
  #7  
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From: haverhill MA
Car: 89 formula, 89 Cadillac Brougham
Engine: 355,HSR,patriot alum. heads,TFS cam
Transmission: 700r4, 2500 B&M stall, shift kit
Axle/Gears: 3.73 ten bolt, powertrax locker
Re: Unlevel rear suspension

maybe one of the isolators got stuck to one of the old springs, when you took them out. now one side has an isolator and one doesn't...maybe?
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Old Apr 21, 2007 | 11:22 AM
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Car: 86 Trans Am
Engine: 408 stroker sbc
Transmission: TKO600
Axle/Gears: Moser full floater m9, 3:70 trutrac
Re: Unlevel rear suspension

i wish someone here could answer this question, i have the exact same problem, shocks are fine, but they don't affect anything, springs are the same, i swap them and nothing changes, swapped isolators from side to side, dropped the sway bar and checked again still nothing. i think my car is tweaked so im planning to have a chassis shop look at it this coming week if possible.

sorry to hijack the thread...
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Old Apr 23, 2007 | 06:56 PM
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Car: 1986 Iroc
Engine: 5.3
Transmission: 4L80E
Axle/Gears: 9 Inch w/ 3.55
Re: Unlevel rear suspension

Not to sound like and ***. But my car did the same thing. I couldn't figure it out. Untill I stripped the car down to build it and after a frame shop visit I found the frame rail that looked lower was bent.
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Old Apr 25, 2007 | 05:06 PM
  #10  
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From: San Leon, TX
Car: 91 RS and 88 IROC-Z
Engine: 305 TBI and 383 Carb
Transmission: 700R4/2200 stall & 700R4/3500 stall
Axle/Gears: 3.42 posi and 4.11 posi
Re: Unlevel rear suspension

I switched springs from one side to the other and still the passenger side is lower. I bought new isolators and still the same thing. Do you think the track bar or rear control arm bushings are bad on that one side?
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Old Apr 25, 2007 | 05:27 PM
  #11  
//<86TA>\\'s Avatar
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Car: 86 Trans Am
Engine: 408 stroker sbc
Transmission: TKO600
Axle/Gears: Moser full floater m9, 3:70 trutrac
Re: Unlevel rear suspension

they wont affect ride height. you can throw money at all kind of parts, or just take it to a chassis shop and have them look at it. its probably just tweaked a bit
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Old Apr 25, 2007 | 06:43 PM
  #12  
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Car: 84 firebird T/A
Engine: shinny 350
Transmission: slush box L65
Axle/Gears: Torsen "3.73"
Re: Unlevel rear suspension

You have to rotate one on its pearch. they dont go the same direction.
remove shock, jack up rear and turn spring 160 to 180 degrees.


http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...84stuff003.jpg

Last edited by jjlabinski; Apr 25, 2007 at 06:50 PM.
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Old Apr 25, 2007 | 06:57 PM
  #13  
mikeirocz1's Avatar
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From: San Leon, TX
Car: 91 RS and 88 IROC-Z
Engine: 305 TBI and 383 Carb
Transmission: 700R4/2200 stall & 700R4/3500 stall
Axle/Gears: 3.42 posi and 4.11 posi
Re: Unlevel rear suspension

Should I rotate the side that sits lower, or does it matter? Should the ends of the coils be on opposite sides?
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Old Apr 25, 2007 | 11:06 PM
  #14  
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From: Aiken, SC
Car: 91 Z/28, 89 RS Race Car
Engine: 305 stock / ZZ4 AFR 195 9.7:1
Transmission: T5 / t10 / Jerico
Axle/Gears: 10blt w 3.42, 9 in w /3.80 DL
Re: Unlevel rear suspension

3 different tests

On the pad where you are measuring the car, turn the car 180 degrees to check the level of the pad If the problem is reversed its the pad


Un hook the sway bars (one end each bar) and look at it again. If it is now level or the situation has changed, you have preload in your bars.

Have a friend of the same weight as you sit in the car. If it is level now who cares?
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Old Apr 26, 2007 | 07:14 AM
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Re: Unlevel rear suspension

If you swapped em and the car is still unlevel, then the car is bent.

Of course, most people think they're "measuring" something when they check how far the wheel wells are from the ground. If that's what you're doing, then it's no big surprise that they're not the same. Those aren't "the car", those are just some sheet metal trim hung off in space somewhere outside "the car". That's just about as accurate as doing a front end alignment to get the door molding to run parallel to the road or something.

Check the frame for straightness. Park the car on a KNOWN ABSOLUTELY FLAT surface, and measure from the ground to the "frame"; which in the rear, is the point where the control arm attaches to the body.

Also keep in mind, the front springs have a FAR greater effect on the level of the car, than the rear. So if one front is sagging worse than the other, then the opposite rear corner will sit high.
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