I recently had two monroe gasmatic struts installed along w/ new sway bar bushings. When I picked the car up the front end looked about an inch higher than when I dropped it off. After driving it a month(unhappy) I ordered 1.6/1.4 lowering springs. Having installed them the car now looks about the same height as before I started all this(not low at all)? My question: Will installing new struts raise the front end or were they not marked and installed incorrectly which explains the added height even w/ adding lowering springs? I wanted to give it a lower stance in the front.If this makes any sense please help me out. Thanks Norm

 

Struts/shocks will not raise the vehicle height. The only exception is with air shocks. The problem you most likely have is that the struts are not indexed right. Try searching the forums, I've seen this a couple times searching for shock/spring info in the last couple days. You should be able to find the answer doing that.
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I should add that it is not uncommon for people to add lowering springs only to find that they sit higher than their worn out old stock springs. My car sat really, really low because the old springs were so shot that when removing the old rear springs, they barely had enough left in them to push the jack down when I released it. I would guess that it was sitting around 2-2 1/2 inches lower than it did when new.

 

RustyRS means the SPRINGS may not be indexed correctly, with the spring end between the two inside drain holes in the A-Arm spring pocket.

Lowering springs will sometimes leave you at or near the same height as before if your existing springs were old and sagging.

 

Thanks Guys. I was thinking, I have never touched my factory rear shocks and springs, I suspect if the front were shot my back prob is as well which could result in the front still looking higher after having everything new installed. Add new springs and shocks to the rear and it all looks normal? I really wish changing springs was something I could do, afraid I will lose my face,LOL

 

Yeah sorry, I replied after working all night...I should have been a little more specific and a little more clear. Don't be worried about changing the rear springs, they are easy compared to the front. Mine were really shot and the hardest part was getting the rusty lower shock nuts loose. My rear springs were so weak they would barely push my jack all the way down, I had to pull down on the rear end the fully release the springs.

 

Last year I had my car aligned. I gave them the specs I wanted, but also made the mistake of telling them the model & year (83 SE). It turns out the guy knew NOTHING from specs, but he knew how to use their machine. It had specs for the model that were WAY different from what I wanted.
It drove horribly, and with 1 deg POSITIVE camber, it sat an inch higher in the front. I got them to set it back, but I had to sit with the guy to tell him what I wanted. He just could not believe I wanted something so far from what his machine was telling him.
MAYBE, the gave you the same sort of screwy specs when they installed your struts.

 

Yea, not indexing correctly could change height about an inch. Later.