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Did you clock the A-arm springs correctly?
Even a few degrees of spring rotation can change your right height by a lot.
Just make sure the spring is barely covering the second hole in the A-arm.
Monroe struts are gas charged so they will sit slightly higher than an old strut that has lost its gas charge. I didn't see a noticeable difference in ride height when I changed mine out. This gas charge should give you a more comfortable ride quality.
I also agree with McLovin, make sure your springs are clocked properly.
Well he does have a point. He asked a question about new struts, Nothing to do with springs. The clocking of the springs doesn't change when struts are replaced...
Struts would have nothing to do with springs and really shouldn't effect ride height. Strut should easily collapse with the weight of the car pushing on them. I could see the car sitting a slight bit higher when lowered from the jacks but once driven ride height should show no difference than worn struts.
If I recall correctly when I removed the struts on my 3rd gen Firebird, the lower A frame drops down to a point that the spring sits loose enough that it can rotate if bumped. If the spring loses its correct clocking, it can change ride height.
Thats why you support the bottom of the a-arm. Keeps it from droping too much and worse the spring ricocheting out of the pocket and hitting something or someone. If that was done the spring shouldn't of moved.
Most times when i take the weight off the springs or lift the front wheels off the ground. The front end does sit higher, but a short drive settles things back in place.
Struts would have nothing to do with springs and really shouldn't effect ride height. Strut should easily collapse with the weight of the car pushing on them. I could see the car sitting a slight bit higher when lowered from the jacks but once driven ride height should show no difference than worn struts.
Originally Posted by Toon86
If I recall correctly when I removed the struts on my 3rd gen Firebird, the lower A frame drops down to a point that the spring sits loose enough that it can rotate if bumped. If the spring loses its correct clocking, it can change ride height.
Originally Posted by 84 1LE
Thats why you support the bottom of the a-arm.
Most times when i take the weight off the springs or lift the front wheels off the ground. The front end does sit higher, but a short drive settles things back in place.
The sway bar end link holds up the control arm when the strut is removed. But that's if you're not smart enough to have a jack under the control arm. and if you're not smart enough to have jack under the control arm, you're probably dead by now from blunt force trauma.
I drove the car 100 miles, everything settled down to normal ride height. BTW, the factory front springs are good for 200,000 miles. They aren't moving. The clock ain't changing. Not even on day light savings time.
When doing struts, you don't need to let the control arm "drop" AT ALL. Correct way is, you put the jack under the arm and raise it just enough to get the wheel off the ground, then change out the strut with it like that.
The strut has a very slight effect, heavy emphasis on "slight", due to its gas charge. Might make as much as 1/32" of a difference, if even that. After the car has rolled around for a few feet it'll go back to where it was before, if the springs didn't get disoriented.