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- Опубліковано 19 жов 2024
- What to do if your new suspension has your car too high tall
Episode 481 Autorestomod
If your new coil springs make the car sit to high. Is the Spring the Problem. We talk about things that can go to make ride height on your muscle car better.
jford@autorestomod.com
www.gasolinemedia.com
www.autorestomod.com
Glad you guys are still pumping out quality videos. Thanks for your work!
Our pleasure!
My wife and I took the original style shocks and put on gas shocks all away around, we also added 1/2 inch to new rear leaf springs. We achieved a very nice ride height and very stable ride and it actually goes over railroad tracks better than our Honda Accord. 68 Mustang. We love the ride and vacations with the car, we love it as much as we did when they came out new.
Very nice! On older springs that are getting saggy, that is a great solution.
Great points! I know we expect perfection when we upgrade our suspension from a stance perspective but a little patience is important while everything settles in. Resisting the urge to break out the cutoff tool and start trimming coils is probably a good idea ;)
Well said!
Hello 🤗 there gents, just caught this one, it's a nice classic car remedial learning segment..
Keep the village knowledge coming!!!!
I wanted to lower the front of my old Chevelle so I swapped the small block for a big block and it worked like a charm.
HAHAHAHA!
NPD...You couldn't ask for better/faster service. I ordered a set of door handles, and pads from them for my 83 F100...lo and behold, I opened the pads..no driver side, all the pieces were there, just all for the pass side.I should add, no fault of NPD, it was a sealed pkg. Called the 800 number, stated my delima, sorry for the inconvenience, we'll send you another set and be sure you have a right, and left....This was friday at about 4PM, the following Tues, had set with r/l pads, all is good, nice handles,fit good,looks good.
Thanks guys, On my 79 T-bird the drivers rear sags about 1"+ compared to the rh side. I've replaced coil springs, shocks, bushings, even tried to shim the bushings up on the lh rear with no luck, just can't get that much lift into it. Going to order a 3/4" spacer to install on top of the coil spring and try that.
I’ve gotta get my roller perches on. Got the diy kit and went together very nice. Guess oil fill shocks are next. Thanks guys
On my 70 ranchero the ride height was a inch and a half too low. Instead of installing thicker urethane upper spring seats. I pulled the spring up with a compressor. I changed the spring perch pressed in bolts to grade 8 bolts a little longer. I also got some grade 8 flat washers. I put flat washers under the spring perch on top of the control arm. And a grade 8 washer under the control arm to spread the load of the nut. This allowed me to fine tune the ride height precisely.
I also found on a friends 66 fairlane 500 that there the shock only had an inch and a half of compression left. I ground some longer carriage bolt heads to match the captured bolts that hold the shock mount on . I used stacks of fender washers to space up the shock mount about an inch and a half. This worked out perfect. Plenty of hood room. Lots of shock travel. Worked great. He got some expensive double adjustable shocks. Installed them. Threw out the stacks of washers. Drove it for a few months. Then it was like the shocks did not work. Because he had removed the washers he had not enough travel . Broke the pistons in the shocks. When he went to lift the shocks out. The rods pulled right out of the top.
Solutions!
Biggest NO-NO I see is tightening the control arm bushings and spring hangers on the hoist with everything hanging..... I'm so game for a show on stupid crap on the interwebs.
Now I understand why my brother said to not tighten up the control arms all the way until we set it down 🤔
I just rebuilt the suspension on my 2010 Challenger - never done this kind of thing before. Replaced the control arms upper, both lower, end links, tie rod ends, ball joints, Bilstein struts (stock springs, new isolators, bellows) I "thought" I had the control arms fairly level, but I think now that may not be the case, especially when I was trying to get all of the components to line up to tighten up. I only drove it for about 30 miles, but it's about 3 inches higher that it was before. Bilsteins went out back, but no rise in the back.
I've never messed with the later stuff so I can't help guide you.
@@AutoRestoMod Oh, no worries there. The comment about the control arms needing to by at ride height before torquing was an "aha" moment. She's already clunky again, so hopefully I didn't just trash a brand new control arm.
With the Shelby drop, I turn the steering wheel back and forth and the the body settles to ride height. Simple.
Do an episode on rear suspensions that end up too high.
We might do that, though in reality that is a much simpler solution.
lol if you need a video for that you need more help than a video is gonna provide lmao
An episode on how to straighten a chassis at home? 67 Mustang was rear ended and modern shops either don't do old cars or $$$
That jumps off into territory I know zero about. And most of that takes a frame table. Better to "pay the guy".
When pulling collision damage. Make sure you are pulling in the same direction it was impacted in. There are ways to set up and do amazing body pulls from home. Gathering enough stuff to do it can be expensive. A 10 ton porta power. Grade 70 3/8" chains. Body pulling clamps. Pinch weld clamps. Heck I have even resorted to hydraulic camper jacks. Straightened a friends toyota wagon that was bent sideways at the front. In some cities there may still be a few frame shops that dont do finish body work but do pull properly stripped car bodies back to shape so the body shop can finish. Some like my friends shop (rip) only worked for insurance companies and friends shops. Look under wheel alignment, frame and axle repair in the yellow pages. Usually not in the auto section under "A's". "W" is where to look in the book.
In your work order also put in a must finish by date. Or your classic will be buried and parts slowly removed and taken away. Seen that so many times over the past 40 years. Shop does not want to finish as lowlifes working there stole your parts.
When we took the springs out of our car, they were two different diameters and one of them obviously had a torch applied to them because a portion of the coil had a slight S / flat spot in it.
Welcome to stupid stuff humans do...
Excellent video as always, guys, but please review this and consider the level of Actualitis involved. Thank you!
Actually, I never noticed that. But actually I can see how this might actually annoy the piss out of you...actually.
@@AutoRestoMod Good! That means we are actually and literally on the same page!!
Great tips. Thanks.
I have a 68 Cougar with a slight reverse rake. I just assumed the rear end was down a little. But.... It's an original 390 FE car but now has an aluminum intake as well as new gas shocks. So it may just be riding a little high in the front from weight reduction etc... No Shelby drop yet but wondering if the Shelby drop with roller spring perches would lower it some and be just right? Time will tell. Thanks for all your cool video's guys!
Not sure. I know that the gas shocks can add spring rate and thereby ride height.
I wish he could talk about front wheel drive with struts....
Man, I have this exact same problem. Rebuilt the entire suspension on my 79 T-Bird. Rear end raised a tad and set nicely, Front end is way up there, like an inch or two higher then stock. Even worse when I filled it up today. The rear end went down as the front sticks up. I've only driven it 20 miles since the rebuild.... I'll have to wait the extra 480 miles before I choose my next course of action... I may raise the rear tho to compensate for the time being
The type of shock she used can actually have a play and how the car sets too, keep that in mind.
@@AutoRestoMod She's sitting on KYBs Gas-a-justs. They're stiffer then stock definitely. All the other T-Bird owners on FB swear by em and the Monotube design was attractive with it's claim of better response and durability. Which sounded like a breath of fresh air compared to the "new" Monroe's I had that were completely dead after a 9K. Both the rears and front were toast, and not the good kind.
I may remove the front shocks when I have time just to see how she sits without em.
I did the opposite lol. Bought 2" drop spings for my suburban. Got it all done, let the jack down, and it just kept going >.< It dropped about 5-6 inches instead. Still haven't chosen New springs to correct that.
love all of your videos, especially the camaro videos
We are trying to get the big red '70 Camaro out from behind the stairs. but the big red wagon is not playing nicely.
Hey i have a 1969 camaro that i installed new springs on all the way around. The front is a little higher than the rear. I have air shocks on the back to help level it up. How can i raise the rear 2-3” without air shocks. Help !!!!
"hey hon I gotta get some new QA1s for all four corners of the car....the ones in the car aren't correct..yes they are pricey but he said I can't skimp on the suspension." 🙏🙏🙏 I've been waiting for an excuse thank you 🍻🍻😅
Call us if you find another car you want too. we can throw Diona in the mix to convince her.
@@AutoRestoMod you all are doing the Lord's work 🍻🍻
Who knew that one day Konis would be the cheapest option for hydraulic shocks.
Right? There has to be someone that can make a low cost option.
Yes indeed this all happened to me. I have a 68 Mustang coupe and I put all new front suspension on except for the coil springs. I used KYB gas shocks on the front and back. It looks like I built a rocket and have it aimed for the moon. I hate the height and have been thinking I would get lowering coils and do the shelby drop also. It is really frustrating to spend all that time and money to end up with it jacked up so high in the front. I did do as ya'll suggested and took it to have everything tightened properly plus front end alignment but it's still way up in the front !!
Go with some Viking shocks from Eaton Detroit. That will help a ton.
U remind me of my highschool mechanic teacher
So...is there a correct drive height, or is it subjective? How do you know when the height for a stock suspension is correct? Are there factory measurements? Asking for a friend...well no....actually asking for me. Got a 75 Pontiac with original springs that "might" be riding a little loooowww after 45 years.
There are factory ride heights. Just keep in mind that those were done with non gas charged shocks. Eaton Detroit Spring has most all the ride height info from the factory blue prints..
Push down on car with skidsteer bucket will settle suspension ...LOL.. So should one bounce on the New sprangs with the Bobcat bucket befor installing that would stimulate dukes of hazard driving with out doing it ?...;}......LOL
It will work, but you'll have a body like the original Gone in 60 seconds Mach 1....
Don't tighten nothing till it on the ground, lol.
oh yeah....great advice guys.....
I'd just want factory ride height myself....
and I sense a new project!
55 fairlane post Gasser?
but.......great advice anyway
love and factory height Starliners
Right on!
The only way you can enjoy a classic car in New England is to jack it up.
LOL
Wow. I guess nothing is necessarily as simple as it would seem.
Ever. LOL. Dad had a theory about the "15 minute four bolt job". He had a boss that would pop into the the electrical department at the plant and offer a "quick job" to anyone that would stay. Dad said the guy would always tell them it was a 15 minute four bolt job...Dad took the bait once and stayed for an additional shift fixing the issue.
just finished putting frnt and rear oem spec shocks and springs in my 77 cutlass . put it on the ground , the ride height way off . about 6 in between top of tire and lip of wheel well. is this gonna settle? how would i lower the rears? fronts were a btch., and frightening. at the time said ill never do that again. moog products.
They don't. We appreciate the prayers always.
Whenever I have a ride height issue with a Ford I just put an FE 390 in it. Problem solved
HAHAHAHAHA I like the way you think!
You guys didn't mention the shelby drop on mustang to get desired ride height
No, we wanted to concentrate on basics. While the Shelby Drop (or Akerman drop) sounds like it is for lowering the car, it is just to relocate d the upper A-Arm for better caster changes. It will drop the car about 1/2 to 3/4 inch typically.
@@AutoRestoMod thanks for the reply love the show
i need to lower the rear end, can you advise?
Cinder blocks in trunk
waiting on more 63 galaxie videos.
We will be back on the Galaxie in a couple of weeks. I plan to try and start it.
They don't have 67 Fairlane parts
Nope. But they do list suspension parts for the the Fairlane. Visit our other advertiser Auto Krafters for your Fairlane needs. They just released the hood hinges for the Fairlane. Super stoked to get a set to install here.
@@AutoRestoMod thanks I'll check with them appreciate it
To much laughing and joking
Sorry that humor bothers you. But I get it
Lmao 🤣
Glad we can make you laugh!
@@AutoRestoMod I love your show I been watching and rewatching trying to apply some to my 69 Cougar, I went through the same ride height problem and found this one hilarious thank you for your service I appreciate you. Keep up the good work
Woohoo first comment finally
Why are they laughing? Who is funny.
Well Abbott and Costello for one