Front Coil Spring Alignment

[Ludigdrums]

Hey all, well I finally decided to tackle my front springs being way too high. (http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48972&page=1&pp=15) I had a spring compressor, but didn't do me any good because I couldn't get it through the a-arm hole. So, I just did what the shop manual said, except used a regular floor jack, and took the three bolts off of the a-arm and slowly lowered it. Also, I had the spring tightly secured with a bungee cord.

So, it came out with no problems, and I cut 2 coils off of the bottom end, which had the more tightly wrapped coils. Man those were tough to get threw. Finally did with a combination of sawzall, and dremel cutting discs (which worked the best).

My problem is, now, one side is a little lower than the other. If they balanced out, it'd be perfect. I know that I cut off the same amount from each spring, and my guess is that they went back in with slightly different alignment.

HOW CAN YOU TELL?!?! I know that there are holes in the a-arm. But, how can you tell where it is up top. The way I did is, was to make sure the bottom lined up to the stop, and hoped that the top went to the right place.

Any suggestions?!

Thanks!

- Jeremy

 

[norvalwilhelm]

Our cars have a problem on the back. The passengers side rear is usally higher then the drivers side throwing the left front off.
Some adjust the rear bolt different side to side in an attempt to level the rear off which will level the front as well.
I have rear coilovers and have them set different side to side.

 

[Ludigdrums]

Interesting....because it is the front left (driver's side) that is too low. For some reason, the back sits pretty high as well, which I slightly remedied by using the longer 8" bolts. Now that the front is pretty much where it always should have been, the back is higher once again. I know the spring was put in by a reputable Corvette shop here in LI, NY. So, I don't know why it sat so high. I guess I can adjust the rear spring bolts, but they are already to the end to try and keep the back as low as possible. Hpmh!

What do you think about the spring being seated properly?

Thanks.

- Jeremy

 

[norvalwilhelm]

The spring might be improperly installed but I doubt it. I have done alot of fiddling to try and get my rearend gaps the same side to side and it is impossible.
How I set it up now it to put a magnetic level on the half shafts and adjust until the 1/2 shafts are horizontal. I do this for both sides and the right passengers rear is always about 1 inch higher then the other side.
It's as if our bodies are not on straight.
I tried with a leaf spring before the coilovers and could never get it leve.
If you lift the back right the left front will natuarlly droop.

 

[norvalwilhelm]

The spring might be improperly installed but I doubt it. I have done alot of fiddling to try and get my rearend gaps the same side to side and it is impossible.
How I set it up now it to put a magnetic level on the half shafts and adjust until the 1/2 shafts are horizontal. I do this for both sides and the right passengers rear is always about 1 inch higher then the other side.
It's as if our bodies are not on straight.
I tried with a leaf spring before the coilovers and could never get it leve.
If you lift the back right the left front will natuarlly droop.

 

[norvalwilhelm]

You can see in this picture the right and left coilovers are not adjusted the same. They are adjusted with a level on the 1/2 shafts.

 

[69autoXr]

Have you aligned it yet? This might effect it a little, try getting the alignment roughly where you want it then check it. Unfortunately cutting coil springs is a trial and error process to get the ride height right. I was fortunate to get it pretty close on my first attempt. If you're out of adjustment on your rear spring bolts you might have to pull the right side coil and trim a bit more. Or you could go with even longer rear bolts, but you may get into a situation where the rear isn't level.

 

[Ludigdrums]

Well, I had it aligned about a month or so ago after doing offset trailing arms. So, the alignment still feels fine. I think the main problem is that the back is still higher than it's supposed to be, causing the front to rake down too much. The front rubber guard is about 1.5-2" off the ground. A huge difference from before.

I feel like I should just get a new rear spring, however, I know the one in there is relatively new (like 3k miles but also 3-4 years old) and it seems like a waste. But, it's just too high even with the longer bolts already installed.

Thanks for the pics. I feel like my half shafts are already almost level. But that doesn't make sense because of how high the body still sits in the rear. I know the body bushings are pretty old...look original. That's the only other thing that would make me think is holding the rear up.

- Jeremy

 

[Chris Kennedy]

The ride height CAN be strange on these cars. I use the Vette Brakes 550 lbs springs at the front, and they brought the front down really well (I could even use an additional inch, but things are fine as is). At the back, many of these aftermarket springs seem to be all over the place as to ride height. Someone said that Muskegon Brake is good to go to if you still want to use a steel spring. The Vette Spring composite spring seems to be o.k. I would be interested to know if people have had experience with the TRW composite spring. It comes with a heatshield, as well.

--Chris Kennedy