AimHigh

OK guys I am stumped.

My 75 C3 rides and drives great for the most part, aside from hating the Q-jet I really love my car. However, am I being picky or could there be a reason for my concern on my ride being level? My left side (driver) is exactly one (1) inch higher than my right (passenger) side. For the life of me I can't think this is correct except for the fact that this is a thirty something year old car and the springs could be a little weak.

Or, maybe its supposed to compress that extra inch on the left side with my big butt and a full tank of gas.

Am I being picky or should I shut up and color and just enjoy having the opportunity of being where I am now?

thanks!!

blckslvr79

C3's are known for not riding perfectly level.
My 79 sits higher on the pass side than the driver side by about 3/8.
I had to adjust the rear spring bolts to get a level ride.
But an Inch is alot.

Check your rear spring bolts to make sure they are adjusted equally.
Have the front springs been out? Maybe they are not seated correctly?
How are your body mounts?

Ironcross

Where did this piece of information come from. Definitely not true for those that went through the years without someone trying to out engineer the GM engineers that made them. The car below is a one owner 1968 that recently was put back together after 35 dormant years and still sets square and level.

Bangkok Dean

But your front wheel is crooked.

blckslvr79

Drivers side of front bumper is higher than pass side also!

Ironcross

that normally occurs when you turn the steering wheel.

I hit the wall at Indy last week and bent the front up including the wheels.. Nothing serious...

Ironcross

I just bent it against a tree to conform to the other side. Bumpers dont count anyway, there just silver painted ornaments to run into things, like when I hit other Vettes at car shows because they all look better than mine. Have to equalize the playing field dont we!.....

blckslvr79

ccs96

[QUOTE=AimHigh;1565627358]OK guys I am stumped.

My 75 C3 rides and drives great for the most part, aside from hating the Q-jet I really love my car. However, am I being picky or could there be a reason for my concern on my ride being level? My left side (driver) is exactly one (1) inch higher than my right (passenger) side. For the life of me I can't think this is correct except for the fact that this is a thirty something year old car and the springs could be a little weak.
QUOTE]

Same thing with my 76, haven't figured it out yet.

AimHigh

All right now I'm really frustated........car sits 28.5 on the drivers side and 27.5 on the passenger.

took the sping out and reversed it,.,,,,,still sits the same.

Installed all new bushings and made the sure all was right.
Still sits the same.

Trailing arms are brand new so there should be no issue with anything related to there.

took by bolts for the spring hangar on the end where it connects to the trailing arm,,,,,went to the machine shop and added 3 more inches of threads to them so that I can raise the car if I want. Everyone on the forum always says out is down and in is up.

Went back home and put it together... car still sits 1 inch off from the passenger side whatever I set the drivers side to.

I can cinch the passenger side all the way in (almost 3 inches shorter on the bolt than stock) and the car still wont go up on the passenger side.


WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS!!!!

bt57

is the frame level? if so it may be a body mount issue

1979toy

BINGO!

GM checked the ride height to the frame, NOT to the top of the fender like we all do now.
You've got 4 corners and they are all inter-related. Try disconnecting the front sway bar and the rear bar if you have one then drive it around a bit before you check it again.

nutsy

my right front side sits half inch higher than left. i wonder if the torque from the motor which twist to right side can cause this over years from springs weakening.

dtamustang

the "correct" way to measure ride height is not the fender openings or bumpers. usually it is measured from side to side in the front by measuring the distance from the bottom of the lower ball joint to to a level surface.then measure the distance from the lower control arm pivot bolt to the same level surface, figure out the difference in the readings, then do the other side. in a perfect world the end result of the numbers would be the same. same goes for the rear . make sure your tires are inflated equally before you measure. in my experience if the measurments are less than 3/8 of an inch or so you have a pretty good car,if not look at the suspension components, bushings are a likely problem area. if its 3/8 or so less , its in the body or body mounts.

AimHigh

Ok measuring on the back to pucks of the frame for a refrence,,,,,,
the passenger side is 4.75 inches off the ground and the drivers side is 5.25 inches off of the ground.

does this help any?

AimHigh

anyone?

dtamustang

on the rear it would probably be easier to measure from the frame to the top of the trailing arm ( same place both sides ) that should tell you what you need to know

AimHigh

OK

I measured at two points of the frame on each side coming from the front. Each point has the passenger side 1 inch lower than the drivers side.

Could this be a front spring issue maybe?

dtamustang

"GM checked the ride height to the frame, NOT to the top of the fender like we all do now.
You've got 4 corners and they are all inter-related. "



the front can have an impact ( a lot more than you would think) on the rear, the front springs are generally a lot stiffer than the rears.

1979toy,didn't mean to steal the quote, just don't know how to do it the right way

dtamustang

you need to find a fixed point that is unsprung , front would be lower ball joint at the bottom , rear trailing arm ,and get a good measurement from the floor, then find a fixed point that is sprung (springed?) front would be lower control arm pivot bolt, rear would be the frame directly above the trailing arm,and measure from the floor. i'm sure you will find a big difference in the readings somewhere. be sure to measure at the same location both sides or your measurements will be al over the place