mikejpss

First off, even I havent been able to solve this mystery. Things I HAVE DONE so far to correct the obvious lean to the drivers side:
1.Changed rear steel leaf spring to the composite VBP model
2.Changed both front coil springs with NOS springs
3.Changed front shocks.
and she still has a list to the port side- i mean left side.
Wheel well measurements show that drivers front is 10/16 lower than pass side front, drivers rear is 13/16 lower than pass side rear.

Trim heights (from shop manual) shows "J" point is dead on both sides.
"k" point shows dead on at body points, but show 3/8 lower on pass side when measured to the frame....

While doing the measurements over the past days, I did notice the body mounts on pass side have about 1/4 in. more shims than the drivers side. Otherwise, nothing extraordinarly obvious jumps out at me. Care to give it a good guess, or any knowledge you have would be greatly appreciaated. To date I've thrown out $900 and am no better than the day I started on this problem.
Hope the pis can show the lean, I tried best to hold the camera horizontal as possible.:

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Thank you in advance for ANY comments/suggestions/advice....

75+78 Corvettes

I'd say the body mounts are out of whack. they may have worn out enough to cause the lean

straub18045

was that in a accident at one time? when did it start to lean? was that pic taken while a rather large person was in driver seat?

Engage

What shape are the body mounts in?
Try shimming drivers side another 3/8 and see how it sits.
No expert here... but that much shimming would indicate something out of whack somewhere.
Perhaps bad frame.

Barry

Crash80

First thing I thought as well.... #4 as well as others gone maybe.

white80driver

The car was obviously an origional California vehicle and will always lean to the left. JK

I have a similar problem except mine only is lower in the rear left and higher in the right front. I think I have found the problem and when I get some time I will verify. The sway bar appears to be bent. How that happened only a previous owner can know. Thar bar appears to be larger than 1" in diameter.

Good luck!!

Gordonm

How does the frame sit. Measure the frame from the ground to a couple of points on both sides. If the frame is square the body is F'ed up. It looks like a broken body mount or if the car was hit and had poor body work.

Clams Canino

That's what I was going to add.
All that suspension stuff you bought interacts with the frame, but yet you're measuring wheelwells?

Make sure the frame is square to the ground. If the frame is sitting correctly then the body is at fault.

-W

mikejpss

some points i should have offered at the beginning:
ALL body mounts that I can see appear to be "normal" looking and original, i.e.- the rubber looks to be 30 years old.None look to be bottomed out, the ones I can see. Can not see #2 or #3 either side.

The frame looks solid with no rust at all.

All shims look to be original, BUT there are noticable MORE shims on the pass side #1 and #4 mounts.These look to be factory shims. I can not see the shims on #2 and #3 mounts.

Distance from bottom of rocker panel to bottom of frame is 1 inch pass side, 3/8 drivers side.(There is more exposed frame on pass side).

No way of telling if it was wrecked before, the seller says NO, he was 3rd owner.The front end alignment was checked yesterday, it was dead on even after new coils were installed. I can not see any body panel damage.Grounding straps are still in place.

Frame to ground measurements are all the same on several places. Only at drivers side kick up is 1/4 inch higher than pass side.

Please keep your suggestions/comments/advice coming. and again, thank you .

Have not looked at the front sway bar with that much detail yet, will do in 10 minutes.

hugie82

That is a very large sway bar and if it's bent that would cause a lean like that, try unbolting the ends and also meassure the long bolts that hold the car up. If someone cranked up one side more than the other it will cause a lean. I would say the pass rear is up rather than the drivers side being low IMO. Good Luck

mikejpss

Pass rear IS up....
The sway bar appears to be normal. Sway bar bolts are same measurements from stud top to backing nut. There appears to be no problem with the sway bar.

SIXFOOTER

Well, from what you posted there are more shims on the pass side than the drivers side, that will definately make it lean left. Take some out and see if that helps

bluegtp

Mine used to lean like that, not as noticable but anoyone pulling up behind could tell. Previous owner said it had never been wrecked too.

I changed rear leaf and new coils up front and still nothing.....frame/bodymounts looked and measured ok. Once I started stripping the paint off I noticed my rear pass. 1/4 had been poorly repaired. So it had been wrecked, just never claimed and cheaply fixed.

I replaced with a new 1/4 panel and replaced the rear inner fender well part with a new one too. whoever "fixed it" just glued the inner fender well part back together which is a lot of your rear 1/4 panel's support underneath. I didn't realize this was the cause until i started glassing everything in and noticed how a little adjustment in the inner fender well piece had an effect on how the rear end/rear bumper leaned.

Look closely for signs of body work on either side under the fenders and rear bumper. If it's that far off, the bodyman prob didn't do a clean fix-up too.

that was my problem/fix, hope this helps you.

76yellow

Plain & simple, if all tire pressures are the same & the frame measures the same side to side & there is more frame showing on one side than the other your body mounts are toast or its shimmed all wrong. How are the door gaps. I'd say the body has been off !

lionelhutz

This itself is a 5/8" difference.

You have to disconnect the sway bars to see if there is a problem with them.

Loosen all the bushings. The rubber bushings won't rotate in their sleeves and if one is tightened while not at ride height then it acts like a spring.

You could put the front or rear on a jack in the middle of the car to see which end is causing it.

I have an Impala and it was leaning. At the front it didn't look bad but the back looked terrible. Still, I changed the left front spring and it leveled out.

Peter

mikejpss

Hey Peter, I get the sway bar thing about disconnecting both ends of it... But what do you mean about the bushings? You mean the sway bar bushings? and NOT the body mounts, right? (this car has only one sway bar- up front-none in the rear...)
as far as the spring replacement up front, I replaced BOTH coil springs- no help.
thanks for your input. mike j.

mikejpss

bluegtp- man I pray thats not my case. Been all under the car (while on jack stands,) I dont see any signs of repairs.....thanks for your input,pray for me??

...Roger...

Not saying your car has a bent frame but if it took a hard hit to the rf bending the rf spring mount down,this would cause the rf to go up,the left rear to go down and the rr to go up.
The key is the rear of the car balances in the center of the spring and can easily pushed right or left by the front suspension. ( by all means get one end of the front sway disconnected so it won't be a factor)
Here is a little discussion about the dreaded lean. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...r-wrecked.html

lionelhutz

I mean any rubber suspension bushing. The rubber is vulcanized to the inner and outer steel sleeve. Both sleeves are typically held solid, one to the frame and the other to the suspension piece. If you put a twist into the bushing the rubber will try to straighten out, creating a spring type effect.

Peter

mikejpss

Roger, very interesting read on that link- thank you.
Tomorrow I will disconnect the sway bar from both sides at the lower a arms.......
Your theory fits my leaning problem. The RF is higher then the LF,the LR is lower than the RR.
By pressing on the front sides, you can see the opposing rear lift, so the cross spring is free- by your theory. Thank you very much for your insight.
Tomorrow will be checking body mounts (numbers 2 and 3 both sides ) and disconnecting sway bar at both ends... More to come.