Adjusting Front Coilovers

frankym · #1 (**permalink**) 09-30-2001, 07:18 PM

Hi, I am trying to raise the ride height of my front suspension. I have a more or less stock mustang II front suspension with coilovers. After I installed new wheels, the difference in offsets exposed the fact that the passenger front side is over 1 inch lower than the driver side and as a result, you can smell burning rubber over slight bumps on the passenger tire when it makes contact with the fender lip.

This weekend I jacked up the car in the front passenger only, removed the wheel and tightened the collar on the spring about 1 full inch. The driver side and passenger side were previously both at the same point in terms of the number of threads exposed on the shock, only 1 or 2. So i cranked away at this for a while, getting it so I could see 10-15 threads on the passenger shock. Set it down and no difference.

I jacked it up again and this time i disconnected the heimer (?) joint where it connects to the torsion bar arm and extended the eyelet by unscrewing it so that the overall distance was @ 1/4 of an inch longer (that was as far as i could extend it while putting pressure on the torsion bar lever to get the bolt back through the eyelet. I think there is about 1/4 inch more clearance but it's just not enough. Any reccommendations??? I need a good inch of additional clearance on the one wheel.

Leroy · #2 (**permalink**) 10-01-2001, 01:02 AM

You might check the frame to ground clearance and then check the body to ground clearance. I found out years ago with my cobra the inter panel that mounts the body to frame where off. I just raised and shimed the body up on one side to get it even.
Good luck.
Lee

Bob Putnam · #3 (**permalink**) 10-01-2001, 04:57 AM

Frank,

As Lee said, check the frame height before you do anything. If the frame is uneven, don't forget that the rear has springs too! The front won't tilt from side-to-side without the rear following it, and vice-versa. Wheel scales are the best way to determine whether the suspension is not balanced, left to right.

frankym · #4 (**permalink**) 10-01-2001, 07:26 AM

Thanks guys. I will measure as you suggested. The body frame connection makes a lot of sense because the driver front wheel sticks out past the fender lip by about 1.25 inches and the right is tucked in about 1/2 inch, so the body might just need to be realigned with the frame left to right and front to back. The height from the center of the fender lip on the front sides is about 1 inch different in height, will need to check frame points as you suggested.

Silk · #5 (**permalink**) 10-01-2001, 11:38 AM

I'm assuming that if the frame-to-ground specs are correct on all 4 corners, but one side of the body sits noticeably lower than the other (in my case, left front of the body is a full 3/4" lower relative to the ground than right front) then shimming the body as Lee suggested is the cure? Is that a difficult proposition?

Bob Putnam · #6 (**permalink**) 10-01-2001, 12:13 PM

Gary,

The difficult varies with the way the body is mounted. On our cars, it's virtually impossible, but we locate the body at the factory as close as we can get it. On other cars with "floating" bodies...?

Silk · #7 (**permalink**) 10-01-2001, 12:39 PM

Thanks, Bob. Don't know if I have a "floating body" or not, but I'll check. Given my eating habits, probably not.