scof0elife

It obsolutely fixed it, as for ride being harsher I didn't notice much to tell you the truth. I will take pictures to show you guys if you like.

SpeedDemon02SS

hell, im gonna give it a try. for 3 bux a pop, why not. the ride is pretty harsh, and i am eventually going to get poly isolators and that should help, but for now, i dont want it to look funny. but if you could post some pics, that would be cool.

scof0elife

$3 bucks isn't much at all to give it a shot you know. I ordered mine and its on the way as we speak. If you would like to wait untill I get it, I will take pictures for you.

SpeedDemon02SS

sorry, im too impatient...i already ordered mine too. i figure that if it sux, and the ride sux, ill rip em out and throw them at the dog .

scof0elife

Hahaha, I'm sure you'll like how it fixes the height. Goodluck!

SpeedDemon02SS

have you used them before?

shoebox

I would not use those things on a beater, I don't care how many people say they have used them. Think of what it is doing to the spring when it compresses. It is trying to bend the spring around that spacer. That is unnatural for the spring. Yeah, it might fix your height issue, but I wouldn't do it.

scof0elife

I used them and they were fine. I used 2 of them on each side of the spring. I made sure it didn't look like it was bending in between the spacers. Worked fine on my 2001 Camaro 3.7L, had no problems using them. I had the car for 3 years and used the spacer for about 2 years untill I sold the car.

blackrat

I used those spacers too for a bit. I noticed a lot more oversteer, so I took them out.

The correct way to do it is as already noted. Fab up a piece of metal or aluminum that you can put inbetween the spring and the mount. This will keep the spring rate the same and adjust your height.

SpeedDemon02SS

still going to do that. and as crazy as it sounds, the car sits in the garage from november until march, but it pisses me off that the side is low. i just want to not see it sag, and once i get the spacer made, ill do that.

also, what are the stock isolator pads made of? just rubber, or is there metal inside?

one more thing, someone please correct me if I am wrong; the seat is on the bottom of the spring, and the isulator pad is on the top?

Kevin97ss

SpeedDemon, I would suggest you check for control arm pre-load. What can happen is if the upper or lower control arms were ever loosened at the bushing and retightened with the weight off the suspension it will bind the bushing at ride height. Too much pre-load and can effect ride height. The way to correct this is to loosen the upper and lower control arm bushing bolts, place the full weight on the suspension and re-tighten the bolts. Just be cautious not to change the alighnment when resetting the lower control arm bushing.


Kevin

SpeedDemon02SS

kevin, good idea. i have never messed with the contorll arm, so i am a bit out of water here. any advice? should i losen the bolts/nuts with the weight on or off? then, should i adjust it or let it sit where it is naturally? i need an alighment anyway, so i am not worried about that. this very well could be the problem because all the components are new, and when the springs are unloaded, they are the same lenght, and both sides measure equally, its just when the car is 'loaded' that it sits funny. any further help will be apprecieated, i want to try to fix this this weekend.

Kevin97ss

http://shbox.com/1/front_suspension.jpg

Credit to shoebox for the pics

In this view you can see the suspension in an exploded scene. The upper control arm bushing bolts #56 go through bushing #9. Only one is shown in the picture but on the other side of the "u" shaped control arm is another bolt/bushing(just below the number 4) The lower arm only has one bushing that can be pre-loaded #28.

The bolts can be loosened with the car jacked up for easy access, it will also allow the bushings to "reset". The hard part is tightening the bolts with full weight on the suspension, but there is a couple ways to do it. Jackstands under the control arms or drive up on suitable ramps. It may be possible to do it while on the ground at least to get the bolts snug enough to lock the bushing center sleeve into position then raise the front end to properly torque the bolts.

The alighnment shop may do this for you but the fee may not be worth it if it does not correct your problem. If you decide to try it your self take your time and be safe.


Kevin

SpeedDemon02SS

do you think this could cause a 1/2" difference?

can i lift the car with jack stands, then use a jack under the lower controll arm to raise it to a 'loaded' level? that way i can tighten everything withough the wheel on? also, can i manually adjust it to give me a little more height?

i would much rather fix the problem than put a 5$ spacer in the car. nothing worse than ruining a 25,000 dollar car with a 5 dollar part.

Kevin97ss

Do you think this could cause a 1/2" difference?

-Not really likely, but not out of the relm of possibility

can i lift the car with jack stands, then use a jack under the lower controll arm to raise it to a 'loaded' level? that way i can tighten everything withough the wheel on? also, can i manually adjust it to give me a little more height?

-Doing it that way would be one side at a time, the idea is to get both sides equall. You could put the jackstands under each control arm and lower the car down on them with the wheels off. I would not attempt to do any height "adjustment" this way. The procedure is only to set bushing pre-load to zero at ride height.

*BTW this only applies if the factory rubber bushings are being used, if you have changed control arms or are using any type of poly bushing they do not pre-load like a rubber bushing does.


Kevin