Changed suspension...why does it sit so high?

fastsc92

Registered User
Back again guys with more problems.... Ok, I went ahead and bought a set of 4 shocks seeing that my stockers were blown out after 104k and having some lowering springs installed on them for about 2k. The rear shocks went in smooth. The fronts were a little different story. Last year i changed the springs myself and also changed out the upper control arm on the pass side(i tore the balljoint boot), and i also changed the rear strut rod bushings on both sides(poly bushings) and the lower balljoints, and tie rods on both sides. The car rode good then after a while i was getting some bad rattling. I figured out the shocks were blown and i just replaced them this weekend. I figured i should upgrade as much as i could this time as well. I went ahead and swapped out the shocks, changed the swaybar bushings (poly), front strut rod bushings(poly), and tie rod boots(poly). I installed everything fairly smoothly. Here is the problem.

When i set the car back on the ground....it sits very high in the front. The rear height is the same, but the fronts raised about an inch. I drove around for a while, and most of the rattling is gone. You can still hear some creeking because the poly bushings are breaking it, and i figured the car just needed to settle down. I came back home and its all still the same. I then decided to loosen everything, set the car on the ground, then tighten everything back up...still the same. Here is my questions:

1.) When i swapped out the shocks...i installed the nut that holds the shock assembly together all the way down. Was i not suposed to install it that far down? Before anyone asks....the assembly is together in the correct way...with the springs seated all the way down. I was thinking that the distance that nut is tightened down might effect ride height. There are lowering springs installed and its almost like i went back to stock height, which i dont like at all.

2.) I still am getting some rattling that i cant put my finger on. All the bushings that i didn't replace ( control arm, shock mounts, drivers upper control arm ) are all tight. It doesn't make any noises over large or visible bumps, but on things you cant see while driving. Its hard to describe, but sounds like a metal to metal popping. The only thing i could think of is the bolts that hold the engine craddle in could be loose. The motor mounts are new solid mounts.

Any help would be great guys...i'm more concerned about the ride height..which is just plain pi$$ing me off.
 
I don't see where you changed the sway bar end links. The will rattle like that if there is any play in the sockets.

Ride height problem sounds like bushings that have been compressed in with the suspension relaxed. Loosening off may have not been enough to get them to move.
 
Dave you're right..i didn't change the links. However i dont see any play in those either. As for the bushings...i didn't have this problem before i changed the shocks. It sat nice and low. The car has an even fender gap all around, but looks goofy in the front. The measurement from the ground to the fender lip is 27 3/4" all around. Before the shock swap the front was about 1" lower than the back due to the backs having a tire that was 1" taller. It should be lower seeing that it has lower springs, and they are broken in as well.

I loosened everything up that gets bolted down....loose enough that i could move everything by hand easily. Then with the weight on the suspension, i tightened it down. Nothing seems to be binding. Maybe the car will settle down once the car sits and drives for a while. I've checked the front end about 4 times in the last day, trying this and that with no luck. I'm starting to think it had something to due with the nut on top of the strut being tightened down too far. Hmmm.... Keep the sudgestions coming guys.
 
ok...something just came to me. This may be a longshot, but here it goes. When installing the springs last year i knew i had to get short swaybar links for the rear...that way the car would sit level and the bar wouldn't be fighting the suspension. However because the fronts are a different design, i never thought i could change them, so i left them as is. Maybe those stock front links are holding the car up. Its weird cause the front sat great last year. But then again, the shocks were long past blown out, so the car might have been sagging, but then again...springs hold the car not the shocks. Maybe i need to cut the front links 1.5" shorter. Hmm...what do you think? Does that make sense?
 
its simple enough to test--just unbolt 1 end link in front and see if it helps

you dont want to cut your endlink that much--I think its like a 1\4" for each inch lowered--I would call addco or some one and ask them though

what Im planning to do is put some 1\4" plates under the FSB frame bushings
to raise them slightly
g/l
 
but does my theory make sense? I just find it strange that without cutting the links before, the car sat great. Now it looks like a reg v6 tbird. I guess i'll try to mess around with the links. I figure i'll kill two birds with one stone: If i disconnect them and it changes the height and stops rattling...then i'll know the problem.
 
When I put my front end back together with an MN12 Poly front kit, I put the front end on jackstands (under lower control arms) lossened the lower CA bolts and lower shock bolts, put 350 lbs on the rad support and shock towers, then bolted everything up. Don't over tighten the lower CA bolts.

Also, you did grease or antiseize the lower CA bushings right? I had to spread the frame a bit to get the poly lower bushings to slide smoothly in mine. If you have old bushings that you left in and moved the arm all the way to one end of travel, it could be binding. The lower arm needs to move freely as does the lower shock mount.

Good luck,
Steve
 
i didnt grease the lower control arm bushings because they are the stock rubber bushings. When i un-bolted everything i had the suspension limp, and when i put it back together the first time i did the same thing, bolted it up limp. Since then i've done it a bunch of ways with the same results. It seems like it might be bushing wind up, but i dont see how... since i've tried different things and the car handles well. I'm leaning towards the swaybar links but thats a long shot. We'll have to find out. If not i'll just order some poly bushings, and maybe Rich from MN12 can sell me just the CA bushings..because thats all i need....
 
fastsc92 said:
When i un-bolted everything i had the suspension limp, and when i put it back together the first time i did the same thing, bolted it up limp. Since then i've done it a bunch of ways with the same results. It seems like it might be bushing wind up, ....
I think you're onto something. Usually, before you torque any frame bolts down, you're supposed to use a separate jack to raise the control arm/spindle assembly to its normal ride height. They suggest you raise the arm until the car just starts to lift off the jack stand and then torque things down.
 
t-bird fan...i tryed that as well. What i did was rest the whole weight of the car on the control arms, and then bolted things tight. Still with the same results. This is why i'm leaning away from bushing wind up as a problem. Maybe what i should do is leave the shock and CA bolts all the way loose, let the car down and see what that does. If it sits the same then i can eliminate bushing wind-up problems. What about the nut on the top of the shock assembly? Could i have tightened it too much(too far down?).

Its either that or the swaybar links.
 
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