body height differrence problem & more

[dhanks]

I have been working on my redbird for a long time now and I have never noticed until today that one side of the body is 0ne inch lower than the other. The driver side is lower. One inch does not sound like much but on a lever surface it looks bad. I can not really see any problem one the under side. Has anyone had this problem and if so how doi you fix it? Could I shimm the leaf springs to fix the back end?

The more part is I am still looking for a windshield (used). If anyone has one sor sale, let me know.

Dave

[Anders]

My left side is 1 cm ( approx. 1/2 inch ) lower.

[simplyconnected]

Heyyyyyyy... that happens on my car, too. Then I get Robin to sit in the passenger's seat, and it all evens out.

But seriously, the front-end setup guys go nuts. Most roads are crowned, which makes the RH side lower. Nobody drives in the center of the road (where it's even on both sides). Roads need rain run-off. We tend to measure height on a flat surface but that doesn't follow driving conditions.

[Guest]

Dave
My son had this same problem on his 63 Lincoln and found that one of the rear springs collasped down a little. You might check that.
Mike

[Guest]

Ride hieght ...

If the suspension is original they are probably do for replacement. If you have leaf springs out back you can have them re-arched and new bushings installed. Also might have had a large-ish driver for many years. I wouldn't shim it to correct. Everything wears out, just look at us. Mike

[Astrowing]

On the '58's, the rear track bar bushings, or lack thereof, cause the car to list to one side. Still working on this problem on my car. It is at least an inch lower on the drivers side, and that is without me in it!

[Dakota Boy]

Hellwig makes "helper" springs for leafs. They are sold as a pair, but I only needed one to raise up the right rear. I already had new springs; not sure what the deal was; but it's fixed now....


Send me a PM and I'll cut you a deal on my other helper. Still in the box... I'll never use it.


Front coils can be "helped" a bit with these hard nylon blocks that slip in between a coil or two. Here's the Napa part number. They were not much fun to install while the springs were still on the car.

[simplyconnected]

...Everything wears out, just look at us. Mike

Hey, heyyyy.... I resemble that remark.

You guys are right, though. I did replace the rear springs on Robin's '59 Galaxie. Boy, what a difference. The rear end used to scrape the tail pipe going out the driveway apron. Not any more!

I got the springs for $137, from McVeigh's Truck Spring. I can't say enough good things about these new springs. I also got a pair of front F-150 (4-wd) shocks, which are larger in diameter but fit with plenty of room. With the new springs, the Galaxie never rode better. What a difference. The original springs were stiff, saggy, and the ends were broken off. Now they ride 'crisp' instead of 'hard'. When I was changing them, I noticed witness marks where the driveshaft yoke had hit the floor tunnel from railroad tracks. Now, I got proper height. - Dave

[Anders]

I checked this up very carefully last winter, when I have my rear suspension off for overhauling and all that. I even got another set of springs but all 4 was spot on the same. I have not checked the front suspension, so maybe there is something there. I also checked my car in the garage, and that floor is dead flat.

[ncbird]

windshield

Windshield 150 dollars craigslist queens. Saw another one last week for 300. If you have an android phone there is a craigslist app that can watch all the craigslists. Gotta love technonlogy!

[tbird430]

There are also front coil spring spacers ('58 rear coils I guess too).

They are blocks of differents heights that you can use a tire tool to "twist" them into place (between the coils).

They are cheep enough & sold in sets or kits of 3 different heights last time I saw them...?

[StealthSRT10]

There are also front coil spring spacers ('58 rear coils I guess too).

They are blocks of differents heights that you can use a tire tool to "twist" them into place (between the coils).

They are cheep enough & sold in sets or kits of 3 different heights last time I saw them...?

thats exactly what i used on my bird. Just twisted one in on the front drivers side and sits level now.

[Eric S]

Recently a friend told me the story of his MG TC that was not level. It ended up being a rear spring leaf broken under the middle where you can't see it.