Suspension out of speck ?

Belgian1979vette

Belgian1979vette

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Koersel/Belgium
This is where I would like some opinions. The rear bolt of my right lower control arm is sitting a lot higher than the left one, which is in the right measurements (as per Marck's measurements). The right one is sitting like 15 mm high.

There is no apparent frame damage and I already went to the trouble checking the frame dimensions that came out fine.

I know quality was not what it should be on these frames, but nonetheless I would like to do something about it. However i'm not seeing what i could do.

1194cf15c8f38a6a.jpg

1194cf15c8fa3f06.jpg
 
The lower control arm shaft in that lower picture looks majorly bent to me. That's a lot of the difference right there.
 
No, the shaft was checked before mounted. It was not bent, that much i now for sure. If you look closely, you will see the mount itself is higher.
 
Mine was like that too,
I just checked on the old frame and it was the same too.

Dont know if this will help, I took a pic of the frame, I welded as it was.

thum_1804cf181b99dbf3.jpg

The right side looks also higher.
 
My car is fully driveable...I just slid under and measured off my really fairly flat concrete garage floor......10 3/4" in the rear on BOTH sides....

10 1/4 right front.....

10 3/8 left front......that 1/8" diff is probably the concrete.....


the car sets dead level for stock frame specs, as well as the off the cuff fender heights....

:drink:
 
I'm no expert, but in that 1st picture, where the mount is welded to the crossmember, looks a lot higher than the other side.

Especially when looking at 1Michels' picture.
 
I think it's the way the crossmember is formed that make the mounts look missaligned.

The sides seems thicker on one side than the other.

I've seen this before and the 2 frames I have here are the same, if the measurments are ok and the frame hasnt been hit, I wouldnt worry about it too much.
 
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1Michel said:
I think it's the way the crossmember is formed that make the mounts look missaligned.

The sides seems thicker on one side than the other.

I've seen this before and the 2 frames I have here are the same, if the measurments are ok and the frame hasnt been hit, I wouldnt worry about it too much.
Click to expand...

Makes me wonder how all that crap settles down when slammed with ~800 lbs of engine and tranny and whatnot.....

something gotta bend a bit.....:gurney:
 
If you look at the cross member in the first pic, you will notice that the dip in the member for the harmonic balancer clearance is further to the right, this is because the motor is moved further to the right. This is probably why the lower arm looks like its mounted higher. Take a close look at the pic and you will see it.
 
Must say i only see that my mount is higher.

Its kind of strange since you also have the piece that goes under the frame to the front (that houses the shaft of the A-arm) and there is no abnormality nor from the underside, nor at the side this mount is...

I was thinking on pressing it down a bit, but i would probably rip of the support as a whole doing it. That leave me only to put washers under the A-arm in that location to bring it down a bit. I'm a bit weary doing that also.
 
Just started mounting the Moog's I bought to replace the BJ on the VBP arms.

What a difference.

1194cfbd1c3a6389.jpg

1194cfbd1c49c733.jpg

I looked at that lower right suspension mount again, but nowhere I can see anything wrong with it all original welds as far as I can see, except it sits to high. Would the washers under the shaft work ?
 
There is usually a clearance recess on the lower VBP cross-shaft anyway, so I think a spacer (within reason) would work.
 
I would cut it off and position it correctly. The fact that it appears factory says nothing, I remember the story of Greg Page and his C2 over on CF. Guy was building a drag car from a C2 that had 1 side of the front susp. mounted inches away from where it was supposed to go, apparently a jigging error @ the factory.
 
Belgian1979vette said:
Just started mounting the Moog's I bought to replace the BJ on the VBP arms.

What a difference.
Click to expand...

When I got my kit from VB&P, they gave me those crap ball joints as well. Gary (GTR1999) posted pictures comparing the Chinese ones to Danas and the Moog BJ's. I emailed VB&P and with a little persuasion, got them to send me a set of Dana BJ's. They have been on my car for over 6k miles with no problems, and no signs of wear yet.
 
Twin_Turbo said:
I would cut it off and position it correctly. The fact that it appears factory says nothing, I remember the story of Greg Page and his C2 over on CF. Guy was building a drag car from a C2 that had 1 side of the front susp. mounted inches away from where it was supposed to go, apparently a jigging error @ the factory.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree with the jigging error. However I don't think it's as easy as taking it out and rewelding it. It would have to drop about 15 mm only in the rear. The front has to stay where it is. This would mean that in the rear the lower bracket would not touch the crossmember anymore and probably the top bracket would not touch the lower.

Would seem that the crossmember itself needs to twist.

hm :hissyfit:
 
Can anyone tell me what the function is of the bracket that goes under the crossmember. Is this for support or just to add a flat surface or does it reinforce the shaft ?

Thanks
 
It's a support, and a flimsy one at best. Not an uncommon failure to rip those clean from the frame, there are pics of it out there. The majority of the forces on the shaft try to pull it away from the frame (nutcracker principle) and inboard (side loading/cornering)

I was looking at your upper most pic. Is the front frame extension level in that pic? If so, the whole right side is tweaked up, both cross shafts are higher than on the left side. It also seems to be the same way in respect to the center link.

Are you 100% sure your chassis is not tweaked because it sure looks like it is. Just like on my buddies 62, it was tweaked up and backwards much like that. He never noticed it.
 
Twin_Turbo said:
It's a support, and a flimsy one at best. Not an uncommon failure to rip those clean from the frame, there are pics of it out there. The majority of the forces on the shaft try to pull it away from the frame (nutcracker principle) and inboard (side loading/cornering)

I was looking at your upper most pic. Is the front frame extension level in that pic? If so, the whole right side is tweaked up, both cross shafts are higher than on the left side. It also seems to be the same way in respect to the center link.

Are you 100% sure your chassis is not tweaked because it sure looks like it is. Just like on my buddies 62, it was tweaked up and backwards much like that. He never noticed it.
Click to expand...

No, i have just got it on tires on the garagefloor. I would think it is difficult to actually pinpoint this based on the picture.

I had the frame up level once and measure the hole just after the tower (the one of which the dimension is printed in the shop manual) and the height was ok, it was difficult to measure the height of the tower itself since there were no dimensions available.

Actually what I then did, was lay a carpenter's level across the top of the tower and the upper A-arm points and that came out pretty good (lets say within a reanable margin.

The thing is that the front bolt of the lower A-arm is in the exact location, as was as the bolts of the 2 upper ones.

I went under there in the weekend and the sides of that flimsy piece of bracket are not completly straight on either side. BUT there is a small piece of iron welded in right next to the shaft on the faulty side right besides the bolt that goes through the arm...:crap: No idea what that thing is doing in there. I went into my storage room to take a look at one of the old shafts i replaced and that one is bent, however that was the left one...It drives me nuts this one.

I'm really thinking of pushing or pulling it down a bit, but it's rather tricky fixing the intire crossmember so that only that side of the bracket will move and not tear it completly off.
 
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