Topic: passenger side of car sits higher than driver's side

[blydon40]

Is it normal for the passenger side of a 79 T/A to sit higher than the driver's side?
I have installed all new bushings, new leaf springs, etc.  Car has never been wrecked.
Any ideas?

[HOMER]

prob just needs to settle out

[ponchonutty]

Not sure if these need to be but on some cars you have to be carefull when putting the endlinks on.  Try and find a good, bumpy road where it really stretches out the suspension.  Sometimes like stated above they can settle a little but usually its uniform, not just one side.

[Greenbird76]

when you tightened up the leaf springs to torque specs, did you have the car on the ground for both sides?  Same with the control arms in the front if you replaced those bushings too?   Did you install new body bushings with the new suspension bushings?  Just trying to hrow some ideas out there.   

[blydon40]

I have driven the car about 80 miles total with at least 15% over very bumpy roads.  Both leaf springs were tightened with same amount of body weight on them.  Yes, I have installed new body bushings too.  What is the most strange is, the ENTIRE passenger side is about 5/8 of an inch higher (front and back).  My body shop man told me he has seen this before.  His customer replaced everything after he noticed the car he bought was like mine but to no avail.  With all the suspension parts he bought, the car still had the same stance being higher on the passenger side.  I will check the end links though.  Thanks for the replies.

[BAMA TA]

I have friven the car about 80 miles total with at least 15% over very bumpy roads.  Both leaf springs were tightened with same amount of body weight on them.  Yes, I have installed new body bushings too.  What is the most strange is, the ENTIRE passenger side is about 5/8 of an inch higher (front and back).  My body shop man told me he has seen this before.  His customer replaced everything after he noticed the car he bought was like mine but to no avail.  With all the suspension parts he bought, the car still had the same stance being higher on the passenger side.  I will check the end links though.  Thanks for the replies.

Need an answer to the same question. Just go through with a restoration (fenders pulled, doors pulled, hood pulled, front and rear bumpers pulled) Core support left in tact. Changed out shocks, no leaf or coil springs were touched. Driver's side 3/4" lower than passenger side. Car has been sitting in a restoration shop for close to 3 years.  Not sure if drivers front coil has gone bad or one of the front shock has some fade. I don't think it could be in the reassembly. With not having pulled thecore support, the front and rear of the fenders should be fine. Fenderwells were just put in the other day and finished installing the front spoiler and stone guards tonght.

[joe d]

honestly sounds like the control arms in front have been tightened with weight off them, i would set car on the ground and loosen th control arm shaft nuts, then bounce the car a few times and retighten, have seen many techs do this and had the same issue
to answer other post with same issue, i doubt a coil spring sagged from sitting in body shop and a shock will not affect the ride height, get a hold of a moog ride height spec book and measure the ride height at the correct points, you can not measure ride height from ground to a body part, you must measure to a frame point in the front and since a unibody then probably a fender well in the rear or it may be the bumper support, tis info will be in the ride height spec book

[blydon40]

Strange coincidence...my driver's side is also about 3/4" lower than passenger side.  I will re-check my shackles on my leaf springs and also loosen the control arm shaft nuts as described above.  Thanks guys for all your help.
Bill

[Corellian Corvette]

Not 100% sure, but aren't the rear leaf springs different side-to-side.

[Greenbird76]

They are the same.  At least I know my eaton springs were.

[ponchonutty]

Yeah I believe you can swap them side to side.  There's no difference although I have heard if you go to replace them you should do them in pairs.  I broke one side in my 76 4s TA I had but only replaced that one side from a '79 donor with no issues at all in ride or height.

[Corellian Corvette]

I think some difference is typical. Keep in mind that between driver, battery, alternator, power steering gear... there are several hundred pounds of bias on the driver’s side. Not at all unusual for the car over the years to be 1/2in + lower to the driver’s side.

Also remember that it only takes one part of the suspension on one side to raise or lower the entire side. Point being - JUST a problem in the front or rear spring will raise the car on BOTH ends.

A simple solution could be to swap springs side-to-side. Put the slightly more worn springs (front and back) on the other side.

To see exactly what is going on you need to get the car on a lift, a 4-post lift. Loosen all the suspension points (UCA shaft, LCA bolts, Rear leaf spring shackles, and front leaf spring eyelets)  Not like loose so things are falling off, but you want everything to move freely.

As well remove the front sway bar end links and the rear sway bar.

Unbolt the bottom of the front shocks (so they come out the bottom). For the rear, it would be ideal to remove them as well.

Make sure all 4 tires have the correct PSI.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it's really not.

Make sure you have a full tank of gas, spare tire if you use it, etc.

NOW you have the car completely suspended only by the springs. Bounce and roll the car a few times to let the suspension settle. No difference in sway bar, shocks, etc. are in effect. Measure not just at the wheel wells, but also at the bottoms of the LCA, the rear spring perch, the subframe. See if you can determine exactly where the measurements are off.

If the car is still leaning with only the springs holding up the car, and you can confirm that the subframe isn't tweaked causing the problem or some other obvious variation between sides.. you have a couple solutions (in order from best to worst)

First you can put one or two of those twist-in spring spacers and see if that helps. Not really ideal, but it’s a fix.
Second try swapping springs like above.
Third would be a set of adjustable coil-overs. QA1 makes several varieties for our car. This will fix it but it’s expensive.

[robztransam]

I know this is an OLD thread but I have the same issue with my Trans Am and wondered if you had any success in solving the problem?