Suess Posted September 30, 2012 Report Posted September 30, 2012 Well. I got everything installed and noticed that the drivers side is sitting exactly 1'' lower. I did put new coils on the front but original springs on the rear. Is this normal for 47 plymouths? I am not sure what the right way is to fix this. Anyone have ideas? Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 30, 2012 Report Posted September 30, 2012 Well. I got everything installed and noticed that the drivers side is sitting exactly 1'' lower. I did put new coils on the front but original springs on the rear. Is this normal for 47 plymouths? I am not sure what the right way is to fix this. Anyone have ideas? take some measurements..odds are you will find the rear spring a bit weak..re-arching these or replacing is one way to go or you can get a air shock kit with independent fill valves and level it that way..the position of the shackle on that side is reference to the other is a tell tell sign Quote
RobertKB Posted September 30, 2012 Report Posted September 30, 2012 Are you measuring the height from the bumpers or the body of the car. Bumpers can have a tendency to have possibly bent support brackets and there is a bit of adjustment on the brackets also. Just a small adjustment can make a big difference. If you are taking your measurements from the body, Tim's advice is good. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 30, 2012 Report Posted September 30, 2012 its not smake oil but air shocks or even a set of Helwig overloads will balance the rear..GIVEN the rear is the problem..be sure it is nt the opposite front corner being low making it appear lopside.. start with the chassis on level pavement..all tires same or at least the same per axle and properly/equally inflated..at the rear shackles, it is also important that the bushings here be in excellent repair to make these measurement true..new ones are a MOOG item availabe at any Advance parts store..to rule out damaged shock, disconnect on end and let dangle..if these conditions are met then you can proceed..find a gauge hole in the frame just behind the lower A-arms..measure these left and right for same distance to the pavement..go to the rear axle..tires and air inflation again the same..measure your distance from the lower spring plate to the pavement..should be equal..if not..determine the"WHY NOT" before going to next step..if same continue... now measure to the top of the spring just forward of the spring plate..note the difference..possibily 1/3 of your total difference here....now check from the pavement to the upper shock mount stud center each side..this will show you the real body sag you have..and the lower side will have a bit of more rearward position of the shackle.. if these condtions are found true to the above, weak spring..smake oil is the helper spring or air shocks with independent fill valves..real fix is addressing the springs themselves.. Quote
Suess Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Posted September 30, 2012 Thanks for the info. I have been measuring from the pavement to the arch on the fender well. I did double check to make sure the garage is flat. It's not pool table flat but it is flat. I place a level on the front and rear metal peice behind the bumper it is a little over a quarter bubble. Crawled underneath and looked at the rear springs the drivers side is flatter than the passenger side. The air shock is a idea but I always thought they rode stiff. That is just a assumption I have never owned a set so I may be talking out of my butt. I want this to be my new patrol car so I plan on driving it everyday. I don't want to see a pot hole and do the ooooo this is going to hurt face. Quote
greg g Posted September 30, 2012 Report Posted September 30, 2012 Is your spare tire in place???? Put your tool box on the passenger side....Actually some Plymouth models had drivers side springs that were marginally longer on the front, and had 1 more leaf in the rear to address the fact that many cars like business coupes were single passenger most of the time. Were your new coils the same height on the bench???? Quote
james49ply Posted October 2, 2012 Report Posted October 2, 2012 I read somewhere that they intentionally had the drivers side lower than the passenger side due to the high crown on the roads of the time. mine was low on the right side, I installed a twist in sring spacer to level it out, and now it sits flat. Quote
fstfish66 Posted October 2, 2012 Report Posted October 2, 2012 you are correct AIR shocks ride hard, they were made to level out cars towing trailers and then to be lowered when not in tow,, if your springs are in good shape i would have them re arched at a spring shop,,, posies street rod shop in hummelstown PA has rear springs designed to fit these cars,,that are re-engineered to ride better and also lower the rear of the car if that intrests you,,,about 2 inches,,around 400 shipped Quote
greg g Posted October 3, 2012 Report Posted October 3, 2012 Maybe just drive it and see if ti levels out after some miles. Quote
Suess Posted October 7, 2012 Author Report Posted October 7, 2012 Got her balanced out. I had moved the front perches down so that she would be lower. Looked cool rode like crap and was uneven. Put everything back to normal and Bamn she is taller but is maybe a 1/4 out. And drives like a dream even though i don't have front shocks on yet. So to Mr. Adams I must say I agree with you on lower in moderation. The front is slightly raked but I have no worries about speed bumps now. Cool or practical always searching for that perfect combination. And I feel as though I hit her on the head. Again thanks to all for the comments. Quote
JIPJOBXX Posted October 7, 2012 Report Posted October 7, 2012 You I just thought a real jury rig Idea would to be bigger tires on one side Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted October 7, 2012 Report Posted October 7, 2012 I still think you related to............ Red Green Quote
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