Why does my truck not sit level?!? Help please.

[shawno72]

Mike I'm taking the family to Disneyland at the end of April and still she says how much for a dm kit? So I tried to counter and say how much to eat breakfast with goofy?!
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[original-71]

have you pulled the rear apart yet ? the reason i ask i had the same problem. when i put my drop for first time i didnt notice it, but then when i put my 1/2" blocks a year later there it was a 1/4" shim or block or whatever you want to call it but it was there so i switched it to the other side and it leveled out. Just my experience with my turck not speaking for others but just so you can look out when you do yours and trust me it was stuck pretty hard to the trailing arm

[shawno72]

Originally Posted by original-71

have you pulled the rear apart yet ? the reason i ask i had the same problem. when i put my drop for first time i didnt notice it, but then when i put my 1/2" blocks a year later there it was a 1/4" shim or block or whatever you want to call it but it was there so i switched it to the other side and it leveled out. Just my experience with my turck not speaking for others but just so you can look out when you do yours and trust me it was stuck pretty hard to the trailing arm

Yeah I've torn the rear apart and the only blocks or shims are the ones I added and I did so equal on both sides. I think it's just a tweak in the frame cause it was there when I bought the truck, I just thought it was worn springs.
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[original-71]

Originally Posted by shawno72

Yeah I've torn the rear apart and the only blocks or shims are the ones I added and I did so equal on both sides. I think it's just a tweak in the frame cause it was there when I bought the truck, I just thought it was worn springs.
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what was equal? you may have to add on one side.

[swammie911]

I had the same problem, although I was a little lower in the front drivers side corner than I was on the passenger front corner, not level like yours. I installed a front sway bar, (junkyard find from a 3/4 to 1 ton 70's to 80's model, the heavier trucks had larger diameter bars). This corrected the lean, probably about a 1/2" improvement. I was about 3/4" different in the rear like you to start with.
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[shawno72]

Originally Posted by swammie911

I had the same problem, although I was a little lower in the front drivers side corner than I was on the passenger front corner, not level like yours. I installed a front sway bar, (junkyard find from a 3/4 to 1 ton 70's to 80's model, the heavier trucks had larger diameter bars). This corrected the lean, probably about a 1/2" improvement. I was about 3/4" different in the rear like you to start with.
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That's good news cause I have a sway bar sitting in the garage waiting to be installed. I was going to install it when I do the drop spindles and springs. That would be great if that did the trick. You know with my 72, which had leaf springs I never had to deal with this. Oh well I'll get it figured out.
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[RenoKeene]

Might be a dumb question but have you checked the rear height with the shocks unbolted, and maybe the track bar too....

[CC69Rat]

Originally Posted by shawno72

.. Oh well I'll get it figured out.
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I done told you boy.. BAGS! It will fix it ! BAGS I say !

[sir_talk_alot]

Originally Posted by shawno72

Mike I'm taking the family to Disneyland at the end of April and still she says how much for a dm kit? So I tried to counter and say how much to eat breakfast with goofy?!
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nice, i bet that went over great. at least your wife is cool with lowered trucks. i brought up in a conversation with my mom a few weeks back that i was going to lower my truck and the reaction i got was about the same as if i had just said im gonna run naked through a fire. "i cant believe you would do that, absolutely stupid. your just gonna waste a perfectly good truck." its hard living in a world where you have to explain that not every truck on the face of the earth has to be work truck. what was the purpose of an elcamino? to have a "muscle car" with a bed for light hauling/towing. well whats the difference in this truck lowered and an elcamino? same ride height, same amount of seats. same capabilities. you can never win. oh and i almost forgot....I use to own a '71 elcamino. but back to the getting the lowering kit, tax season is here, maybe that will give you a chance to get a kit for it. just bag it and be done. when it lays frame it will all look straight and level!

[shawno72]

So really there is not much to be done except either shim it or bag it?? I like the latter of the two but until then it still bugs me.
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[shawno72]

What I'm saying is that I added an equal amount of shims and blocks to either side. Shim for the left for the deluxe trac arm. I think I will have to add a 1/2" block in between the ds rear coil spring and the frame to help he it level.
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[original-71]

Originally Posted by shawno72

What I'm saying is that I added an equal amount of shims and blocks to either side. Shim for the left for the deluxe trac arm. I think I will have to add a 1/2" block in between the ds rear coil spring and the frame to help he it level.
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wish i could help more brother iam kinda puzzled now

[jhwkns]

It's the rotational torque of the engine that causes the frame to twist over years. Do yourself a favor and take it to a chassis shop. You'll be surprised at how much better it will drive. It was the best $250 I ever spent on my truck.

[shawno72]

Originally Posted by RenoKeene

Might be a dumb question but have you checked the rear height with the shocks unbolted, and maybe the track bar too....

Tried that too, still the same.

Originally Posted by jhwkns

It's the rotational torque of the engine that causes the frame to twist over years. Do yourself a favor and take it to a chassis shop. You'll be surprised at how much better it will drive. It was the best $250 I ever spent on my truck.

This might be the best bet, that way I know it's straight.

[CC69Rat]

I wish I could brother! I would be there in a minute.

I used to travel a lot on another job. I am an IT Security Admin, Networks, Telecom, firewalls, etc. I used to go from place to place installing new corporate networks.

One trip was to Fresno. I landed in Fresno about 3am one morning. Business clothes, got my rental car .. a light 'lialic purple' colored Buick Century. Big ole car. .. dude is was POURING rain. Yep, a South East TN boy, in a purple buick in Fresno, .. no clue where I'm going.

I get lost in an 'interesting' part of town. Cars with hydrolics everywhere. I stopped as this little market on the side of the street to ask directions. I5 I think it was (?) As I walked in (remember, alone, Cisco shirt on, dress pants, .. in a purple buick) there were a couple guys on the sidewalk with some sort of weird cigarette ? ?? Not sure what that was, .. but ..

Walked in, asked the guy behind the counter for directions. The guy behind me speaks up. Yeah ! Just go down about two lights this way, and make a right. I5 will be right there. I bought whatever he had in his hands and headed for the door.

the next day I traded my purple buick for a new Black Mustang GT rental car. I got finished early and drove up to Yosimite. It was incredible.

That's just my funny story about CA. I will never forget it.

[shawno72]

Sounds like good times While you were in Fresno you could of stopped by ECE and went shopping. I am only a little over 2 hours north of Fresno.

[edhtrd71]

gonna have to either add extra drop block on high side or put it on a frame machine and pull it. My trucks drives fine with the extra 1/2 spacer on the pass side. Never had any issues.

[shawno72]

Thanks for all the replys guys. I think I will check with a local frame shop and see what it would cost to check and straighten it. If the cost is to much I'll bag it. I'll let you all know either way.
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[edhtrd71]

sounds good. I am pretty sure if you do bag it without fixing the frame you will have to either setup one bag lower than the other or run one with less pressure (which I dont recomend).

[shawno72]

Anyone know of a local frame shop that is good and reasonable on price?
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[CC69Rat]

Shawn, in all seriousness I know what you mean about the frame. I was just messin around about bagging it. If you can't tell, I just like to keep it fun. I talked to you months ago when you told me about your Avatar picture and it seems you have always wanted to bag your truck. Really, .. just playing around man.

Bottom line, just my opinion these old trucks are 40+ years old. There is a chance at some point they were used as a truck and may have a slight twist in the frame. If I were a betting man, I'd say if you really checked 9/10 trucks would have a slight difference as compared to what we're used to in today's standards.

Take a look at Big Al's black / white truck. When he bagged it, he has slight differences in the bag pressure. (picture of his air ride controls in his build thread) If I were bagging mine I'm not sure it would be dead straight.

What I'm saying is, go get it checked out but .. it's still a truck. I wouldn't worry about it a whole lot. I will say when I dropped my old blue 68, it wasn't level in the back either. I agree with all the opinions above it's probably best to get it checked. I am not a 'make it work' kind of person, I like to do things correctly too..

Later.

[shawno72]

Don't worry man I know your just playing. That's why I live this forum so much, I can post a question and get a variety of answers. If it was all serious it would be a drag to me so I encourage the jokes and the fun. You can ask my wife and my kids I am the biggest jokester they know. And you know I wanna bag it so bad but it's right behind the engine and transmission and front disc/spindle upgrades so it's gonna be a while. I'm gonna check today on a frame shop and let you guys know what they say. Thanks for the jokes it keeps me smiling.
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[50bomb]

Real trucks dont sit level

[CC69Rat]

Oo .Oo .. Idea.

Whenever you dropped the back, did you put shock relocators on it? Maybe the drivers side has a relocator on it and the pass side doesn't have that little spacer in it to make up the difference? Maybe an extra 3/8" of an inch or so extra between the rear axle housing on one side than the other?

I can't remember which side is which but you know that kit has a little spacer in it to make up the difference side to side. Could that be it?

[CC69Rat]

Track bar relocation .. I meant Track bar ! The shock relocators go under the arms. Right thought, wrong pieces.