The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network







Register or Log In To remove these advertisements.

Go Back   The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network > 47 - Current classic GM Trucks > The 1973 - 1987 Chevrolet & GMC Squarebody Pickups Message Board

Web 67-72chevytrucks.com


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-13-2009, 01:18 PM   #1
Dapper Dan
Registered User
 
Dapper Dan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Middle River, MD
Posts: 171
2" drop springs leaning?

Got my 2" springs installed, and i am pretty happy how it turned out. At least for a little while.

The only thing bugging me is the passenger side is slightly higher than the drivers side. I noticed it with the old springs and hoped it was just a worn out spring, but no luck.

Measuring from the ground it's a little more than a half inch. I know it doesn't sound like much but now that I have noticed it will drive me crazy.
Anyone else have this problem before?

Anyway here is a before and after shot
Attached Images
  
Dapper Dan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2009, 01:44 PM   #2
gchemist
BAD BOW-Silverado XST
 
gchemist's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Senior Member from Austin, TX
Posts: 6,431
Re: 2" drop springs leaning?

My truck has the same problem. Except mine has a difference of 1"!! I hope a set of 4" dropped leafs will help. However, I think the truck frame is wrapped. Too much torque on that side!!
__________________
Gerardo a.k.a. Mad Chemist
Silverado XST videos

Last edited by gchemist; 03-13-2009 at 01:44 PM.
gchemist is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2009, 02:18 PM   #3
jklonowski
Registered User
 
jklonowski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: franklin kentucky
Posts: 70
Re: 2" drop springs leaning?

mine has the same problem the drivers side is lower than the pass side. i have no clue what it can be.
jklonowski is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2009, 04:11 PM   #4
Driveway Dreams
I have car A.D.D.
 
Driveway Dreams's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Greeley, Northern Colorado
Posts: 4,147
Re: 2" drop springs leaning?

Quote:
Originally Posted by gchemist View Post
My truck has the same problem. Except mine has a difference of 1"!! I hope a set of 4" dropped leafs will help. However, I think the truck frame is wrapped. Too much torque on that side!!
I agree. My guess is that the tollerances that the trucks are built with allow there to be that kind of a difference. When you take into consideration a twist that may be in the frame, the play in mounts that hold everything together, even the tire pressures, etc., you could quickly end up with 1/2" of difference. We all just dont notice things like this when our trucks sit like monster trucks. But when we lower them down to earth things are closer to the ground which is (in theory) an almost flat and level surface when we look at small areas.
Driveway Dreams is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2009, 10:01 PM   #5
slugish
Slugish
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Earlysville, Va.
Posts: 1,024
Re: 2" drop springs leaning?

Had same problem with my 84 as many of you have had . Yes if youre like most of us it will drive you crazy . mine was 1 in sag . used a 1 in spacer under spring when my 3 in coils were installed > a ok now > good luck . Very common with these trucks .
slugish is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2009, 12:18 PM   #6
Mike C
Registered User
 
Mike C's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Posts: 7,727
Re: 2" drop springs leaning?

Check the rear. For years my Camaro had the lean, and I jacked around with the front ad-nauseum. Turns out the rears were causing the lean and NOT the fronts. Since your truck had the lean BEFORE the lowering springs, I would guess you may have same issue. Might consider swapping rears side to side and see what happens.
__________________
44 Willys MB
52 M38A1
64 Corvette Coupe
68 Camaro 'vert LT1 & TH700
69 Z/28 355 12.6's @110
69 Chevy Short Step 4 1/2"/7" drop
72 Jimmy 4WD 4spd 4" & 35's
02 GMC 2500HD 4x4 Duramax
Mike C is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2009, 09:22 PM   #7
Dapper Dan
Registered User
 
Dapper Dan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Middle River, MD
Posts: 171
Re: 2" drop springs leaning?

Thanks for the idea mike c, I think I will try that next weekend. If thats not the problem I guess I'll just live with it
Dapper Dan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2009, 11:16 PM   #8
Slammed '87
Registered User
 
Slammed '87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Calgary Canada
Posts: 556
Re: 2" drop springs leaning?

I had the same problem, and like you it drove me nuts. I set up a jack stand about 1/2" lower than truck then used a propane torch and heated the bottom coil till the truck sat on the jack stand. I cooled the spring with water then removed the jack stand. Worked perfectly. Many people would not recommed doing this but i have had no problems and the truck sits exactly level now.
__________________
If you can't rock the roads with your bumpers 1/2" off the ground, you're nowhere near low enough!
Slammed '87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2009, 08:59 AM   #9
maxreps
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: greensboro, nc
Posts: 174
Re: 2" drop springs leaning?

Have the same problem but my passenger side is lower by almost 3/4". I found this after putting coils and leaves on it, so I'm not sure what the cause is to be honest. I suspected that on mine it could be because the fuel tank and battery are on that side which can add up to a decent amount of weight if you have any amount of fuel in it. Who knows, maybe over the last 33 years it caused settling or a slight bend in things. I considered putting a spacer on the low side vs lowering the higher side.
maxreps is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2009, 06:11 PM   #10
Captkaos
www.73-87chevytrucks.com
 
Captkaos's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Birmingham, AL
Posts: 6,935
Re: 2" drop springs leaning?

No spring is going to sit the truck perfectly level, not even a new truck will sit level. Every spring settles differently, trying to make them perfectly the same will waste a lot of your time.
__________________
Chris Lucas
1973 Chevy C-10
1978 GMC Jimmy (2WD) - SOLD
1987 R10 twin turbo LS
1991 R3500 SRW CrewCab
1985 K5 diesel swapped project
1989 K5 2WD conversion w/ Vette susp Project
Captkaos Customs
73-87chevytrucks.com
Captkaos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2009, 11:31 PM   #11
slugish
Slugish
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Earlysville, Va.
Posts: 1,024
Re: 2" drop springs leaning?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dapper Dan View Post
Thanks for the idea mike c, I think I will try that next weekend. If thats not the problem I guess I'll just live with it
iVE SAID THIS BEFORE . Iguess noone is paying any attention > all you have to do is put a spacer under ever what side is sagging . sagging 3/4 in. > put a spacer 3/4 in under the coil. Or you could heat the spring while on jack stands like the other post said .
slugish is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:47 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 1997-2022 67-72chevytrucks.com