No negative camber, yet body still drops when adding weight...

[TIMSPEED]

Someone tell me if this is logical thinking...
So, on the passenger side of my truck, the front fenderlip is lower than the drivers side. Also, when my two 250lb buddies get in the passenger side, the fender drops down about another 1"-1½". But when the fender drops drastically like that, the tire's camber doesn't change. If it was the SPRING that was compressing, wouldn't the camber on the tire change aswell? Therefore my thinking is that is must be the cab/body mounts that are squishing, allowing the cab/body on that side to drop.

[BaggedC10]

I doubt the body mounts are being compressed that much.

[TIMSPEED]

Originally posted by BaggedC10
I doubt the body mounts are being compressed that much.

They have to be, cuz my friends dad was going to cut my coils for me (cuz I don't care, since I'm getting new ones.), and he told me to measure my frame, beforehand, and both sides (driver and passenger) were both 9¼" off the ground. Therefore we're thinking the cab/body mounts are shot.

[toytruck]

Could be that the frame is rusted between the bushings.

[TIMSPEED]

Originally posted by toytruck
Could be that the frame is rusted between the bushings.

That's a possibility...my friends dad asked me if it had ever been wrecked, and I said "hell no! My dad was the original owner, so, I KNOW it's never been wrecked."

[BaggedC10]

You say the fender height goes down 1-1.5"...??? My PST body mounts are roughly 1.5-2" tall. There is no way 500lbs will compress the mounts to almost nothing, IMO. Despite being original and worn out. Besides, the springs support that 500lbs, not the body mounts.

[Prerunner1982]

Tim, did you measure the frame with your friends in and out of the truck.

[Captkaos]

Originally posted by TIMSPEED
Someone tell me if this is logical thinking...
So, on the passenger side of my truck, the front fenderlip is lower than the drivers side. Also, when my two 250lb buddies get in the passenger side, the fender drops down about another 1"-1½". But when the fender drops drastically like that, the tire's camber doesn't change. If it was the SPRING that was compressing, wouldn't the camber on the tire change aswell? Therefore my thinking is that is must be the cab/body mounts that are squishing, allowing the cab/body on that side to drop.

SLA suspesions (Short/Long Arm suspensions) by design minimize camber changes for the "normal" suspension cycle. 1" is not going to cause a major camber change. The reason you get negative camber on a bagged or spring dropped truck is because you have moved the control arms UP the amount of the drop and now you are in the area where the camber changes start occuring. Typically stock suspenions are designed to have around 4-5" of compression/rebound and when you move the suspension components up in their arc you are moving out of the engineered area of the least camber changes. The same would happen if you raised the truck except you would have positive camber.

AND BTW, it is your spring that is compressing, the whole cab would have to flex if just ONE cab mount was bad.

[TIMSPEED]

Originally posted by Prerunner1982
Tim, did you measure the frame with your friends in and out of the truck.

No, because with NO ONE in the truck, the passenger side fender is close to an inch lower, but the frame is the same heighth.

[Prerunner1982]

your bushings could still be bad, but i think chris hit it. you are lucky to find a truck where the fenders are all the same height. if i remember correctly there was a post about center of wheel to fender lip distance. if i remember correctly nobody had perfect measurements... i was damn close.. one side was like 3/4" lower than all others. if all cab mounts are good, i wouldnt worry about it too much... its an old truck.

[greatdaen]

Put your frame up on jack stands to eliminate the suspension from consideration. Measure your fender heights. Then have your friends get in and remeasure.

This should give you a much more objective idea of your cab mount compression.

I am also highly doubtful that you could be seeing that kind of compression in your cab mounts.

-dch

[Low69CST]

Like Captkaos said, you shouldn't see any camber change by an inch or so of travel. Get under your truck, look at the body mounts. Your rubber mounts won't give that much. They would disinigrate (spelling???) before they would give like that. Besides, you would hear the cab banging around on the frame mouns as the front bushings are only bout an inch tall. Look at the cab and frame mounts and see if they are solid. Then look at the front a-arms and have someone push it up and down. You should see it move.