[Dadspackard]

Hi All,

I notice the car sits low in the front. When I am cruising down the road and on some roads where there is a cross road with a hump and if I am doing a moderate speed (well maybe a little faster) the front end would bottom out.

On Friday I had new tires installed to replace the Copper tires and took some pictures of the A-ARMS.
Do the upper A-Arms look right to you all?
To me they seem like the lowering A-arms?

Could my issued be spring related?

Even thou I worked on cars in the 80's, owned a 1970 GTO and 1976 Gran Prix at one time I don't know all the ins and outs on these suspensions.








Thanks for the help.

[Greg Reid]

I don't know about the control arms but yeah, ride height is usually spring related. If you can push the front down easily and it bounces up and down a couple of times after release, that's usually shock related.

[Dadspackard]

Thanks for the reply

The previous owner installed new shocks all around. Brand I am not sure of.
Will need to take a look at them the next time I take it out for a spin.

I like stance but concerned about the bottoming out.

[FrankieT/A]

I would change the shocks first...Maybe go with Bilstein's. I'd also go to 15" wheels at least, But thats me...

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by FrankieT/A

I would change the shocks first...

Shocks won't raise the front end.

[FrankieT/A]

Originally Posted by The Champ

Shocks won't raise the front end.

No it will NOT...but it might seriously reduce the bottoming out...

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by FrankieT/A

No it will NOT...but it might seriously reduce the bottoming out...

It might, but that's not the point.

Tom clearly stated earlier in this thread that:

I am one to keeping parts pretty much stock.

So he wants to get the front end back to the stock height and shocks won't do that. He has to replace the springs.

Tom very well may decide to replace the shocks at the same time after checking them out closer.

It makes more sense to get shocks to match the stock ride height than shocks designed to be used for a lowered car.

[Dadspackard]

Originally Posted by FrankieT/A

I would change the shocks first...Maybe go with Bilstein's. I'd also go to 15" wheels at least, But thats me...

Hi Frankie,

Thanks for the feedback. I have already purchased new 14 inch BF TAs all the way around. Spare included.

Shocks are newer as I was told by previous owner. For the brand of shocks I do not know. Will look at them the next time I take the GTO out.

I am curious are ACdelco or Moog up to par with Eaton Spring or Coil Spring Specialties?

Tom

[FrankieT/A]

Originally Posted by Dadspackard

Hi Frankie,

Thanks for the feedback. I have already purchased new 14 inch BF TAs all the way around. Spare included.

Shocks are newer as I was told by previous owner. For the brand of shocks I do not know. Will look at them the next time I take the GTO out.

I am curious are ACdelco or Moog up to par with Eaton Spring or Coil Spring Specialties?

Tom

I personally like the overall stance that you have going on, I would actually lower the rear an inch or so and leave the front alone. To me you don't have a spring issue per se. Everybody has their own suspension philosophy. I would be looking to reduce the stroke of your front suspension to greatly reduce or eliminate the bottoming out. You may ultimately need to put in a stiffer spring but i would start with the shocks first. Shocks are the brains of your suspension. Real racing shocks are like $8000.00 a set. Well I can tell you those will never find their way on my car. My philosophy is springs on the soft side and shocks on the stiff side. Of coarse tuning of springs AND shocks is the key as well as many other factors. Me, personally I don't have the patience to start swapping out springs and shocks then extensive testing to only continue swapping more shocks and springs, more testing until ultimately dialing in. So, through my own experience over 30 years plus reading theories of known suspension tuners like Herb Adams and Mark Sevitsky(spelling?) to name a few and come up with what makes sense to me.

My car does not bottom out and its pretty low. Granted our rear suspensions are different but the front is similar in design. Incidentally my wheels are 18's.
All of this is just my opinion.

[vertigto]

Originally Posted by FrankieT/A

Attachment 543195
My car does not bottom out and its pretty low. Granted our rear suspensions are different but the front is similar in design. Incidentally my wheels are 18's.
All of this is just my opinion.

Nice T/A Frankie...love the stance.

[Chris65LeMans]

To lower a car, you either buy shorter springs or take a grinder to the existing ones and cut them. It looks like someone did this in the past.

My front end is pretty low, but the suspension is way to stiff for it to bottom out at speed.

It it “bouncy” when you drive it? As mentioned below, that would suggest bad shocks.

[The Champ]

Shocks don't affect ride height unless they are "overload" shocks which aren't very common (they will have a coil spring around them) or are air shocks.

Springs are what will affect ride height 98+ % of the time. Whether someone swapped springs, cut the springs or the springs are just plain worn out to have the front end that low is the question.

The fact that the car bottomed out could be a combo platter of spring and shocks. The shock is supposed to dampen movement up and down, but maybe the springs have caused the front shocks to fail prematurely.

If someone used a torch to cut the springs, they probably ruined the springs.

If you like the stance, look for a pair of 1 or 2" drop springs to replace the fronts.

[Dadspackard]

Chris,
Car is pretty stiff when driving no bouncing up and down.

Champ,
I am not sure this history of the front springs but who knows what the previous owner or the owner before him did to them. They could be original springs and just tired and need of replacement.

Even thou I like the looks of it sitting low in front. I am one to keeping parts pretty much stock.

For now I assume I can still drive the GTO but need to be cautious at crowns/bumps and crossing the railroads.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I really appreciate it.

[ZeGermanHam]

Where are you bottoming out? Hitting the bump stops, or perhaps the headers?

[Dadspackard]

ZeGermanHam,

No headers on my car. I think it is the cross-member hitting or it could be the bump stop as you mentioned.

I was crossing some R&R tracks the other day taking my time and then had some yahoo get on my tail once I cleared the tracks I gas it maybe just little came to the hump in the road and bam. I am like dang I need to be careful I don't what to damage the oil pan or what not.

When I would back out of my nephews garage where I had it stored the front cross-member would hit the apron of the garage. There is a little dip there thou.

I need to get out to my twins and get some measurements of the crossmeber ground clearance and rocker panel front and back ground clearance.

I was reading somewhere here or it may have been on another GTO forum stock rocker panel clearance for front is 9.5 inches where the back is 9 inches.
Does that sound correct?

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by Dadspackard

I was reading somewhere here or it may have been on another GTO forum stock rocker panel clearance for front is 9.5 inches where the back is 9 inches.
Does that sound correct?

I can't remember the exact measurement but that's about right. Slightly higher in front. Measured under rocker panel. As a matter of fact, that's what mine measures right now, take a quarter inch or so on the front. I have slightly smaller diameter tires on the front.
Just wondering, do you have any front tire rubbing issues on sharp turns, especially into a dip?
By the way, nice looking '69!

[Geoff]

If the car was driven with worn out shocks [ previous owner? ] it can wear out the springs from the continuous spring oscillations, result is car sits low.
New shocks will not fix worn out springs.
Fix for worn springs to restore correct ride height is [a] new springs or [b] spring spacers. Summit sell alum spring spacers in various thicknesses that fit under the springs to raise the car. Roughly 2:1 ratio. So if you want to raise it 1.5", use 3/4"spacers.

[OCMDGTO]

Beautiful car and X10 on get new springs

[Region Warrior]

Rear looks a little to high also....

[ZeGermanHam]

Originally Posted by Region Warrior

Rear looks a little to high also....

I thought that, too, but it probably is somewhat the result of being parked diagonally on a grade with the left rear tire in a rain gutter. Definitely agree that the front looks lower than it should be.