[goldeneyee]

I'm getting to the end of my patience with my 61 Ventura Bubbletop. Car was level before I started my restoration. Changed to Moog standard height coil springs--front and rear, Monroe Sensatrac shocks. Replaced ball joints, tie rod ends, idler arm, body mounts, new wheels and tires--all the same size. Now passenger side of car is approximately 1" heigher in front and 1 1/4 " in rear. The body is bolted down on the mounts all around and this does not appear to be an issue. I replaced the front passenger side coil spring and no change. Yesterday took car to shop for new exhaust and was on a frame lift. After the exhaust installation, passenger side rear is now 1 1/2" higher. The frame does not appear to have suffered any collision damage and was not rusty or otherwise damaged. Any ideas out there? Thanks.... Bill

[mitchgto]

I had the same issue with my 67 gto. Did a body off restoration, new front end parts, springs and shocks all around and ended up 1 1/4 inches higher on the passenger front and around 1" shorter drivers rear. I tried everything, different springs, double checked frame, front end. I ended up getting a spacer for the drivers rear and brought it up a bit which brought down the passenger front so it sits level now. Still dont know why the hell that happened though

[goldeneyee]

I had car aligned this morning with no change in height. At least this eliminates one of the variables. Shop suggested that I grind a flat spot on the top and bottom of the affected springs and would probably drop by 3/4". The replacement Moog springs are round at top and bottom whereas the original Pontiac springs had a flat spot top and bottom. Its frustrating....

[GTOGreg]

I've corrected ride height issues on 2 '67 GTOs now. There is a correct way to orient the springs, per the resto/assy manual. The centerline through the spring on the pigtails on the back (at bottom) need to aim to the rear and they have a certain degree tolerance to maintain the ride height specs (you could theoretically twist these on one side or the other to offset any variance if you confirm the ride height is unaffected by positioning to spec). Imagine the centerline cutting through the spring in alignment with the outermost edge of the pigtail end. This centerline is what must be parallel with the frame and pointing to the rear.

On the fronts the tops of the pigtail must be visible in the peep hole in the frame (between the upper a-arm). Try to get these as close as possible to each other. They might try to walk when compressed but usually do not.

Not saying this will work every time, as there are a lot of variables at work , including those stated already, but you definitely want to start here. You can't just put springs in and expect them to be level. Check your manuals for correct positioning! There must be a correct procedure for your Ventura (lucky guy you BTW, very cool car).

[goldeneyee]

GTOGREG: Thanks for the info--Within the next week I'm going to take another shot at the rear.... Bill P.S. I am lucky and yes, the car is just georgeous......

[TheMonkey]

Bill-

check for any binding in your control arms? perhaps loosen all the bushing bolts on a flat surface, jounce the car a few times and re-tighten. particularly considering that the setting level is changing (after traveling to exhaust shop).

Scott.

[goldeneyee]

Scott: Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to loosen the suspension upper and lower both front and back on the passenger side and give it a good bounce once this rain stops around here. .. Bill

[David Jones]

Was the car sitting on the ground when you tightened the control arm bolts?

[TheMonkey]

Bill-

did you figure out what is causing this?

[goldeneyee]

Scott: Well, yes and no but mostly yes. The driver's side rear is overtightened upper and lower contol arms for the most part but is somewhat affected by the driver's front situation. The drivers front spring is 1/2" shorter in installed height than the passenger front. Both are installed correctly and are new Moog. Apparently, from what I've read, this would translate to about 1 1/4"-1 1/2" in overall ride height. That's exactly how much lower the drivers side is. I called Moog and they blamed everyone else but mostly me; I was assured that their springs are sold in pairs, tested for equal tension and are of the highest quality. Now, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. In the interim, the ride height is uneven but the rear is much better.... Bill

[TheMonkey]

sheesh. 1.5" is a lot !

changing front springs is about my LEAST favorite job. but... i think what i would do, is loosen the front control arm bolts, top and bottom, jounce it, and make sure nothing up front is binding. (worth a double check before pulling them). then, maybe pull them out, switch side to side and make sure they are indexed exactly same on way in. if the problem is the same, something wrong with the setup? if your passenger side becomes the low one..... well, call moog again, the springs must have a different rate.

i'm wondering... where does Napa get their springs? i put a pair of theirs in my '61 convertible and they were perfect. the HD rears from Ames were perfect too.

[GT182]

Sounds like Moog screwed up and is trying to pass the buck. I'd stand up to them and send them back. If they give you any grief, just say you'll post your problem with them and the springs in the internet and then they can see what it does for their buisness.

They'll play ball real fast and you get the correct ones that are matched, as they should have been in the first place.

[indetrucks]

Hate to bring up a new thread.... but this is happening to me

67 GTO and passenger side sits 1 to 1.5" higher than the drivers side front and rear.
I checked the obvious and even replaced the rear shocks.
I then swapped the rear springs with each other to see if the ride height issue would at least change sides. Nope.. still higher on the passengers side.

FYI, I have the rear springs where the pigtail ends run parallel with the axle.

I am going to take a look at the front now that I have pretty much exhausted my efforts on the rear. (and the rear is MUCH easier to deal with).

If I press down on the pass front fender, it evens out the car. If I press down on the pass rear fender, or lift up on the drivers rear fender, it evens it out.

Reading this thread bummed me out. There has to be a real fix... I don't want to Mickey Mouse my GTO
Maybe I have a sagging drivers side spring?

Anyone out there figure this out?

[android 211]

I'm putting a '69 GTO back together. I was wondering why my left front corner was at least an inch too high so I crawled under the car and looked up the shock hole. The shock hadn't been installed yet. The spring is supposed to be seated around a socket in the frame and it wasn't. It was across it. Once I got it installed correctly it evened the whole car out. And BTW, the flat end of the spring goes up and the pig tail end has a depression in the lower control arm to be seated inside.

[69Y97GP]

I recently had springs made for my '69 GP. One front was labeled "drivers side" and was about 3/16" taller than the other. I called the manufacturer to confirm that the longer spring belonged on the drivers side because my car has A/C and its all on the pass side of the car. They said the specs show the LH side of vehicle to be 35 lbs heavier than the RH side, hence the need for the extra height. So, for a car without A/C, if the steering column, steering box, pedals, brake booster, clutch linkage, lines etc are all on the LH side, thats at least 100 lbs the drivers side springs need to compensate for right? So, why are some aftermarket springs equal height?

[indetrucks]

Originally Posted by 69Y97GP

I recently had springs made for my '69 GP. One front was labeled "drivers side" and was about 3/16" taller than the other. I called the manufacturer to confirm that the longer spring belonged on the drivers side because my car has A/C and its all on the pass side of the car. They said the specs show the LH side of vehicle to be 35 lbs heavier than the RH side, hence the need for the extra height. So, for a car without A/C, if the steering column, steering box, pedals, brake booster, clutch linkage, lines etc are all on the LH side, thats at least 100 lbs the drivers side springs need to compensate for right? So, why are some aftermarket springs equal height?

Good question, I wonder if that's the same for the 67 GTO?

More info on my situation:

I think/hope I figured it out.
Removed both front springs and here is a side by side look.



The spring on the right (higher pass. side spring) is clearly taller than the left. Not by much, but enough to case an uneven ride height for sure.
Also worth noting is the right front spring had the look of never being removed. Top 3 or 4 coils had that rusty (untouched) look. The left front spring was all pretty much an even dark tone from top to bottom.
I wouldn't be surprised if the left front was replaced at some time and is not the correct one. Either way... they were both not seated correctly AND the right front spring is taller.

Ordered a pair of BMR 2" lowering springs for the front and rear. $272 shipped from Summit. (cheaper than BMR's website which was $319 shipped).

The Hotchkis springs were damn near $450 a set before shipping. BMR front springs are rated at 420 lbs to the Hotchkis 400lbs.
Tried searching the forums for BMR reviews but didn't fine anything. Only downside is the BMR springs are red. Meh... doesn't bother me. Can't see it unless you are crawling under the car.

[Keith Seymore]

Keep in mind that, because of where the front spring is placed in the control arm, the effect is doubled by the time you get to the wheel lip.

In other words, cutting the front springs 1" results in a 2" drop. The opposite would also be true (additional length would double by the time you get farther outboard).

K

[indetrucks]

Makes sense... that right spring could be about .50 taller resulting in 1" higher on the right.

I cleaned out the lower control arms which had a lot of crud built up in there. Also ordered a disc brake kit while I had it all apart. Removing the drums up front was an absolute JOKE, which I am not about to do ever again. $500 for power disc brakes seems like a small investment for safety and ease of maintenance.

[HWYSTR455]

Sooo many times I hear people having issues with MOOG springs, and Eaton Detroit Springs, which are supposedly made from 'factory blueprints'. Whatever. They're junk.

That pic shows that the end of the spring wasn't finished properly. Period. If they got that wrong, makes you wonder how far off they are on the rate.

I've never used BMR springs, but I know in the past that Hotchkis rates are way off. They base their' rates on chevy weights. In my experiences, Global West has always nailed it first time, both height/stance and rate.

When you have it apart this time around, look up into the frame and see if there's a pocket for the spring end. I've only ever seen ones where the pocket is in the lower control arm, but I've only done 68-74 cars (A and F body).

.

[indetrucks]

There is definitely a pocket in the lower control arm (both sides).
I did look up to see if there is a pocket in the frame, and there didn't seem to be one. At least not as obvious as the lowers... I'll look again.

I have been seeing the term "MOOG" a lot, what is that in reference too?
thnx

*edit*
Nevermind, "Googled" Moog Springs