Curious front end issue. Ideas wanted

[like_A_pike]

Orange car has stock lower control arms and front sway bar. the rear links look like they were replaced at some point but bushing look ok. the upper control arms and struts are adjustable RMS and bushing look ok. All joints are newish (10 not 56 years old) but the dust boots on the upper ball joints never fit right. Shocks are at least 15 year old KYB nothing specials and the springs are original 318 bars. Car was a base model 318 car from the factory.

When I bought the car in '11 it was resting on the bump stops and had a bent strut. When I replace them I tried to adjust them to the original strut length. Then I raised the front off the stops by a couple inches and had it aligned. Ever since the car stays a few inches higher than usual after jacking it up for work, until I drive it around a little and it gradually falls back down to position I set it at after a few minutes. It is really hard to "jounce" by hand. On curvy roads it handles really great. Problem is, I would kinda like to loosen it up for weight transfer when tuning at the track. What do you think is making the front end stiff like this?

thanks in advance.

 

[sccachallenger]

Can't believe it would be this, after all this time.
But I'd loosen the lower control arm pin nuts, the upper arm eccentrics a little, and lower shock bolts.
Then set the tires on some blocks or ramps and retorque everything at ride height!
I might also loosen the sway bar links and make sure the sway bar isn't pre-loaded.
If you didn't do this work yourself you have no idea if all the parts were torqued at ride height.
The rear suspension should also get the same treatment.

 

[remytherat]

I think the LCA bushings having been torqued with the suspension hanging down is a good diagnosis: they will be heavily preloaded at ride height. Could also be due to a strut rod being too short/long, causing the LCA to bind.

 

[like_A_pike]

So that I am clear; Should I raise the car and loosen everything while it's hanging and then lower the car on blocks and re torque? Including the torsion bars at the LCA, Yes?

 

[AJ/FormS]

It doesn't matter when you loose the LCAs.
It only matters that you not tighten them until the car is at ride height.
If you loose the UCAs, you will likely lose your alignment, so I would not do that.
Some aftermarket BJs are extremely tight, and will sorta "stick" which will cause wandering

 

[sccachallenger]

Yes, first after loosening everything and sitting on blocks, measure and. adjust ride height.
I'd disconnect sway bar on one side to verify it isn't pre-loaded which can affect height.
I always loosen the lower control arm nuts before adjusting ride height.

 

[like_A_pike]

Ok so I’m sure that I didn’t loosen them when I cranked the height up. Thanks for the guidance!

 

[72bluNblu]

How many miles have you driven since you did the work and raised the suspension? Are you running stock strut rods?

 

[RustyRatRod]

Orange car has stock lower control arms and front sway bar. the rear links look like they were replaced at some point but bushing look ok. the upper control arms and struts are adjustable RMS and bushing look ok. All joints are newish (10 not 56 years old) but the dust boots on the upper ball joints never fit right. Shocks are at least 15 year old KYB nothing specials and the springs are original 318 bars. Car was a base model 318 car from the factory.

When I bought the car in '11 it was resting on the bump stops and had a bent strut. When I replace them I tried to adjust them to the original strut length. Then I raised the front off the stops by a couple inches and had it aligned. Ever since the car stays a few inches higher than usual after jacking it up for work, until I drive it around a little and it gradually falls back down to position I set it at after a few minutes. It is really hard to "jounce" by hand. On curvy roads it handles really great. Problem is, I would kinda like to loosen it up for weight transfer when tuning at the track. What do you think is making the front end stiff like this?

thanks in advance.

All what you describe is normal. You cannot jounce the car with the tires sitting on the ground. They must be on something that allows motion like an alignment turnplate. So that's why the car doesn't settle until moved. You might try loosening the control arm fasteners and retightening while the weight is on the tires.

 

[Wvbuzzmaster]

All what you describe is normal. You cannot jounce the car with the tires sitting on the ground. They must be on something that allows motion like an alignment turnplate. So that's why the car doesn't settle until moved.

This is the correct answer. I’ve done the front alignment on my Duster and reset the torsion bar height after settling a few times now and what I found is 1/4 turn on torsion bar adjustment, drive around block, remeasure, repeat until you like the number. I tried that using the “jounce” method and added like an inch of height by accident. You have no issue, just overthinking how this suspension design works. It is not leafs, it is not coils, it does not work the same.

Some alignment shops are “scared” of torsion bars because they think they align differently. The torsion bars are only a height adjustment and affect alignment only if adjusted after the fact. After the ride height is set, alignment process is typical unless you ever take the weight off the car, then it’s a tighten hardware, lap around the block, back to measuring. More steps but not really… a Mopar can be aligned in a driveway with hand tools and tape measures, I have done it. And arguably easier, because “jounce” doesn’t work as well as driving to settle the car. Others may disagree but the end result is the same, just different ways to get there.

 

[like_A_pike]

How many miles have you driven since you did the work and raised the suspension? Are you running stock strut rods?

Jeez, maybe 10-15k. I did the height thing back in 2016! The bent strut was yanked and a pair of adjustable RMS went in at that time. If there is a spec on that adjustment, I wish I knew what it was!

 

[Inertia]

Toe outta whack will cause wheels to bind, raise/lower car, makes car difficult to roll.
Just throwing it out there .

 

[RustyRatRod]

Jeez, maybe 10-15k. I did the height thing back in 2016! The bent strut was yanked and a pair of adjustable RMS went in at that time. If there is a spec on that adjustment, I wish I knew what it was!

There is a spec. while going back together with the torsion bars out, shocks off and the strut rods connected to the LCA, you adjust the strut rods until you get smooth and fluid motion through the arc of suspension travel then lock it down. If that makes sense.