Raising the front end

[74swingerlover]

Hi folks,

My drivers side sit a lot lower than the passenger side. Can I turn the bolts that sit in the lower control arm and pivot on the torsion bar?

My plan is to max lift both sides and then lower to make sure both sides are equal.

Turning which way lowers or lifts?

 

[Treblig]

Be careful, the torsion bar adjustments also control (to some extent) the front end alignment. If you raise or lower the front end it changes the amount of weight on the front end affecting your caster/camber/toe. After I installed the larger torsion bars in my '69 Barracuda and set the rear body height (new leaf springs) I took it to the alignment shop. I asked the alignment guy to set the front as high as possible and he said he could only go as high as he could and still keep the alignment properly set. So there is a direct relationship.
Same thing happens when you raise or lower the rear body. Raising the rear shifts more weight to the front forcing the front end down (changing wheel alignment). Lowering the rear does the opposite but also changes the wheel alignment (less weight on front end).

Treblig

 

[72bluNblu]

First, you'll want to make sure that something isn't broken. Has the car always sat low on that side? Or is this a "new" issue? If its a new problem, you could have a bigger suspension issue. Before you do anything, you should take a look at the the LCA bushings to see what kind of condition they're in, and look at the LCA pivot in the K frame. Its not uncommon for the LCA pivot mount to break loose in the K frame, and that can cause the car to sit lower on that side. Realistically, you should look at all the bushings and suspension parts to make sure something isn't bent or broken.

If nothing looks bent or broken, you can adjust the low side to be even with the other side. No need to max both sides out and bring them down. Do not adjust the torsion bar adjusters with the front wheels on the ground, you can strip the adjusting bolts. You'll want to jack the car up, put it on jackstands, and then make your adjustments. Once you put the car on the ground you'll need to roll it to get the suspension to settle back in. Just bouncing up and down on the bumper doesn't work. Typically I make an adjustment and then drive around the block, then re-check the height. Tightening the adjuster bolts raises the car, loosening them lowers the car.

And, changing the ride height does change the alignment. So if the car is properly aligned as it sits now, it will need a new alignment when you're done. If it was aligned sitting level (and it probably was), leveling the front end should restore the alignment settings. But if the car was aligned when it sat level, then it probably also means that you have some kind of problem to cause it to no longer be that way.

If the car sits a lot lower on one side, unless the adjusting bolts are completely uneven I would suspect a problem. Could just be a worn out bushing, but something could be broken. And I have no idea why you guys would want to max out your ride height. With the adjusters maxed out these things look like 4WD's, and handle about as well too.

 

[ir3333]

..yes,raising the front makes it difficult to get adequate caster
..raising the rear increases the centre of gravity,both reduce safety and handling

 

[nm9stheham]

Since it is reported as a 'lot lower', check the rear torsion bar anchor at the rear end of the torsion bar to make sure it has not cracked the crossmember and is twisting out.