Ride height

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Will_H#24

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It is my understanding that on my 69 Dart 340 4 speed that the front ride height can be adjusted by turning a bolt on the front suspension. Where is this bolt located and how many turns does it take to raise the front one inch at a time? Thanks.
 
On the bottom of the lower control arm, head pointing down. No saying how much it will change ride height. This depends on many factors. Also the changes are not immediate, the suspension has to settle after each adjustment (drive down a bumpy road or something). Oh and it can radically effect your camber numbers.
 
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And jack up the car and let the wheels and suspension hang to make the adjustments. Use jack stands and block the rear wheels for safety. Always!
 
The bolt is in between the two halves of the lower control arm, head facing down toward the road. I've never measured by turns, just turned it to where I was happy with the ride height. Here's a "lying on your back" view of an E-body, with the bolt in the red circle:

100_5624-1.jpg


There are limitations; you can turn it far enough in either direction that you won't be able to correctly align the car (backed off fully, you're on the snubbers and the torsion bars do nothing). In other words, slamming it into the weeds or raising it to the Fuel Altered/Gasser look might not work out so well.
 
Will_H#24 said:
It is my understanding that on my 69 Dart 340 4 speed that the front ride height can be adjusted by turning a bolt on the front suspension. Where is this bolt located and how many turns does it take to raise the front one inch at a time? Thanks.
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Consider spraying a lubricant on the threads
 
Proper procedure for setting the ride height is in the factory service manual, shown below

img_1893-jpeg.1716247844


If you change the ride height with the torsion bar adjusters, you will need to get the car aligned. Camber, caster and toe will all change when you change the ride height.
 
NoCar340 said:
The bolt is in between the two halves of the lower control arm, head facing down toward the road. I've never measured by turns, just turned it to where I was happy with the ride height. Here's a "lying on your back" view of an E-body, with the bolt in the red circle:

View attachment 1716297102

There are limitations; you can turn it far enough in either direction that you won't be able to correctly align the car (backed off fully, you're on the snubbers and the torsion bars do nothing). In other words, slamming it into the weeds or raising it to the Fuel Altered/Gasser look might not work out so well.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the reply. I don't want it slammed that's for sure! I would just like to raise the front a couple of inches.
 
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Will_H#24 said:
Thank you for the reply. I don't want it shamed that's for sure! I would just like to raise the front a couple of inches.
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What’s the ride height now? Raising the suspension in particular is pretty bad for the suspension geometry. So unless it’s currently slammed on the ground, raising it a couple of inches will have a really negative effect on the geometry and handling
 
72bluNblu said:
What’s the ride height now? Raising the suspension in particular is pretty bad for the suspension geometry. So unless it’s currently slammed on the ground, raising it a couple of inches will have a really negative effect on the geometry and handling
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I plan on using air shocks to bring the rear up just a little.

20240731_110923.jpg
 
That is a nice looking car.

remytherat said:
On the bottom of the lower control arm, head pointing down. No saying how much it will change ride height. This depends on many factors. Oh and it can radically effect your camber numbers.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. These cars have a camber and caster curve that changes a lot in a short amount of travel. See the chart here:

Align 2.jpg

That is with a 1973-76 A body disc brake knuckle but it isn't radically different from other knuckles used. The list shows "Dive" as compressing the suspension so negative dive is "rise", Note that caster goes negative just 3/4" above static ride height. Negative caster is horrible for steering feel and control. At 2 1/4" above stock height, you're at 3.3 degrees of negative caster. Going the other way, sitting 2 1/4" lower than stock ADDS caster by a huge amount. You're at almost 5 degrees of positive caster there. Caster is what makes the steering return to center after a turn and greatly adds stability.

Will_H#24 said:
Thank you for the reply. I don't want it shamed that's for sure! I would just like to raise the front a couple of inches.
Click to expand...

Uhhh, read what I wrote and look at the chart real close.

4spdragtop said:
Your best friend is a factory manual.
Either buy a paper copy, or go to Mymopar.com and download one.
Click to expand...

01 face 01.JPG


No. If everyone just deferred to reading the manual, there would be no need for these forums.
Ride height adjustment is easy. NO need to consult a manual for tasks as simple as this.
 
Will_H#24 said:
I plan on using air shocks to bring the rear up just a little.

View attachment 1716297826
Click to expand...

Air shocks are a disaster. The shock mounts are not designed to carry the weight of the car, that’s what the springs are for. If you use the shocks to raise the ride height, you’re putting weight on the shock mounts they were never intended to carry. You will damage the shock mounts over time.

Never mind that they ride like crap.

Kern Dog said:
No. If everyone just deferred to reading the manual, there would be no need for these forums.
Ride height adjustment is easy. NO need to consult a manual for tasks as simple as this.
Click to expand...

100% wrong. This is exactly the sort of thing that the factory manual is for, and these forums would benefit a lot from people knowing the information and procedures outlined in the FSM.

And it would not eliminate the need for these forums. The FSM is very beneficial for basic adjustments and stock cars, but since many of us do not drive perfectly stock cars the forum is a great place to bring up more advanced questions and deal with the differences from the FSM that need to happen when modifications are made.

On this very topic the FSM is very helpful with setting the ride height, the procedure that should be used etc. But if you run radial tires and your ride height isn’t set to factory settings, the alignment specs in the FSM are totally wrong. But the knowing FSM’s procedures is very helpful as a base to start from before you make changes.
 
72bluNblu said:
100% wrong. This is exactly the sort of thing that the factory manual is for, and these forums would benefit a lot from people knowing the information and procedures outlined in the FSM.

And it would not eliminate the need for these forums. The FSM is very beneficial for basic adjustments and stock cars, but since many of us do not drive perfectly stock cars the forum is a great place to bring up more advanced questions and deal with the differences from the FSM that need to happen when modifications are made.

On this very topic the FSM is very helpful with setting the ride height, the procedure that should be used etc. But if you run radial tires and your ride height isn’t set to factory settings, the alignment specs in the FSM are totally wrong. But the knowing FSM’s procedures is very helpful as a base to start from before you make changes.
Click to expand...
No, I'm not 100% wrong, not even 1%. You could have simply written that you didn't agree.
I've never consulted a service manual for torsion bar adjustment. Anyone with a curious nature can figure it out. The factory method is one that very few enthusiasts use. Looking at your cars, it sure seems like you didn't set them to factory specs and they seem to drive fine, right?
 
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:thumbsup: Thanks, FSM's will NOT make forums obsolete lol.
I simply mentioned to the OP that he should have an FSM. And if he didn't he probably should, and point him as to where.
72bluNblu said:
Air shocks are a disaster. The shock mounts are not designed to carry the weight of the car, that’s what the springs are for. If you use the shocks to raise the ride height, you’re putting weight on the shock mounts they were never intended to carry. You will damage the shock mounts over time.

Never mind that they ride like crap.



100% wrong. This is exactly the sort of thing that the factory manual is for, and these forums would benefit a lot from people knowing the information and procedures outlined in the FSM.

And it would not eliminate the need for these forums. The FSM is very beneficial for basic adjustments and stock cars, but since many of us do not drive perfectly stock cars the forum is a great place to bring up more advanced questions and deal with the differences from the FSM that need to happen when modifications are made.

On this very topic the FSM is very helpful with setting the ride height, the procedure that should be used etc. But if you run radial tires and your ride height isn’t set to factory settings, the alignment specs in the FSM are totally wrong. But the knowing FSM’s procedures is very helpful as a base to start from before you make changes.
Click to expand...
 
Kern Dog said:
No, I'm not 100% wrong, not even 1%. You could have simply written that you didn't agree.
I've never consulted a service manual for torsion bar adjustment. Anyone with a curious nature can figure it out. The factory method is one that very few enthusiasts use. Looking at your cars, it sure seems like you didn't set them to factory specs and they seem to drive fine, right?
Click to expand...

Fine, that's fair. I 100% DISAGREE with you, if that makes you feel better. Not using the FSM is really dumb, in my opinion. And this entire thread could have been skipped if the OP had just downloaded an FSM and read the ride height procedure. Sure, there's some good advice that's also been posted in this thread, but none of it has covered new ground. It's all here multiple times before.

Yes, any numb nut can turn a bolt, and that will raise and lower the ride height on these cars. And it's exactly that kind of thing that leads to some of the terrible advice that's given on this forum everyday, along with the large volume of good advice. There's a lot of boneheaded mistakes by "enthusiasts" that are chronicled on this very site that could have been avoided with a quick read of the FSM for a given job. How many threads on here start with a mistake the OP has to then correct using the factory procedure? It's lots.

No, my cars are not adjusted to the stock ride height specification. But I do use the factory procedure , for the most part. Why? Because it gives a nice, thorough method to reliably adjust the ride height, even if you don't use the factory spec. It's nice to know the factory spec though, because it gives you a reference. Any significant changes from the factory spec start to involve more modifications- altering torsion bar diameters, bump stop heights, alignment settings, etc. If you understand the reference, you can anticipate the additional changes you'll have to make, instead of just winging it and throwing parts at it as you realize things aren't working properly. If you're smart enough to figure out they're not working properly.

It very much helps to know what the factory did, so you can understand WHY they did it that way, so when you start making changes you understand what you're doing. Or sure, you can just turn bolts and throw parts at stuff and maybe eventually you'll figure out why some stuff works terribly and other stuff doesn't.


4spdragtop said:
:thumbsup: Thanks, FSM's will NOT make forums obsolete lol.
I simply mentioned to the OP that he should have an FSM. And if he didn't he probably should, and point him as to where.
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Exactly. There's all kinds of reasons that using the FSM won't make forums obsolete.

There's all kinds of specifications and even procedures in the FSM that I would NEVER use on my car now, with the aftermarket parts that are on it. But knowing why the factory did things the way that they did is very helpful, even if you don't use the factory parts or settings.
 
DO NOT USE AND IMPACT ! You could strip the threads on the adjusters or the control arm and the car will drop on you .
Lubricate the threads and use a 3/4” socket and ratchet . Go 1/2 turn at a time . You will need to have your car realigned.
 
mbaird said:
DO NOT USE AND IMPACT ! You could strip the threads on the adjusters or the control arm and the car will drop on you .
Lubricate the threads and use a 3/4” socket and ratchet . Go 1/2 turn at a time . You will need to have your car realigned.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply.
 
Kern Dog said:
That is a nice looking car.



Absolutely. These cars have a camber and caster curve that changes a lot in a short amount of travel. See the chart here:

View attachment 1716297827
That is with a 1973-76 A body disc brake knuckle but it isn't radically different from other knuckles used. The list shows "Dive" as compressing the suspension so negative dive is "rise", Note that caster goes negative just 3/4" above static ride height. Negative caster is horrible for steering feel and control. At 2 1/4" above stock height, you're at 3.3 degrees of negative caster. Going the other way, sitting 2 1/4" lower than stock ADDS caster by a huge amount. You're at almost 5 degrees of positive caster there. Caster is what makes the steering return to center after a turn and greatly adds stability.



Uhhh, read what I wrote and look at the chart real close.



View attachment 1716297828

No. If everyone just deferred to reading the manual, there would be no need for these forums.
Ride height adjustment is easy. NO need to consult a manual for tasks as simple as this.
Click to expand...
Thanks Kern, that's a very helpful chart. I do agree with checking the manual though. I have it on disc but I do like to come hear for answers though because they contain a wealth of experience.
 
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