Ride height

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Yote

Yote

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Re: 72 Demon 340
Trying to set my height. Manual says it is 1 5/8", obtained by subtracting low point of ball joint to floor from low point of adjusting blade to floor. My car shows that to be 4 1/8". It would appear that with that much discrepancy I am doing something wrong. Car appearance seems to be front low. Any ideas ????
YOTE
 
That would suggest that your suspension is probably sitting on the UCA bumpstop, or very close to it. Is it?

If it isn't you're just measuring wrong.
 
Right bump stop 2 1/2" clearance , left 2". Forgot to mention all new front suspension bushings, ball joints etc.
Taped 2- 6" steel rulers together so they would slide to use for measuring tool.
Yote
 
So there's 2" between the bump stop and the upper control arm? That would suggest the car is actually lowered a bit.

Can you take a picture of how you're measuring the ride height? Would also be helpful to see the angles that the control arms are sitting at to get a better idea of where you're at. I don't actually ever worry about the factory setting as all of my cars are lowered, I just set them where I want them and do the alignment.
 
image.jpeg
Pictures in question
 
No, did that after measuring so I could access fuel sender.
Just left it there while I took photos.
Yote
 
"Manual says it is 1 5/8", obtained by subtracting low point of ball joint to floor from low point of adjusting blade to floor."

Measure lower balljoint to floor
Measure adjusting "blade" ? perhaps bolt? to floor.
Substract both measurements to get at the ride-height number the manual mentions.


All said and done, just set the ride-height the way you like it and adjust the wheel-alignment accordingly.
 
image.jpeg
Your measuring too far out on the adjuster blade. You need to measure at the low point where the pivot bushing is installed. The "blade" is the part in the center of the control arm the adjusting bolt pushes. If you measure at the inboard end you'll see its lower than the part the bolt pushes. Also the lower ball joint for the most part stays constant so once you determine how far it is add the 1 5/8 to that and that should get you real close to where the low point of the blade needs to be.
 
Last edited:
As post 13;plus
The whole point of the measuring is to get an imaginary line drawn through the centers of the LCA pivot points, to be parallel to the floor. The pivot points are; the center of the LCA inner bushing, and the center of the ball in the BJ.When this line is parallel to the floor, your front geometry will have the least amount of camber-change as the suspension cycles up and down. This translates to the toe-in remaining stable, and then the car theoretically should be free from wander due to toe-change. This window is about, or can be about, 2 inches high so there is a bit of wiggle-room in setting the ride height.The factory adjustment gives you an easy way of achieving this parallelism. It is also important that the rear ride height is the same left to right, otherwise the front will have to be preloaded on one side to compensate.So if you have weak spring back there, now is the time to take care of that.
 
Bingo! What AJ said.

And that's why pictures are worth 1,000 words. :D
 
I didn't believe that until I saw my first issue of Playguy, I couldn't stutter fast enough. Thanks guys I think I've got a handle on it now. Glad I can finally post pictures from my iPad with the new FABO site.
Yote
 
Got ride height set at 13/32" , +_ 1/32. Angle finder shows car level at door edge top, under rocker, and inner fender. Thanks again.
Yote
 
Sorry if I'm hijacking this thread but have a quick question. I'm putting the finishing touches on my suspension rebuild. I was planning on getting the alignment decent enough to drive a couple blocks to a shop where I'm going to have wheels tires and an alignment done. Will they adjust ride hight back to or close to factory after wheels and tires?
 
slipyoke said:
Sorry if I'm hijacking this thread but have a quick question. I'm putting the finishing touches on my suspension rebuild. I was planning on getting the alignment decent enough to drive a couple blocks to a shop where I'm going to have wheels tires and an alignment done. Will they adjust ride hight back to or close to factory after wheels and tires?
Click to expand...
The short answer is "only if you ask them to"
 
I just read the op's first post. Screw the manual. Jack it up, adjust it up or down to your liking, and have the alignment done. If it's riding on the bump stops, it's too low. If it looks like it has a straight axle, it's too high. Just perfect is how you like it. Here's mine. Spec? I could care less!
01.jpg
 
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