steering and suspension Cut Springs (Rear)

[MildSeven]

The previous owner cut the rear H&R springs... found out 2 coils where cut while reading around on 2002faq...

 

The rear has stayed the same (H&R/Bilstein) with 2 coils cut.

 

Thing is it looks uneven, the passenger side is lower than the driver's side. I prefer the height of the driver's side. Is there a way I could raise the passenger side slightly without spending much? spring pads, etc?

 

Would it be best to remove both springs, cut the taller one to the same height as shorter add a thicker spacer or something.

 

thanks dudes,

Anthony

Edited July 23, 2014 by MildSeven

['76mintgrün'02]

how do the sub frame mounts look?

my car sits half an inch lower on the driver's side, with h&rs (uncut).  I believe the difference is due to a tow truck pulling on the trailing arm (bent), as well as worn mounts.  The springs are the same, side to side, yet there is the height/camber difference.  Have you made sure nothing is bent under there?  

Edited July 23, 2014 by '76Mintgrun'02

[nbcbird]

Baring other suspension glitches, thicker spring perch pads would possibly work if you currently have one dots installed: 1 dot=10mm/ 2 dot=15mm/ 3 dot=20mm

Edited July 23, 2014 by nbcbird

[Jace]

i had this same problem, so i took out the lower spring pads and filed new locating grooves into the underside to sit over notch on the trailing arm.

because of this i was able to rotate the spring position to give it just enough lift on the low side to even it out a bit.

[Arizona02]

A full gas tank should make the right height uneven. What I did to raise the rear is cut 3/4 inch plywood ring using the rubber spacer for the pattern. Install the wood in top of tower then the rubber and spring. The ride height increased more than 3/4 inch.You could try that on the low side only.

[MildSeven]

thanks for all the answers guys.

 

how do the sub frame mounts look?

my car sits half an inch lower on the driver's side, with h&rs (uncut).  I believe the difference is due to a tow truck pulling on the trailing arm (bent), as well as worn mounts.  The springs are the same, side to side, yet there is the height/camber difference.  Have you made sure nothing is bent under there?  

 

how exactly can i inspect these?

[M3M3]

A full gas tank should make the right height uneven. What I did to raise the rear is cut 3/4 inch plywood ring using the rubber spacer for the pattern. Install the wood in top of tower then the rubber and spring. The ride height increased more than 3/4 inch.You could try that on the low side only.

Or. .. instead of plywood which rots and compresses over time, just use the spacers that were taken out of the front suspension.

[BLUNT]

thanks for all the answers guys.

 

 

how exactly can i inspect these?

A quick way is put a jack under the diff and take the weight off the wheels . Watch how much they deflect.  My 69 drove really nice but they were toast.  Id also pull the rear springs and make sure they are cut evenly before I started adding spacers. If they cut the dead coils (which Im sure they did if they cut 2 coils) youll be fine

[MildSeven]

Upon closer inspection (maybe on flatter ground) the suspension seem relatively level.

 

I also noticed I have the 2 dot spring pads, switching them out for 3 dot would give me 5mm but I would like to raise the rear about 1/2 inch. Suggestions?

 

The reason for the raise is the rear sits a little lower than i would like (minor reverse rake). I could lower the front coil-overs (but that would be too low for my liking).

 

Or. .. instead of plywood which rots and compresses over time, just use the spacers that were taken out of the front suspension.

 

i bought the car with this suspension setup... what do these spacers look like, how thick are they? maybe i could pick some up if they cheapo.

[jrhone]

how about pics of the car so we can see what u are talking about as far as "too low"...

[Andy74tii]

 

These are the spacers Marshall was referring to.  They're about 20mm thick, or just over 3/4 inch.  In the big bumper 02s, these were used to raise bumper height to meet federal standards.  Most 02s today no longer have them installed.  I have successfully used them as Marshall described, in addition to the upper pads, in the rear to raise the height. Install the spacer first against the body, then the rubber pad, then the spring.  If you want an additional 20mm in height, this could do it.  The trick might be finding them, as most folks either throw them away, or put them on the top of the strut mounts in front, since the original bolts for the strut mounts are long, and need that extra space to look right.  

 

Andy74tii

[MildSeven]

how about pics of the car so we can see what u are talking about as far as "too low"...

 

will do, waiting on my new phone, went in the pool with my iphone last week, like a jerk.

 

 

 

 

These are the spacers Marshall was referring to.  They're about 20mm thick, or just over 3/4 inch.  In the big bumper 02s, these were used to raise bumper height to meet federal standards.  Most 02s today no longer have them installed.  I have successfully used them as Marshall described, in addition to the upper pads, in the rear to raise the height. Install the spacer first against the body, then the rubber pad, then the spring.  If you want an additional 20mm in height, this could do it.  The trick might be finding them, as most folks either throw them away, or put them on the top of the strut mounts in front, since the original bolts for the strut mounts are long, and need that extra space to look right.  

 

Andy74tii

 

 

thanks for the info... I think that is a good solution, i checked quickly and found them for $30ish. I'll see if I can craft something before ordering them.

[xferboy]

will do, waiting on my new phone, went in the pool with my iphone last week, like a jerk.

 

Don't you know, that's where the used parts are supposed to go

[Chamoix]

I have one of the metal spacers and several of the pads in the parts bin (pair of 0 dots, pair of 1 dots, and a single 3 dot). Glad to send any or all to you for cost of shipping. Email me if you want any. jdaniels @ uga . edu