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Ride height after front end replacement


Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

Alright... I'm finally wrapping up the front end replacement on my '70 02 after a few weeks away from the car. I've replaced pretty much everything up front: Bilstein HD's, control arms, tie rods, track rod, ball joints, etc. I also swapped in HD's in the rear.

At the moment I've got the car up in the air, supported by jack stands in the rear and with the front wheels on ramps so I can preload the rubber control arm bushings. It seems that, even with weight in the car, the front sits very high, however. I've measured the height on both driver and passenger sides, without load, from the center of the cap to the bottom of the fender (driver side is 14.5", passenger side is 15.5"), and from the floor to the bottom of the fender (driver side is 26.25" and passenger side is 25.5").

My question is this: what should the stock ride height be, and is the discrepancy between the two sides a result of tired springs, requiring replacement?

Thanks!

Dave.

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Guest Anonymous

I hate to say this, because it's really not what you want to hear.

I've found that many of my 2002s and other cars sit high when they've been let down from the jack, and even standing on the fender/bumper doesn't make a big difference in ride height. Even more pronounced with stiff shocks/stuts.

Once you have tightened everything up with the weight of the car on the suspension, it's probably best to take it out for a few miles, drive it, turn, brake, etc. Then bring it back and check the ride height again.

Hope this helps,

vince

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Guest Anonymous

Thanks vince... good to hear my experience isn't completely out of whack! I'm not that bothered by the thought of driving around a bit and then rechecking/redoing things, I just want to be sure things are safe and good to go.

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Guest Anonymous

trunkbaby2.jpg

URL: http://www.bmw2002faq.com/store/index.html

also dont bother with measuring to the bodywork.. chances are it may have changed, often against its will... ;) a common mistake is to tighten the suspension stuff with the wheels hanging.. causing a "preload" on all the bushings. urethane bushings eliminate this problem, but have problems of their own. good luck and have fun!!!

-Rob

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Guest Anonymous

Since this is my first time doing this, I'm learning as I go. I was aware of the need to preload with the stock rubber bushings, but because I have basis of comparison, I unfortunately don't know what a "settled" suspension looks like compared to a non-settled one... I think I'll just spend tomorrow pushing the front on and off the ramps for a bit, sitting some friends in it, and bouncing on the engine before tightening it up and moving on to the brakes... :)

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