Try swapping the springs side-for-side - outside of the labor, it's free -
and see what happens.
When I did a swap side-to-side on a scalloping tire issue it told me for
sure I needed new tie rod ends...
How does the car handle? Usually a weak spring will make it feel funny,
almost like a loose wheel - it will snap around a little especially changing
lanes on the highway, usually in just one direction.
I would X-out the frame and compare to a shop manual - usually there is a
chassis diagram with measurements - and be sure everything is straight.
Make sure the rearend is straight also. I'm guessing it's safe to assume it
has all the same size tires on it.
Bill K.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Stragand" <dave.stragand@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:44 PM
Subject: [FWDLK] NOT Forwardlook, but help requested: Strange Sag?
Hi All,
I am nearing completion on my 1968 Cadillac Deville convertible, and
need a bit of help with a rather strange issue. It has a very bad "lean
& sag" which I am not able to figure out.
The car leaned to the left when I purchased it, so it was not a
surprise. As it had been sitting on two flat left tires for 15 years, I
chalked it up to needing new shocks & tires all around. I replaced all
of the shocks, and found one of those rubber 'spacer' things in the left
rear coil (but not the right), leading me to believe the car also had
some leaning problems when it was last driven.
As the car still leaned, I measured the ride heights on each corner.
The left rear sits 3" lower than the right at the bumper. The left
front sits just under 1" lower than the right at the bumper. Figuring
it was a bad left rear coil, I replaced both with a brand new set of TRW
progressive coils. The car still sits exactly the same! Still tilting
to the left, by the same amounts.
I crawled back underneath to see if I could spot anything unusual. I am
fairly certain that the car has never been involved in an accident, and
is almost completely rust free. Nothing appears bent or broken.
I measured the compressed height of the springs. The fronts are exactly
the same compressed height. The left rear coil compressed height is 1"
lower than the right rear. The spring seats at the top of the coil are
the same distance to the body on both sides, and neither appears to be
warped or bent.
The body mounts all look fine, the tires are inflated correctly, etc. I
also replaced the lower spring insulators when changing the springs, and
reused the top ones (which looked just fine). I was careful to align
the springs with the notches in the perches. It almost seems like it
just has 300 extra pounds on the left side for no particular reason, but
that isn't the case.
Could this be a sign of a bent frame? Or can anyone think of something
else for me to check that I have missed? Should I just put the spacer
back in and let the mystery stay a mystery?
Any help would be greatly appreciated - please just email me off-list if
you can think of anything. Thanks!
-Dave
PS - I am a big right-wing conservative, so anything "leaning to the
left" bothers the heck out of me! =)))
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