Alterkation Ride Height Question - Help Needed

[HB69DART]

I have a minor issue with the Alterkation install on my Dart......

My car is still in the shop, so I can't take any pics to show you....

About 3 months ago, when I installed my Alterkation, I noticed that the passenger side front of the car was noticeably lower than driver side. Prior to the install, the car sat flat. Talked to Bill R. about it and he said I could crank up the spring tension to adjust ride height. So I did and it seemed to raise the car a bit, but by no means level...

I sort of left the issue alone, because my car was soon to go into the chassis shop (where it's been for the last 5 weeks) and I knew I'd be taking everything apart again anyway for powdercoating. I looked at it again today over at the shop because the car is finally back on the ground and it just seems to really stand out. I'd guess the front bumper sits a good 1" to 1 1/2" lower on the pass side.

It doesn't seem right that I should have to crank spring tension all the way up on one side to get an even ride height. I also suspect that even if I cranked it up to the max, it still would not even out the ride height.

Can Anyone offer any insight into why my car is sitting lop-sided?  Thanks in advance for your help.

[BBLM23]

What is the rear suspension?

[HB69DART]

When I installled the Alterkation (before my car went into the shop) I had an 8 3/4 w/ multileaf springs. Nothing fancy. Now the car has a Strange 60 w/Caltracs bars and split monoleaf.   

[BBLM23]

Any preload on the Caltracs?

[HB69DART]

Not sure. But in all honesty I don't think it's an issue with the Caltracs. The car had a fairly stock rear suspension before the AltK install and sat flat. After the AltK install (w/the same stock rear suspension) it sat lopsided. Now I have the Caltracs installed and it still sits lopsided. I don't think the issue is being caused by the rear suspension.

Is there something I'm missing here?

[mopar stu]

you mentioned the bumper is sitting lower on one side,did you check the frame height too?maybe something is bent and you did'nt notice before because the torsion bar was cranked up on one side.

[Joe-Dokes]

Since you have the car in a chassis shop they should be able to tell you if all the frame is square or not.  They should be able to put the car on a frame machine and tell you if it is square.  My thinking is that something is amiss.  The question is was the unitized body tweaked prior to the installation of the alterkation (this tweak could have been covered up by torsion bar adjustment) or did you improperly install the alterkation?  A good frame shop should be able to tell you. 

In my opinion no car is perfectly square, thus adjustments need to be made.  If you can get equal weight or close to an equal amount of weight on both driver and passenger side, if you can get the car aligned the way you want it, and you can get the ride height set to equal proportions you'll be okay. 

If I were you I'd work with the shop to get the alignment and ride height ironed out prior to finish details (whether it is just through suspension adjustment or straightening, or moving items) otherwise you might be driving a good looking car that doesn't handle correctly.  Keep in mind that virtually all suspension adjutments  affect one another, so finding a shop that will take the time and effort to check and recheck is essential to a proper setup.

regards

joe

[Bill_Reilly]

One possibility is that the spring is bad. That's happened twice this year, out of about 500 springs, so it's rare, but possible....

The passenger side shouldn't be that much heavier without a driver - maybe 50lbs or something. Sounds most likely that the spring is bad. I'd say overall, both springs will end up within an inch of each other on the adjuster. If there's more than an inch difference, something's wrong...

[duster-dan]

If its not much trouble switch front springs from side to side or shocks. I have the kit for my duster, have'nt installed it yet.

good luck, let us know what you find
ty Dan

[HB69DART]

One possibility is that the spring is bad. That's happened twice this year, out of about 500 springs, so it's rare, but possible....

The passenger side shouldn't be that much heavier without a driver - maybe 50lbs or something. Sounds most likely that the spring is bad. I'd say overall, both springs will end up within an inch of each other on the adjuster. If there's more than an inch difference, something's wrong...

I'm thinking this is probably the case. Because my car no longer has inner fenderwells, just standing over the motor you can see that one spring is droopy - compressed much more than the other one. I don't think this all from the preload adjustment. I don't have it cranked that far up. I'll bet the spring is bad. Duster-Dan's suggestion sure is an easy way to find out. As soon as I get the car back in my garage, I'll simply switch springs to confirm.

And Bill, if this is the case, I should be able to return the bad spring for a good one?  Or preferrably, return both existing springs (zero miles) for 2 new ones. I'd just assume use 2 springs from the same "batch" .

Thanks,
 Steve

[kowski71400]

not so fast. my car did the same thing when i installed my alterkation. the one side was alot higher then the other (i can't remember which). even on the ground, with the one side maxed out, it was still way off. the first time i started it, put it in gear, and backed up five feet, the one side dropped like a rock. i still can't explain it, it just happened. my CO's are set very high (in adjustment) on both sides. start at the top and adjust down from there. even after i jumped all over the front of my car to get it to settle, it took actual movement to get the one side to drop. you may be experiencing the same thing.

[Bill_Reilly]

That's also possible.  If the spring is in fact bad, I'd prefer to send a new pair. Not so uch for the same batch, but I'm using a higher quality brand now, so switching the pair would be best.

[BBLM23]

That's also possible.  If the spring is in fact bad, I'd prefer to send a new pair. Not so uch for the same batch, but I'm using a higher quality brand now, so switching the pair would be best.

That Bill, always doing things for the best...

[HB69DART]

Spoke with Bill........

He told me to go take a hike and that I could kiss his 


Just kidding

As always, Bill's customer service is second to none!!!

[EFIDart]

THE problem is actually with the caltracs I will bet! I had mine set with preload and I was checking my front ride height with my torsion bars and they were off. I checked my Caltracs and removed all preload and Viola! the front was sitting even again. The preload does move either side of the front end up when there is preload. They do wonders with making the front end lift.

Check that 1st before bothering Bill about the springs... anyways he has to get back to finishing my new AlterK!

[duster-dan]

ANY UPDATES,  HB69DART

[HB69DART]

ANY UPDATES,  HB69DART

Unfortunately not yet.  I have been too busy trying to get my garage done. I had hoped to finish it before I got my car back, but unable to do so. I completely rewrired it, new lights, drywall (the walls were open studs), cabinets and shelves. I'm almost done. The car has spent the last 3 days and nights parked in the driveway. Thank god the weather has been nice.

I'm hoping to be able to get to swapping out the shocks left and right later on in the week. I will definitely update this thread when that happens.

[HB69DART]

Well I finally just got around to swapping shocks/springs from left to right. I thought for sure the low side of the car and high side would flip. Unfortunately, they did not. After swapping shocks (and springs) from side to side, the car still sits low on the pass side. Now my garage is not exactly level. In fact, it is quite a bit off from left to right. So now I have to look at other options for the cause of the issue. Now that I have my car back, I'll check preload on the Caltracs. Also, I'm pretty sure I want to change my springs for something stiffer. They are the 400 lb springs, but they look really compressed at standstill. The front end is not even fully loaded as the motor and tranny are only mockup and other stuff is missing as well. I'd say another 150-175 lbs or so, maybe more when the thing is together.

Ground clearance at the AltK crossmember is about 4 3/8" and at the rack, about 4". Seems kinda low to the ground.  Are these numbers normal?

[Hemi GTS]

This same thing happened on My Road Runner bracket car. Turns out that the rear suspension was binding up. The urethane bushings were hanging. I loosened up the nuts on the shackles and the spring bolts, bounce it a couple times and it leveled off. It seems that the lube they give You goes away in there after a while. My Dart is starting this crap too. When I get it out again Im going to pull the rear apart and check it.