I've looked at old threads until I'm about blind. This is what my front suspension looks like. The engine and trans are in. I took the wheel off to get a better picture, but the suspension barely moves even with the wheel on the ground. It mashed the crap out of my ball joint covers. I called Heidts and they told me the springs would settle at least and inch and I just need to drive it. At this angle I can't even grease the ball joints. They said I have the correct spring rate for an sbc. What the hell did I do wrong? This can't be right. I had a local rod shop put the cross member in.
Those springs don't look right, way too big, the lower arms should be parallel to the center of the crossmember
^ what he said. Also, is your shock absorber bottomed out, preventing the A-arms from articulating properly? Check by removing them, and see what affect that has. Oh, and don't forget to install the cotter pins in your steering arm ends.
And yes it will settle some, my was a little high, but after my 1.5 hour drive, the front end was about an inch lower.
i too had a similar problem. i cut a coil off the spring cause the shit was just not moving. i too called and asked (a different company) and got the same drive it around thing, but mine was completely rigid! no suspension at all, even 1 inch of settling would not have made the ride comfy. so i just cut a coil, then after driving for a while we finally got it where we wanted it with lower arm just about parallel to crossmember.
Here's what it looks like with the wheels on the ground. My neighbor and I can stand on the cross member and nothing changes. I loosened up the nuts on the control arms and that did nothing.
I don't know much about MII front ends, but why is the spring at such an angle when the car is static with all the weight on it? Just wondering?
It is really hard to tell from the pics, but that spring does look way to heavy for a MII suspension. What is the spring from? And if you don't know, measure the coil wire diameter, the spring diameter, the number of coils, and the unloaded height, and you can figure out what the spring rate is. For a hot rod, you will probably need a spring with a rate around 350 lbs/in. Good Luck
what is the car? i see the body is on the frame , but i still would like to know how much weight will be added...exhaust , radiator, front bumper, front sheet metal , glass and upholstery , fenders and running boards , alternator , water pump etc
They do look too tall . Somebody count the coils on their MII setup. I would but I'm at work... yikes.
mINE Looked like that at first & I couldn't stand it. I let it be & it did settle down & it doesn't look as shitty
You need to put car together completely and then see where the suspension rests. But it does look like too much spring at this time. You dont want to start cutting coils off the spring until you have all the weight on the vehicle. The lower control arm should be parallel to the ground.
Measure the coil diameter, thickness of the spring, un installed height and count the # of coils. Then you can KNOW what spring was sent with your kit.
I know, but I thought it may move a bit with engine installed. It didn't. My neighbor and I stood on the cross member last night and tried to get it to bounce. It barely moved. The springs were included in the kit from Heidts. If I recall, the boxes said Blue Coil. They measure at least 11" on the outside installed. According to Heidts, they're 325 # springs.
Had the same issue with my F-100,took the springs out,cut off a coil and reinstalled,lower a-arm was level,drove the truck about 10 miles and the spring settled and the lower went the other way. The more I drove on it the worse it got,finally took them out and put another set in,drove it again about 10 miles and the lower a-arm is level and rides great. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
That spring is WAY too tall, at static ride height your upper control arm should be close to parallel with the ground. Ball park, you need a spring about 2 inches shorter, the reason that you have no movement is that the angles are so extreme that you are not putting any load on the spring. Of course I have never understood why the front suspension from probably the cheapest car Ford ever built is so popular.
I just went back and checked on the coils.The pair i have is 8 coils.I use pinto 4 cyl springs.I never cut any coils off until i have everything on the car that belongs there.When i do cut off i only do about 1/4 coil at a time and leave it a bit high to begin with because it will settle.
It appears you don't have everything on the car at this point. Here is what you do, Step one: Remove the front springs and make a spacer to fit over the shock shaft. Something about 2" long should be more than sufficient and reassemble your front end. Step Two: Finish the assembly of your car. Everything. Step Three: Try and re install your springs. Then you can determine if they are incorrect for your application.
I agree with all the above. Springs look too long and you need the rest of the car together. Here is what I did with one of mine. We installed a 351 in a Pinto and needed to upgrade springs. 71-73 Mustang springs were perfect with 1 coil removed. Just an FYI
I think we have a winner. Could I use schedule 40 and make a sleeve for each shock? I could set the control arms closer to where they should be and go to the next problem.
Go with what Steve said in post # 23. The other option is to just button the suspension up, finish putting the car together and then after the first test drive around the block see if it has settled to where it should be. There is one other concept and that could be that someone stuck the springs in the wrong box at Heidts. It could be that you got the right box with the wrong springs. Or it could be that you over estimated the weight on the front end of the vehicle.
Here is the lower in the Divco. The lower as stated is designed to be parallel. Modified Heits lower arm. Even the Divco sits high without the front clip and fluids installed. Don,t worry till all of the car is there, if you don't you'll be chasing your tail. Full truck weight, in the picture
As many have said, get the whole car together. All parts in place and full of fluids. Then drive a bit. It will settle some, new springs always do. Only at this point can you start to make adjustments. You can cut a coil or so from your springs, or get shorter springs at the same rate. Cutting the spring will increase the spring rate (less coils makes a coil spring higher rate). You have to decide if the ride is too stiff or too soft. Until you assemble and drive it some, you will not know which way to go. Making an arbitrary statement that the springs are too tall or too high rate is not possible until you have the full car assembled. Although with you and your friend on the front and it barely moving might suggest you have springs that are too tall or too high of rate, or both.
I agree with others the springs look/are wrong. They should not be that distorted. I would try different springs. I'm using 350 lb C.E. M2 V8 springs with the Heidt front end on my '40, and they measure just under 12" free height, about 3 1/2" ID and just under 5" OD. The 8 coils are .590" diameter. Curious how your's compare.
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