[Guest]

After looking at the rear suspension and where it is in relation to the rear SS wheels as you look at it from the side, (Tires and wheels are brand new, so it is not that), my right side seems to set approx. 1" lower than the left side. Has anyone seen this or do I have a suspension problem? It's a 94 LT1 wagon. Any advice to correct this problem is welcome. Thanks guys!

 

[Guest]

There was a thread a while back on the Yahoo 9C1 list about cars 'leaning'. People were getting on level ground and then measuring their wheel well heights. A lot of people reported a leaning condition. It seemed to be reasonable to asume that the springs are 'usual' the reason. Apparently, the two stock front springs are slightly different in height.... add time sag and possible replacements, and things could even murkier... Thankfully, springs are relatively cheap.

 

[Guest]

This seems to be a common problem. Most of the time it is caused by different trim heights in the front, but it is not as noticible up there. Before spending money on rear springs, it is an afternoon's work to simply swap rear springs side to side and see if the sag changes places. Shocks and the auto level system cannot cause this problem.

When my Roadmaster Wagon was new, it had the same problem. The Dealer (I am not making this up) "repaired" it by installing adjustable front stabalizer bar links and biasing the bar until the car was square. When I whooped and hollered, they swore it was a factory approved fix. Letters to Buick division did not help, they said to take the car back to the Dealer.
About a year after the car was out of warranty, I simply replaced the rear springs and put stock stabalizer links back in. It trims out to published heights now.

 

[Guest]

Great responses guys! I absolutely LOVE this forum!!! Where else can I go and get this type of information? I LOVE IT!!!

 

[Guest]

If you can find the cause....PLEASE let me know. My '92 sags about 1-1/2 inches low on the passenger side rear. I can't for the life of me find the problem. It has all new front suspension. I've tried 3 sets of rear springs, in all orientations to no avail.
I did some measuring...but the "lean" is different depending on where the car is parked. As far as I can tell, the axle is level, the frame is level, the body bushings aren't shagged.....but the the body IS crooked. I am out of ideas and suggestions...

 

[Guest]

Ya'know, I'm getting the feeling my 95 Roadmaster Wagon is probably leaning just a bit, too. Ever since it was new I've noticed it's a little harder to get up inside one of the rear wheel wells, than the other. Either the axle is off center slightly or it leans a bit. Must be a quirk of these cars.

 

[Guest]

Mine leans too, stop worrying about it. Your the only one who sees it. Could be the imfamous "hydrosolator" at work here. Have you had it checked lately?

Renoman

 

[Guest]

Are your rear springs indexed properly, I didn't think it mattered till I saw what Autocrosser had to say on the subject. I think we all trust him on suspension topics.

 

[Guest]

OK, these are the parts you need to repair the leaning wagon syndrome aka hydrosolator replacement.
1) heated garage
2) (2) 6 ton floor jacks
3) Chevy Caprice/Impala replacement hydrosolator part #14067678. Make sure to call Dal and request the updated hydrosolator part #, I think it changed.
4) ecu mount
5) 5 1/4 in. drive socket or 625mm.
6) for the above socket(make sure it will fit the lkg diff in the tranny)
7) duct tape (to hold old hydrosolator)
8) hammer
9) big pry bar
10) welder
11) vise grips
12) 6 extra people
13) about 1 weekend
14) VTEC sticker, so the smog guy can show your vehicle as exempt.

I think thats it
besides the given
plugs wires, rotor cap, muffler bearings, blinker fluid oil, case of Heinekin, lots of patience.
I hope I helped if you need help email me for detailed instructions. I did it on my car and it worked just fine. BTW, it really screws up the gas mileage so the fantastic gas mileage you get in these wagons just goes to crap. But think of all the friends you'll impress when you tell 'em you fixed your own hydrosolator and didn't have to send it to the shop.

Art aka renoman

 

[Guest]

I'm not convinced the spring indexing thing really makes a difference. I base this on the fact that Autocrosser's method, and the method listed in the 1970 Chevelle service manual are COMPLETLEY different (the chevelle has an IDENTICAL rear suspension). That, and I've tried both.....doesn't help the lean or handling....

 

[Guest]

Re: Leaning B-Bodies
To quote Mr. Goodwrench himself, "They all do that".
The way I fixed my '94 9C1 was to install a pair of AirLift airbags that I bought from Summit Racing for about $65. Pretty easy install (under 2 hours, could do it now in 1/2 that)and I can now adjust the height of each side at any air hose. I put the valve stems for them behind the license plate. Worked for me!

 

[Guest]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Flywheel:
I base this on the fact that Autocrosser's method, and the method listed in the 1970 Chevelle service manual are COMPLETLEY different (the chevelle has an IDENTICAL rear suspension). .<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
You might want to get out the creeper and recheck!
The 64-72 "A" body has the bottom of the spring mounted to the diff ahead of the centre line of the axle housing, while the late "B" is behind.
This may be the reason for the early "A" being speced out to have the lower pigtail indexed left and the "B" upper being indexed left.

As for chasing the leaning problem a set of scales can be very helpful.
You need to find out if the low corner is low and light or low and heavy. That is to say, is it lying down or being pushed down by the opposite corner? Knowing this can put you miles ahead in the search.
You must make sure the car is on level ground when measuring and the steering wheel is straight. Measure as many points to the ground as you can and write them all down on a chart. This will give you a better picture of what is going on. Pray you do not find the car low on opposing corners because this will normally point to a twist. If the car has been hit, things are tougher as it could be a corner bent down, or worse.
If the car is high on the opposite front corner try pushing lightly down to see how much opposite weight it would actually take to level it.
Although bags can level the rear, if the trouble originates at the opposite end of the car the front wheel weights could be quite screwed up if you jack around the rear to correct a problem. The rear springs are quite soft and it does not take much weight to make the car lean. Some times the body is not square on the frame and shifting it over can help. It can also help the notorious different fender gap complaint.
This is why scaling is so helpful. Often some careful trimming of front springs can get you a level car with corner weights that are nicely balanced. Mind you this will not fix a bent car. Regards, Gerry

 

[Guest]

After typing the above I know someone is going toe say " Well smart guy how level is your car?" Today it is,
Left rear 20 3/8 wheel well to ground.
Right rear 20 1/8 wheel well to ground.

1/4 " left high with no driver is ok by me.
For interest’s sake the last time I scaled it (without spare) it was,
LF 1158 RF 1161
LR 1135 RR 1088
Total 4541
Regards, Gerry