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Classic Car Research Paper

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Sagging Springs and Ride Height on Classic Cars

Getting the Ride Height Right on Your Classic Car

Next time you're at the local car show have a look around and take note of how the cars sit in relation to the ground. When performing a full restoration some classic car owners sidestep dealing with the ride height. Unfortunately, a sagging suspension can make a beautiful looking car appear tired and beaten down.

It's no wonder some avoid replacing suspension parts like coil springs or torsion bars, because they're extremely difficult repairs. However, restoring the original ride height on your classic car is not only visually appealing, but it can also improve handling characteristics, tire wear and help extend the life of a few other auto …show more content…

We achieve this by placing our body weight on the front and rear bumpers to slightly compress the springs. When the weight is removed the vehicle will gently rise and fall into a default position. Some suspension experts also believe that rolling the car back and forth in neutral will achieve the same results.

Using a standard flexible tape measure, we take the ride height measurements from the ground to the highest point of the wheel well on all four fenders. This should occur at the center line of the wheel. If the automobile has [factory mag or rally wheels] the tape measure will pass through the middle of the center cap.

Original equipment manuals list the desired specifications as curb height. Even more important is that the left and right measurements are very close to each other. Using a friend's [first generation Chevrolet Monte Carlo] with original equipment springs as an example, the ride height measured 25 inches in three positions and a 1/4 inch lower on the driver side front. The specifications in the Chevrolet service manual calls for 25 3/4 inches. This car needs new

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