Author Topic: Ever changing ride hight on 1973 Challenger.  (Read 1023 times)

Offline atvarnold

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Ever changing ride hight on 1973 Challenger.
« on: August 14, 2018 - 03:12:21 PM »
I have a 1973 Challenger. I have had the frontend aligned at 2 shops. After the alignment during a test drive the ride hight changes. Its way high and the tires are towed in at the bottom. Back it up and everything is back to normal. Go forward and back high again. Started out very spuratic but now does it every time. They cnat come up with a reason. nothing is slipping visibly. Both shops are old school and have done many of these old mopars. Any ideas?




Offline 70chall440

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Re: Ever changing ride hight on 1973 Challenger.
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2018 - 03:54:19 PM »
Well obviously something is moving, has to be. The front suspension on these cars is pretty simple in reality and in order for something to change, something has to move. As to the ride height, this is set by the adjusters in your lower control arms (applying tension on the torsion bars). I highly doubt they are moving my backing up and going forward (would not affect them in that way). Therefore, it has to be something else. The only way (I can think of) for the ride height to change are:

1. the adjusters are moving (no likely or even possible in this scenario)
2. something is forcing the lower control arms down (thus raising the car), this would have to be some extraordinary event as that would take a lot of force
3. your torsion bars have issues, either slipping in the LCA or the cross member where in they are loosing tension in once instance and getting tension placed on them in another. Here again, I don't see how that could happen but  given the suspension design not a lot of options.

Have you driven it after the alignment shop was done and see if it settles down?
Current Mopar
70 Challenger RT 440-6 EFI, 73 Cuda 416-6 EFI
05 Hemi Durango, 01 Ram 4x4, 14 Ram 2500 4X4, 10 PCP Challenger 6 spd RT, 01 Viper GTS ACR, 52 B3B w/330 Desoto Hemi, 70 Hemi RR (under const)
Past Mopars
9 x Challengers. AAR Cuda, 4 RR, 2 GTX, 4 Chargers, etc... (too many to list)

Offline 70chall440

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Re: Ever changing ride hight on 1973 Challenger.
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2019 - 11:41:35 PM »
did you ever figure this out?
Current Mopar
70 Challenger RT 440-6 EFI, 73 Cuda 416-6 EFI
05 Hemi Durango, 01 Ram 4x4, 14 Ram 2500 4X4, 10 PCP Challenger 6 spd RT, 01 Viper GTS ACR, 52 B3B w/330 Desoto Hemi, 70 Hemi RR (under const)
Past Mopars
9 x Challengers. AAR Cuda, 4 RR, 2 GTX, 4 Chargers, etc... (too many to list)

Offline 'Cuda Hunter

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Re: Ever changing ride hight on 1973 Challenger.
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2019 - 09:45:15 PM »
 :popcorn: :popcorn:
"All riches begin as a state of mind and you have complete control of your mind"  -- B. Lee

Offline dodj

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Re: Ever changing ride hight on 1973 Challenger.
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2019 - 09:12:50 AM »
My money is on some issue with the struts/kmember. Spring rate of the T-bars sure won't change so something has to bind/twist from the vehicle motion to increase ride height. I would back up and go forward with two buddies looking at both front wheel suspension area and listen/watch for something moving that shouldn't.
It's been 6 months...something should have been figured out by now. Or maybe collapsed?
Scott
1973 Challenger  440 4 spd 
2007.5 3500 6.7 Cummins Diesel, Anarchy tuned.
Good friends don't let friends do stupid things. ........alone.