Suspension prob

[mtlman22]

i am having a constant issue with myy front suspension on my 68. the front suspension seems to be binding and getting stuck either way to low or way to high. now i have taken everything part several times and have found no binding anywhere period. if the car is parked it sits at normal ride height if i drive it..it will get stuck real high after a bump or so, once i hit the brakes hard it will move back down and stay until the process repeats itself (hit a bump, or turn). recently i have removed the shocks just so see how everything moved while driving and it right away got better. it still does bind but not nearly as bad and takes less to get it to re-settle. i have rollerized spring pirches installed and im woundering if they are at fault because theres to much force on them to pivot back and forth unless i brake real hard like i have been doing to force them to move? keep in mind shocks,control arms,sway bar move with ease when dissasembled. any help would be great thanks!

 

[rbohm]

start by loosening the lower control arm bolts, and bounce the suspension until you get a proper ride height as rest, then with the weight on the suspension tighten up the lower control arm bolts.

 

[Az Pete]

My '66 did that until I did a good alignment on it. I have completely new front suspension.The factory setting for the tow was not good. Once I dealt with that, I was good. I also have the roller perches and they do not effect the travel one bit.When I had my problems, I talked with John at opentracker products to get the problem solved.

 

[mtlman22]

i agree with the alignment but this is far beyond an alingment issue this thing will sit up so high like there is no engine in it, because once i hit the brakes hard it goes right back down to the right ride height. my lower control arms do not use a standard Bushing type so they are not the issue and the were tourqed with suspension loaded. i know all components move freely by hand with spindle unbolted. i has to be something related to the spring/shock area cause its not as bad with the shocks out

 

[mtlman22]

but giving them or global west a call would def help

 

[Az Pete]

Believe me.....mine did the same thing. I could almost stick my head above the tire, under the front fender. A good alignment did the trick....

Here is the discussion on mine from last summer... Front end changes...

 

[mtlman22]

yea its almost like you jacked the car up to work on it and then let it down where its stuck up until it re-settled. one thing i forgot was that i rotated the pirches 180 because it said to as per global west instuctions. cause it did say failier to do so could result in excessive ride height

 

[j69302]

When you installed the parts did you move each individual part through its range of travel without anything being connected?

Then again move the suspension through its travel with all the parts connected to see if the binding is there?

If so was everything free?

Does it make any noises when it binds? squeaks or clunking?

Does it only bind at the far ends of it travel? does it bind mid travel? can you get the suspension near ride height, and bounce the fender by hand, will it bottom out and bind then?

You need to try and get it aligned. If the problem is still there, you need to get it up on jacks, removed the shock and spring and try and move the suspension through its travel by hand. Then you need to start isolating the upper control arms, swing those by hand without anything connected.

Then disconnect the tie rods from the spindle(may not have to but it will isolate it from the system), and move the lower control arm through its travel, if it binds there then next step is to isolate the strut rod from the lower arm, and see if the bind is there.

Also did you grease everything?

 

[Az Pete]

one thing i forgot was that i rotated the pirches 180 because it said to as per global west instuctions. cause it did say failier to do so could result in excessive ride height

Never heard of that. The stock perches and the ones I got from Opentracker are reverseable, side to side, and inside vs outside. The only concern there is that the spring stops that contact the end of the coil be proper. Mine are both on the inside.

 

[mtlman22]

i have the same pirches you have Pete. i dont see how moving them 180 would effect it. J69 i did align it several times and i did move every component indv. with nothing connected and it move smooth and easy i also connected everything and repeated the proccess and again everything moves no prob..like i said issue became less prominant when i removed the shocks. its hard to say when excactly it binds because the ride height seems to always be cahnging while driving- too low, too high. just right. it seems to get stuck up morethan anything else and by bouncing the car while it is stuck makes it go down just barely but not enogh to its proper height. only way to get it back to noraml is to force it.... like hitting the brakes hard then it goes back down. ????????????????? J69 i did not remove the tie rods thats the only thing i did not do.... i know i do have a severe Bump Steer problem so maybe its a tie rod issue?

 

[Az Pete]

What are your alignment settings? Mine were not off by to far and it did the same effect. I took parts off and moved crap all day with no results. I drove it with no shocks with no changes. I was pulling my hair out until I got back to do the alignment and solve it. To me it was not a binding type feel. If I remember correctly, once it lifted, if I slowed down without brakes and let the car coast to a stop, I could back up and the front would drop. It acted just as you describe. I have over 5000 miles on it now with no issues.

 

[mtlman22]

yea i read your link pete and it does sound familiar. like you described you hit the gas and the front lift then starts to sqeel because the toe is way off and i guess your saying because the toe is off now at that point it cannot re-settle because of it which makes sense,but what about whn it gets stuck too low? same effect minus the sqeeling. the camber is at OE spec and the toe i got as close to i could and caster is maxed out close to spec (cannot go anymore). the thing that gets me is it just doesnt get stuck high but also low

 

[Az Pete]

I believe the low sticking is the same reasoning.

I really surprised me how a small difference in the settings can effect it so much.

 

[68RCodeConv]

Did you put 1968 spindles on it? Or something from another car? If the spindle geometry is wrong you can get "bump steer" which can cause the condition you describe.

 

[mtlman22]

no they are the original spindles

 

[mtlman22]

i can see the alignment being off and how that would effect it but still why does it go that high in the first place?

 

[Az Pete]

Just because it can.......

 

[mtlman22]

lol very true pete! i spoke to global west today and tey insist its a bump steer issue and to install a bump steer kit, but i have another issue here beyond that. i am gonna mess around with the toe and stuff and see how it goes

 

[mtlman22]

any other suggestions?

 

[MitchGT]

What parts are stock, and which are modified/aftermarket? You can get some weird problems combining them... It does sound like a bumpsteer problem to me, since you have it at both the top and bottom of suspension travel. Roller spring perches shouldn't be the problem, since it should reduce binding.