Lop Sided

[rjt1951]

Just been for a spin. All fine but on return to the driveway noticed she looked a little lop sided. Having not been to the pub ( iether of us) a little concerned. Tyre pressures OK. Nothing looks amiss underneath but have measured there is a difference , near side rear is sitting 4cm lower than off side. Is it spring wear?

[Alex'n'Ane]

Front or rear? How long since you last looked? Is one side too high or the other too low? Rebuilt the suspension lately?

[rjt1951]

It's the rear near side that is lower by 4cm. Car is new to me, purchased rstored and converted from a saloon to a convertible by a restorer in Dorset. It is a 1970 model. Everything looks good and up together inside and out.

[simmitc]

Could be a spring getting tired (or even a broken leaf), but check that there is no sign of a spring hanger starting to collapse. Also double check that the front suspension is level - one side set too high could make the opposite corner look low. If all else looks OK, it might just be worn bushes.

[rjt1951]

Thanks for that, will check those points tomorrow and let you know.

[bmcecosse]

The driver side tends to sit lower - because there is always a driver on board. If no broken leaf or shackle mount damage - you could always swap the two rear springs over and see how it sits then. To test if the front suspension is level you would need to lift the rear wheels off the ground - but NOT by lifting under the axle or springs.....

[rjt1951]

Thanks for that. It is the near side which sits lower. Will try previous suggestions first and report back, thanks

[bmcecosse]

Sorry - missed the 'nearside' - could be then that a new spring has been fitted to the Driver side.... look to see if one spring seems newer than the other.

[rjt1951]

Well the mystery continues...
Have checked front suspension which would seem to be new. It is all evenly set up.
Both rear spings are not new but there are no cracked leaves.
On the driver side (higher side) it would seem a new mounting has been put in at the forward end. So I measured the distance at which it has been set from it to the main cross member and found it to be 1cm out ie.closser to the cross member compared to the low ( near side) this however I would have thought would mean that that sping if anything would be flatter and therefore make the car sit lower on the drivers side. In other words have the opposite effect to what I have. Nothing would seem to be out of line and all the bolts remain in the centre of their bushes. Maybe the car in a former life carried a very heavy person in the back near side! Maybe a new set of springs will have to be order of the day when the weather gets warmer. A pain because the last car I owned (1955 series 2) had its srings and bushes replaced just prior to sale so I never enjoyed the benefit. Maybe I am a soft touch for cars with naff springs!!

[bmcecosse]

Strange indeed - just swap the springs over in the first place and see how it sits then.

[MarkyB]

Swapping the springs is a good plan, I have my doubts about measuring to the cross member, find somewhere flat and measure from the ground to sundry points front and back.
Having said that 1CM is quite a big difference and probably the cause of the problem somehow.

[bmcecosse]

Aye - but that 1cm should make it lower at that side, and it seems to be higher. More worryingly - it surely means the back axle is not square to the centre line of the car..... A long length of nice straight timber - held horizontally against each rear wheel at hub height in turn , pointing forwards will show if the axle is square - or not...
Just to check -looking at the rear axle bump stops - how much clearance is there between each stop and the chassis bump pad, on each side??

[rjt1951]

Thanks for you continued thoughts. I will measure the gaps tomorrow and also try the timber idea and report back. Drove her this morning and she feels fine and behaves well on the road. Did get some judder in reverse onto the drive, not sure that has anything to do with it at all.

[bmcecosse]

Judder can be loose axle/oil on clutch plate/weak engine or gearbox mounts/loose (or missing) top steady bar - or simply missing/broken restraint cable on the gearbox mounting cross-member.

[rjt1951]

Thanks , will check that tomorrow too. Have checked all mounts and they are new and tie bar is in place.

[rjt1951]

Well have just braved the cold for the next round of checks.
Restraint cable on gearbox mounting cross member was quite slack so have given the nut a few turns to tension it up. Hope that might help the reverse judder. all other mounts seem fine.
At the back end have checked distances between top of bump stops and stop plate. the off side (higher side is 3cm, the near side (lower side) is 2cm. That doesn't seem a lot!
Tried the long straight edge of timber idea and it looks to be straight. May be it just needs a pair of new springs and hangers etc or maybe the whole back end is twisted from some previous trauma in it's life that I know nothing about?

[bmcecosse]

The clearance to the stops is too small - that will make for a very rough ride since the suspension will constantly be hitting on the stops. You can cut a good 3cm off the top of each stop - try to keep the taper shape - to increase the movement and that will make for a more comfortable ride. Also - when you add your weight - I imagine the car will then be sitting pretty much level.

[rjt1951]

Thanks, will do that but presume just a temporary measure until she has new springs. Cannot see any other reason for her not sitting level.
If of interest car can be seen as purchased in December on
www.carandclassic, click on Old Autos -the dealer list on the rh side and she is the last entry at the bottom.

Kind regards for all your help

[Neil MG]

I am always intrigued when people say their car leans at one end and not the other. Unless the body is twisted (or very flexible!) then it cannot lean more at the back than at the front and vice versa. If both rear springs are the same then the lean can be caused by and hence adjusted at the front. The danger is that if the rear springs are not the same the car will behave very badly! One way to check is to support the front (on the body not the suspension) on level (side to side) stands and then measure the rear. Then do the same with the rear supported on level stands and measure the front.

[simmitc]

You have tightened the gearbox steady cable. but hopefully not too tight - it should have a small amount of slack, otherwise you will get vibration through the body. also, it will not stop reverse judder, which is caused by poor engine mounts, bad clutch, and (wait for it) poor rear suspension that allows the springs to "wind up" and then jump back, or perhaps the axle is twisting on poor mounts?