why has my car got very low?

[GAZ W]

After getting all the suspension and steering back together on my car , and sitting it on its wheels , the front end in now VERY low ...as in arches down to the top of the rim.. anyone know why this is?

It has now got adj TCA's on it would this make it sit lower if they wasnt the same angle as the originals

Also i took the spings to be powder coated and when i came to put them on the car i nticed 1 was bent , but still put it on the car, but i am now having new springs put on

any ideas why it is now sitting so low?

[arron]

Good grief ! arches level with the rims !

How looooooooow can you go !!!!!!

'spose it could be badly adjusted TCA's but I can't imagine it would make THAT much difference. Is this after you have your lowered springs on ?

[Banishit]

your Shocks will need a bit of rough road driving to build up some pressure again (not strictly true), mine did they were really soft until I took them up a country road for a thrash and the shocks pumped up again

[arron]

Not heard of that one Brian but I'll take your word for it mate !

[ders]

It normally sits high after being jacked up and a run brings it down. Make sure your springs are still in their cups. Also measure the height of your spring to see how much shorter it is compared with a standard one, and change them if necessary to get the height you prefer.
Cheers Ders.

[GAZ W]

The springs are the same ones just powder coated, the new ones are on order, only thing i can think of is the powder coaters have given me the wrong springs back.

[arron]

Sounds possible mate, as Ders says you should have found that the car sits high after being jacked up and the springs out of compression for such a long time. Deffo something dodgy there.

[dingy]

Springs are on upside down.... :scratch:

[RS2000CUSTOM]

Am I right in thinking that powder coating heats up the metal ?

Maybe the heat has "normalised" the metal enough to alter its spring effect and make it "softer" !!

Just a thought

[dingy]

Gaz i really wouldn't worry about it if your having new springs LOL

Dave u think i was being serious :wink:

[arron]

I've just spent the afternoon putting my legs back together and getting them on the car after having all the bits powder coated (including springs). I have to say, if anything my springs are a bit long !

Had an awful lot of buggering around with the trolley jack getting it all to go back together without killing myself with compressed suspension components.

One thought Gaz, did you have to use a spring compression tool to rebuild your legs ? You should of had to unless the prings are already lowered (i.e. shorter).

[GAZ W]

been talking to the chap that is setting up the steering and suspension today and he says the only thing that will make the car sit lower is spring related and not TCA's or any other new part i have put on , he also thinks that having them powder coated will have reduced the length of the springs due to the heating process .
Arron ...i didnt have to use compressors when getting them back on and ive also noticed that the springs dont even meet up to the top cup , so i think new springs will sort it

It just drives really sh*t tho bouncing up and down and tyres catching on the arches

[GAZ W]

And bollox dingy ...dont tell me that ,or i will be taking em off and turning them around...lol

[RS2000CUSTOM]

he also thinks that having them powder coated will have reduced the length of the springs due to the heating process

My thoughts exactly !!

[RS2000CUSTOM]

And bollox dingy ...dont tell me that ,or i will be taking em off and turning them around...lol

GAZ - dont forget to look at the date when Dingy posted !!!!!

April 1st !!

[arron]

Can only have done mine at Gas mark 5 then for 20 minutes as they seem OK.

[dasadrew]

Unless you've made a boob on the struts and got ones with lowered spring seats, it's definitely the springs which are at fault. Gas shocks would have a (very slight) tendency to RAISE ride height. Non-gas shocks make no difference. Also suspension geometry differences would scarcely be measurable although theoretically possible.

Powder coating temperatures are about 200°C, but to anneal steel you need about 700°C. Let's face it, you could get up to about 100°C in the desert on a black car roof, so 200°C isn't going to melt springs!

Me reckons also that you've got the wrong springs back!

BTW, why the big rave about powder coating? I thought the only real advantage is for Industry to have no solvents in the atmosphere and be able to spray around the corners when batch painting washing machine bodies, so why go to the trouble? I'm sure your powder coaters are applying "normal" colour and not space shuttle technology!

[GAZ W]

Dasadrew

The only things i have replaced are the TCA's ,steering rack (standard item) TRE's and had the spings powder coated , i havent replaced the struts , so it could only be that the springs have shrunk or i have been given back the wrong ones.

[arron]

Dasadrew, I chose to powder coat because it was so cheap. I got a sh!t load of bits done for £60 (That's about 90 of your Euro thingies). I could not have bought the paint, brushers & cleaner for that, let alone the time plus everything is sand blasted before coating !

[dasadrew]

good answer! What's french for "Powder Coating" ?

[RS2000CUSTOM]

Le powder coating !

[dasadrew]

Aha! so in Germany it's probably "Die Powdercoating" , oder?

[dasadrew]

What a cunning linguist you are, Dave

[arron]

LOL :compress: