I've got a problem with the car sagging on one side

[Marc]

...You sure have a good memory Marc...

It's nearly eidetic when sober ..not so much when I've been drinking, but I figure that just conserves storage space...

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Marc, what do you think about the rear torsion bar opposite the low front maybe has too much preload or the opposite rear side having too little. I guess if he can get the measurements done that might come out in the wash.

[Marc]

Yes, the next question I had for him was if he could tell by looking at the rear torsion-bar cover bolts if they'd been wrenched on since it left the factory - if both sides, I'd suspect a botched lowering job; if just one, that's the side that needed a springplate replaced after the accident and he can focus his attention there. First step remains leveling one end or the other to isolate the problem.
But if there's a full inch discrepancy in front (he hasn't really told us much about the rear) it seems like some broken front leaves are the most likely problem.

`Ghia stock rims run the most backspace (same as Type III). There are other 4" & 4½" stock rims with less. All should be 4½" ET46 to assure best fender clearance, but a mismatch isn't going to make that big of a difference in ride height.

http://share.myflare.com/9WcBPS

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Thanks Marc. I wonder, if there are broken front sping pieces just how they broke and the beam seems to be OK or were they notched to break and some of them haven't done so yet.

Just how close to a bug pan is a Ghia pan? Kind of off topic a bit but I did mention is when I posted the pix of a bug pan.

Lee

[Marc]

They're essentially identical other than the width of the floorboards. Thing pans are the same dimension as `Ghia, they just have more aggressive rib-stamping to make them stiffer.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Thnx!

Lee

[weldvair]

Let me make sure I understand what you want me to do........you want me to level the front & rear floor pan with 4 supports the same ht then measure
the suspension distance to the floor at each corner.

I am att another picture of the lower front beam.

Don

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Don, the picture sure looks like a Sway-a-way style of adjusters to me.



Another picture of the adjuster before installing it onto the beam.



If you look carefully at this picture you can just see the top of the slot that allows the block inside to rotate therefore allowing the front to raise or lower when you do both the upper and lower adjusters. Once you get the height you want then lock into position by the nut, bolt and block arrangement on the outside of the assembly. It will probably take a couple of times to get it to where you want it. Unless one of the spring stacks has been compromised (a broken leaf or two towards the low side of the adjuster the adjusters are most likely not your problem

The AVIS style is similar but not nearly as strong.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Yes, put up your car onto stands then wiggle it a bit to make sure it is up on there square and solid before anyone craws under it.. To state the obvious: make sure the stands are all set at the same height so you will know of the pan is torqued (just like doing a layout of the car but in 3-D . We haven't been retired that long to forget layouts have we [I'm finishing up my 14th year of retirement]) or any part of the suspension. If the floor is level and the car is level then you should be able to narrow down any possible problems w/o going on a frame jig (frame alignment) to check things out. Not as exact but close enough to give you an idea of what you have.

If you cut a block of wood to the height of one corner of the pan you can slide it along the floor to see if the gap, if any, stays the same all along the length of the pan; e.g., an on-the-cheap go/no go block... if you will. The same for the bottom piece of the tunnel which is important to check too as the tunnel is the backbone of the pan.

It is a lot of work to set up for a quick check but you will know more about your car this way.

If it turns out that the rear torsion bar's preload is wrong (I suspect it might be), one or both of them, this is how to reset it: viewtopic.php?t=110857&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 You will need to check your manual for the preload you should have.



Here is a table you could find handy. It works the same for raising or lowering the car's rear.

I hope this helps you Don.

Lee

[Marc]

Let me make sure I understand what you want me to do........you want me to level the front & rear floor pan with 4 supports the same ht then measure the suspension distance to the floor at each corner...Don

Not exactly. While that might help if you were trying to determine if the chassis itself was twisted, putting all 4 corners in the air and measuring the suspension droop isn't going to provide any meaningful information about the springs (even with the shocks disconnected) since what you need to see is the laden ride-height.

I propose that you level the rear (so the torsion housing is the same height off the ground on both sides) and then measure the ride height at the front corners. If the LF corner is still low at the front with the rear level, you've got a problem to address up front - most likely broken torsion leaves.

If the front is now even, drop the rear back down and use the jackstands to get the beam level, then measure the rear ride height. If the LR is low, your problem's there.

Of course, it could have problems at both ends, but based upon what you've reported so far this is the order in which I'd proceed.

I'm assuming your shop floor is reasonably level...it needn't be perfect to make this assessment, but if you end up adjusting the rear torsions you should take that into account.

That pic of your lower adjuster looks like it's already cranked "up" as far as it'll go, if you have any remaining adjustment it'll be at the upper.

One more thing to check, I have seen the suspension movement compromised by improperly installed ball joints. Look at the flanges on the balljoint bodies - they each have two slots in the rim. Those must be oriented fore-and-aft, corresponding to the slot that the balljoint stud travels in. If a balljoint is installed 90° away from the correct position the stud (and hence the control arm) will have almost no travel.

https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=htt ... 1F.jpg&f=1
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=htt ... 1G.jpg&f=1

[weldvair]

It is unbelievable how willing you all have been to help me it sure is appreciate.

Don

[Ol'fogasaurus]

This is the mark on the trailing arm that is used to align the ball-joint to when pressing them in.



This shows the mark in a different place.



This is the notch on the ball-joint that is used when pressing the BJ to the trailing arm. There are two notches and either one can be use as they put the slot in the BJ in alignment so that there is room for the Ball itself to move as the suspension moves.




This shows the alignment as the BJ is being pressed into the trailing arm.

When the BJ is in place you should be able to see the mark on the trailing arm through the notch in the BJ. If you want I can take a pix or two of what I am talking about as I have a set sitting in a bucket... no problem.

I tried to cut out one step based on what Marc said: either way should work but I think what Marc said might be better in the long run.

[weldvair]

I have been in the hospital since sat & will be in hear for weeks - septis infection.
back to the karmann ghia .....I think a friend discovered the problem the side that
is low can not be pushed down at the front fender the other side can be.

I am looking for advice on what to buy to correct this....new beam/used front end - narrored
....etc.

Don

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Sorry to hear about the infection; take care of yourself.

Hmmmm. Ask your friend if the car will rise when lifting on the front fender. The reason I ask is to seen if something is broken or holding it down. It is time to jack the car up and see if the suspension droops down or stays. Next level the car out: you need to check the frame head for being square/level as well as the rest of the car. If everything is square then check to see if there is any resistance to lifting the drooping side spindle/tire. If there is only lifting the weight lf the suspension then I could suspect the spring pack on the one side (remember that the spring pack traverses the length of the beam). Also visually check the trailing arms, etc. to see if nothing is bent there.

Lee

[helowrench]

Remember to disconnect one end of the shock.
I have had seized shocks cause this