Caprice sits so high with new suspension

[deesandvees]

Everything's new up front on my '87 except the springs and it's got Bilstein's now. I thought after putting the motor and trani back in it would sit like it used to but it sure sits high still. It hasn't been driven yet so I'm thinking maybe the bushings just need to seat or get broken in a little. Also I've read the Bilstein's raise it up a bit. Any thoughts?

Motor back in w/ new suspension:


No motor with old suspension:


Before taking motor out w/ old suspension:

[old_master]

Springs determine ride height. Springs are calibrated to support a given amount of weight, and give the correct ride height. Engine size and whether the vehicle is equipped with air conditioning or not determines what springs are used. Typically after 7 to 9 years, the springs have sagged enough to allow ride height to fall out of specs, and should be checked/replaced. Shocks dampen the action of the springs, that's all they do. They will not affect ride height, unless they are air shocks, or air bags, but that's a whole different story. If you changed the engine, the springs need to be matched to what engine you are using now.

[deesandvees]

Everything's new suspension wise except the springs. And the motor's the same, just rebuilt. Went from a 350 to a 383 and I know those 33 cubic inches couldn't affect ride height that much, haha. Not sure on the weight difference between the old stock heads and my new Vortec heads.

[old_master]

What suspension parts were replaced? Does the suspension jounce and rebound ok?

Just by the first picture, it looks like it would take about 200 pounds to drop it down, and I'll bet the weight difference with the heads isn't NEAR that much.

[deesandvees]

New bushings in control arms and sway bar, new sway bar end links, new Bilstein's, new ball joints. It's pretty stiff when I push up and down on it, but it settles real quick. Maybe the install of the front clip, bumper, battery, hood, and fender wells will add up and do the trick.

[old_master]

After it's all back together it might sit correctly. You've got a fair amount of weight to install yet.

[PeteA216]

My Caprice, after replacing the front and rear springs, it sat like a truck at first. After a few weeks of driving on it, the car settled down to normal though.

[bobss396]

Agreed, it should sit down normally after a short period of time. Even cars that have been jacked up or on a lift need some time to come back to the normal ride height.

Bob

[GreyGoose006]

actually, when i installed new shocks on mine it sat about 2" or so higher.
the reason, im guessing, was that the original shocks were not gas charged, and my new KYB's were...
each shock took pretty much all the force i had to compress them into the correct position.

i figure about 80-90 lbs each corner or so...

[deesandvees]

Originally Posted by GreyGoose006

actually, when i installed new shocks on mine it sat about 2" or so higher.
the reason, im guessing, was that the original shocks were not gas charged, and my new KYB's were...
each shock took pretty much all the force i had to compress them into the correct position.

i figure about 80-90 lbs each corner or so...

I've heard these Bilstein's will raise it up a bit. I'll have more for the thread later when I've installed everything for it to be road worthy.

[GreyGoose006]

did it come down any yet?

[deesandvees]

Nope, still haven't got it on the road yet, had to mess with my throttle linkage all last weekend and won't be 'til next weekend 'til I can work on the rest (brakes, exhaust, etc.) I plan on getting it aligned, should I put a few miles on it before I do that or is it okay to get it aligned right away with all the new suspension parts freshly installed?

[GreyGoose006]

well im tempted to say, wait, but if you really want to keep your tires fresh, you might want to do it now.

either way, if it settles down, your camber will be out of wack, and other things might be affected as well

[PeteA216]

I suggest getting it aligned right away to kelp keep tire wear down to a minimum, then a couple of months later, if you notice any settling, get it aligned again.