I noticed my model A was sitting a little lower on the driver side than the passenger. Looked underneath for damage and found none. Decided to measure from a common point on the frame to the center of the axle at the hub. Found the driver side to be just shy of a 1/2" further forward than the other side. I know that I have to adjust the left rear wishbone out to align this. my question is, once I have adjusted out the rod end on the wish bone, how do you pull the rear axle back to reinsert the rod end back into the mounting point? Maybe this pic will help. This is new to me so excuse my incorrect or misuse of terminology.
maybe if you lenghtened one side 1/4" and shorten the other side 1/4" ? i'm not sure why that would cause one side to sit lower , maybe the spring is just sagging
id check your spring...i had the same problem that was solved by a new spring im sure theres a cheaper way around it though
Spring could be causing the sag but the rear is still out of alingment regardless if it is causing the sag or not. Anyone have any tips how to pull one side of the axle back into the correct position so that the wishbone can be adjusted and reinstalled? thanks for the info on the spring, I'll look at that as well.
You state that you are new to this so I assume you didn't build the car. It's virtually impossible to troubleshoot this by a picture but a couple of things jump out at me. (not including, what appears to be fuel/ brake lines hanging down the middle and under x-members?) Anyway, the bend/joint in the wishbone looks rather suspect to me. Keep in mind both sides need to have the same angle, or they will have two different effective lengths. Also the the driveshaft/t-tube doesn't appear to be centered in the tunnel, giving further rise to suspicion. If it were mine, I would get it up on jack stands and get underneath with a tape measure and protractor and check everything for squareness and proper angle. JMHO
Thanks for the input. You are right about the driveshaft not centered. I am assuming since the axle is not square on the frame as I stated with my measurements above, with the left side sitting more forward than the right, it is kicking the drive shaft off to the side a bit. I know how to figure out where the axle needs to be, I just want to know the easiest and most effective way to pull one side of the axle back to where it needs to be and hold the rear in place while I adjust the wishbone and reconnect it.
You state you have a drive shaft as opposed to a torque tube, if thats the case, thats easy: Take the tie rod end loose , hook a cum-a-long to the axle and the other end to something stationary or heavier and crank it back, screw out the tie rod end and reinstall. Ta-Da.
OK, thank you. I was thinking about doing that very thing but I was not sure and I did not want to damage anything. Last time I did something I thought would work with out making sure I spent several extra hours and dollars making it right. The rear end has the open drive shaft conversion on it. I guess that would have been so important info to put in the first post. Thanks for all the info. I'll get it square and also check the springs.
If that is a drive shaft you need a better way to locate the rearend. A set of ladder bars would work well. Does it torque up under hard acceleretion?
Just fid this on mine. I mounted the R/R in double shear and had a heck of a time backing off one side and lengthening the other by myself. Used a few jacks and jumping on the bones!
The Jalopy Journal
