Uneven Rear

[Robert K.]

New member here and this will be my first post. Hello to all, and please have patience with me as I get into the swing of this.

I have a situation which I would like to get some expert opinions on. I purchased a fairly well used 1969 convertible 350/350 at the end of last summer. I noticed at the time of purchase that the rear or the car "drooped" a bit on the driver's side. Inspection of the car at the time revealed no indication that the vehicle had ever been hit, and the frame appears to be fine. I assumed that the "sag" might be due to a worn spring or perhaps bushings.

Fast forward to now, I recently installed a new spring and related bushings. The sag remains. Not as pronounced, but still noticible. It is a good 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch difference in height at the wheel wells, with tires inflated uniformly, etc.

My question is whether anyone might be able to provide me with some additional suspects on what this might be. I understand it could literally be 100 different things, but my hope is there is something I haven't considered that it "ususally" is. Any thoughts are appreciated! Thanks.
Bob

[Martin N.]

Re: Uneven Rear

BOB-

Welcome aboard. If you search the archives you'll find some posts regarding the "droop" condition. I believe that 1/2" to 3/4" of a variance is not unusal in a C-3 and is considered factory acceptable and within their tolorences.

Marty

[Joe L.]

Re: Uneven Rear

New member here and this will be my first post. Hello to all, and please have patience with me as I get into the swing of this.

I have a situation which I would like to get some expert opinions on. I purchased a fairly well used 1969 convertible 350/350 at the end of last summer. I noticed at the time of purchase that the rear or the car "drooped" a bit on the driver's side. Inspection of the car at the time revealed no indication that the vehicle had ever been hit, and the frame appears to be fine. I assumed that the "sag" might be due to a worn spring or perhaps bushings.

Fast forward to now, I recently installed a new spring and related bushings. The sag remains. Not as pronounced, but still noticible. It is a good 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch difference in height at the wheel wells, with tires inflated uniformly, etc.

My question is whether anyone might be able to provide me with some additional suspects on what this might be. I understand it could literally be 100 different things, but my hope is there is something I haven't considered that it "ususally" is. Any thoughts are appreciated! Thanks.
Bob

Bob-----

I can tell you that my 1969 convertible was virtually exactly as you described the day I took delivery of it NEW (9/30/69). I complained about it, a Chevrolet zone rep came to the dealership to inspect it, and he told me that it was within factory tolerances. That was the end of it.

Over the years I tried everything to correct this and NOTHING worked. My rear suspension has been completely rebuilt (by me) several times. The "lean" problem is exactly the same today as it was on 9/30/69.

I have also observed this exact same situation in many other cars of the C2-early C3 period. More than a few folks have inquired about it on this board, too.

[Robert K.]

Re: Uneven Rear

Joe and Martin,

Thanks so much for your replies. I took Martin's advice and searched the archives (had to use "sagging rear" as opposed to "droopy rear" to get a result; must be a technical distinction there!) and I acyually saw some of Joe's older posts regarding the issue. I must say, It does make me feel quite a bit better to know that it is not such an uncommon occurance.

Some people also indicated that it may be the front coil springs which contribute to the condition. We will see if that helps me as I will be doing them soon.


In the meantime, thank you both again for your informative (and timely) replies. This forum is an unbelievable resource, and I look forward to getting to "know" this community better.

All the best,

Bob

[Joe L.]

Re: Uneven Rear

Joe and Martin,

Thanks so much for your replies. I took Martin's advice and searched the archives (had to use "sagging rear" as opposed to "droopy rear" to get a result; must be a technical distinction there!) and I acyually saw some of Joe's older posts regarding the issue. I must say, It does make me feel quite a bit better to know that it is not such an uncommon occurance.

Some people also indicated that it may be the front coil springs which contribute to the condition. We will see if that helps me as I will be doing them soon.


In the meantime, thank you both again for your informative (and timely) replies. This forum is an unbelievable resource, and I look forward to getting to "know" this community better.

All the best,

Bob

Bob-----


Replacing the front springs won't help; that's one of the things I eventually did. No change, at all, with respect to the "lean".

Changing the rear spring or reversing it won't help, either.

[Anthony S.]

Re: Uneven Rear

Robert,

My '68 suffers from a droop on the driver's side also.

I tried the new rear spring thing & made sure that my fronts are properly installed, with no change in the "lean."

After checking numerous "for sale" adds for Vettes (a sort of photo research) I have noticed many 68-69 Vettes with this condition.

This has helped me feel more comfortable about this condition. I guess that along with the leaks and other quirks, this is part of owning a Vette.

Take care,

Anthony

[Alan S.]

Re: Uneven Rear

Robert,
You got good responses to your question so I'll just say welcome and I'm glad you're here. I always look forward to more 68-72 posts.
Regards,
Alan

[Larry S.]

Re: Uneven Rear

Hi Robert,
I had the sag on the rear left (driver) side of my '64. I found that I could correct it by putting a coil spring wedge in the left front of my Corvette.
Think about it. If you raise the left front, the rear right will tend to go down. This worked for me.

[Jim B.]

Re: Uneven Rear

Robert

While I had several issues with my 1968 327/350 when I bought it new, I did not have this problem. Over the years I saw a slight passenger side lean but I always put that to using too much torque on launch at the track.

Anyway, I think that there was much variation in these cars and you should not be concerned. Just enjoy.

[Robert K.]

Re: Uneven Rear

Thanks to everyone who replied to my question. It is great to get opinions and insights from folks like you who have much more experience with this than I do at this point.

I have never noticed the "droop" in any other C3s prior to getting mine, but that was more than likely because I was never looking for it. It seems very clear that this is in no way an uncommon occurance, and as I said earlier, that makes me feel a whole lot better!

Anyway, thanks again to all of you for taking the time to give your thoughts and share your knowledge. I had always heard that NCRS was a terrific organization, and I am certainly fortunate to be involved.

Best to all,

Bob