Height difference

[80BrownK10]

Hi,

I noticed that my 74 c10 is half an inch lower on the right side compared to the left. I am thinking it is because of the tank being in that side, but is that normal? We just spent the weekend installing new front springs and shocks front and rear. Still the same.

I wonder if I should pursue the idea of compensating with a spacer of sorts for the shock, but I really have no idea how to approach this. We spent hours on hours measuring the car and there just is no other explanation than the extra weight of the fuel tank.

Have other people had this problem and solved it?

Thank you.

br
Jesper

Shocks have nothing to do with the height unless your installing air shocks or lift type coil overs. So spacing a shock does nothing but take the shock out of its optimal operating range in your case.

Did you replace the rear springs? One could be worn out from a previous owner carrying heavy loads on that side. Or is the frame bent, box bent?

 

[Rusty Nail]

Thank you all for input and thoughts.

I will try to take some measurements of the leaf springs and see where that brings me.

Yeah it's the leaf springs dude.

BTW : I believe "leaf springs" is the correct plural form.
AND a 3/4 frame is way more badass than a 1/2 ton frame.

Hope this helps!

 

[RecklessWOT]

Are you sure the frame isn't bent? Being a C10, they weren't as sturdy as the bigger trucks, but that doesn't stop some guys from working them to death. My dad had a C10 when I was a kid that he treated like a K30, and as a result the frame was bent to holy hell. He had a 2x4 jammed under the bed just to make it sit somewhat straight by the time he got rid of it. If someone worked that poor truck to death (or if it was in a couple good fender benders) it just might naturally sit a little tweaked regardless of weight in the tank or condition of the springs. That's an old truck, lots of years for something to have knocked it out of shape

 

[jerula]

Still haven't gotten around to measure it unfortunately, but I just remembered something. When we worked on the springs, we noticed that there are 2 different lower control arms on the truck. The driver side has the original with bump stop. The other is missing the bump stop, but apart from that they look identical. I thought I'd mention it ... I cannot bend my head around the potential geometrical mess different control arms could cause, but it does tell me a story that at some point, something must have happened to the truck and thus maybe the theory of a bent frame sounds plausible. However, as soon as I can, I will get the measurements for the leafs.
I haven't replaced the leafs, but if it turns out there is a problem with them, I definitely will.

 

[rt66paul]

It sounds to me that something was damaged and replaced on only one side. Figure out what happened(a good body man can tell in 30 seconds) and replace the parts on both sides, unless it is the frame and then you are on your own.

 

[RecklessWOT]

Still haven't gotten around to measure it unfortunately, but I just remembered something. When we worked on the springs, we noticed that there are 2 different lower control arms on the truck. The driver side has the original with bump stop. The other is missing the bump stop, but apart from that they look identical. I thought I'd mention it ... I cannot bend my head around the potential geometrical mess different control arms could cause, but it does tell me a story that at some point, something must have happened to the truck and thus maybe the theory of a bent frame sounds plausible. However, as soon as I can, I will get the measurements for the leafs.
I haven't replaced the leafs, but if it turns out there is a problem with them, I definitely will.

bent/ different control arms could be an issue too. Measure everything and get a really good look at all components maybe even take pictures to compare and make sure they're the same on both sides. Not 100% sure what's causing the difference, but that's not a normal ammount of sag you're talking about through regular use, something is off for sure