[Lewissr]

ON 1973 dart the front end sits realy low. I tightend the bolts under the shocks raising the fram up some but i had heard that is hard on the torsion bar. Plus it still is not enough. I tried a larger tire but unless I use a 185/70/14 the tires all seem to rub the fender when turned sharply.

I thought maybe air shocks for the front, but no one seemd to make them. any ideas? The Headers are getting beat to peices every time it's driven. <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

[IHAVECHEVYPARTS]

DONT KNOW IF YOURE DART HAS SPRINGS OR STRUTS
IF SPRINGS GET NEW ONES OR SPRING EXPANDERS,NOT THE TWIST INS THEY POP OUT USE THE ONES YOU TIGHTEN THE BOLTS TO INCREASE OR DECREASE HEIGHT.
IF STRUTS GET NEW ONES,AIR SHOCKS MAKE A ROUGH RIDE ON ANY CAR I THE FRONT

[willys36@aol.com]

Doesn't your car have torsion bars? If so I can't immagine why you can't just adjust the ride height by adjusting the torsion bar bolt. If they have taken a sag set and there is no more adjustement in the screw, I recall that the torsion bar is anchored by a hex boss in the chassis end so you might be able to reposition the bar (rotate it 1/6 turn in the anchor) and get brand new "springs". Torsion bars are the most adjustable spring system ever made. Go to some Mopar web sites and I am sure they will steer you to a very simple fix to your problem.

[dusterbd]

underneath the shock is a 3/4 headded bolot. this is your torsion bar adjuster. if you turn this one in, it will raise the front of the car. well, thats if the whole system is working properly. unfortunately, with the age of our cars, the systems sometimes dont.
there are two main areas that can be giving you problems from a mechanical standpoint. the first is the rear torsion bar bulkhead. thats where the rear of the t-bars fits into a hexagonal reciever. sometimes, the welds that hold the recievers in come apart, allowintg the torsion bars to rotate, effectively unspringing them.
the second is in the k-frame, where the lower control arm bolts in. these sometimes wear out, allowing for so much play that iot makes the springs somewhat innefectual.
there may also be the fact that you have changed from a slant six to a small/big block, or something similar. you need to match the t-bars to the application. even if the t-bars were matched to the application, they wear out just like anythging else. they do only have a shelf life of like twenty years.
if you have rebuilt the front end,did you put the t-bars back in on the proper sides? there is a left and right.....

on the tires: somethings really off there. 205/70/15 came stock, and cleared like rosie odonell at an all you can eat buffet. heck, im running 225/60/15 without a problem on mine. what wheels and back spacing are yoyu running? that may be a problem./ also may wanna chech and see if theyre seating properly, or remove spacers if there are any.

did i miss anything?
mike

[cuda66]

I have the same relitave set up on the old cuda. I ran int the same problem. I have done a whole new rebuild on the suspension in the front and I was just frustrated when I only had about six inches of clearance between the ground and the k member. so I finnaly took it to a front end shop and the tech told me that the higher the front sits above the factory the harder it is on the tires. here is what he told me. In order for him to lift the car up the max it will go is about an inch and a half higher. the reason behind this is the camber on the tires in the front would be way out of wack. resulting in me having to buy tires for the front more often. after I thought about *** makes since. the cars are very narrow and the hihger you lift the car the more stress that you are placing on the outer part of the tire. this resulting in excessive tire wear and sterring due to the lack of surface contact. You can though stiffen up your suspension by going with a bigger torsion bar. check out www.kanter.com . Man I have been battleing my cuda for about 12 years now. Just rececently I have found some great sites for us mopar fans. If you need and halp just let me know.

[pray9123]

Lewissr,

If you have placed a large V8 in where the slant six sat, your current engine weight could be too much for the lightweight suspension components. A stiffer K-member could be the thing you need.

About going to extremes which the adjustable torsion suspension. I am running a '78 Volare front member under my '53 Plymouth and have it lowered way down. Crossmember is 1 1/2" of the ground. My alignment guy had fits trying to get my tires to sit flat and run true. But after four attempts, he did it. He said he had to adjust it all the way out and then bring it back. He was very patient and I have not had any problems form it since. It rides great, runs dead on straight, and doesn't wander when cornering. <img src="graemlins/mwink.gif" border="0" alt="[mwink]" />

Phillip