In a minor accident, the T's fault not mine, I believe my rear spring got bent on the drivers side causing a list to that side. Is there any reason why I shouldn't take it to a spring shop for re-arching?
Thanks.
Mike
That's what I would do. We're lucky, 35 miles south is a great spring shop that is very reasonable. Hope you have on nearby.
You might check to see if spring(s) moved off-center first. If the springs aren't centered, that will cause the car to list also. Thick pads can cause this as they compress over time.
I should have said; "centered in the cross member". The square head of the spring bolt can still be in the cross member but the springs can shift if the clamps are not tight enough or not tightened evenly to start with.
It's worth a check before full disassembly.
Thanks Tim, and Ken, I do need to check that, It could have happened in the "accident."
I'll check it out.
Thanks Again,
Mike
Normally the springs don't "bend". They flex and then go back to the original shape. It is possible that you have a broken leaf or that the spring is off center in the frame. Sometimes even the bolts which hold the spring to the frame are unequally tightened. You might try loosening the bolts on the side which is low and tighten the bolts on the opposite side and then work from side to side till all the nuts are tight.
Norm
Thanks, Norman, that a great idea. I'll give it a try.
Mike
A hairline crack in the frame at the rear engine mount can cause a list. My frame was cracked there.
Mike, in case you find it is the spring, I would do the "re-arcing". I did it for my hack as the extra weight of the body over the years seemed to sag the rear spring. I had a truck place do the job and although it it a tapered leaf 13, I added an extra top leaf from a later year (non-tapered) and it made the car ride and look much better. The extra leaf is hidden in the cross member so it doesn't show.
A small hole in the floor would let you visually check to see if the center bolt is in place. I have done this on several of my cars when installing the rear spring.