my frame is bent?!

[73roadchicken]

will ive been going throw the trouble of trying to figure out why my roadrunner has been leaning on one side. i was thinking it was maybe a suspension problem, ive replaced the front shocks and replaced the rears with coil over shocks, bought new leaf springs with a 3 inch lift. and it still has a lean! im starting to think that my frame my have been bent from an accident.

 

[69 Runner]

Did it just start leaning like an Italian skyscraper, or has it always done this?

 

[73roadchicken]

when i got the car it was at stock height, so i really couldnt tell it had a lean until i jacked up the rear to fit 15x10 rims with 295/50/15 tires. then it was noticeable.

 

[73roadchicken]

 

[69 Runner]

Water under the bridge, but if you had gotten the proper offset rims, you wouldn't have to jack it up like that.

My initial guess is torsion bars. Check them to see how close to even the adjusters are. I bet you've got a problem there

 

[daredevil]

Check the point where the torsion bars mount to the frame.The reciever piece may be fatigued or rusted and not holding the tension on the torsion bar.

 

[73roadchicken]

i was going for that look. old school 70's. i wanted to rear end to sit up a lil high.

 

[69 Runner]

So have you checked the torsion bars and mounts yet?

 

[chrisII]

if the frame was bent you would have really bad body alignment at the fenders, hood, and doors

 

[CharGer]

Check out the lower control arm bushings. My charger leaned really low to one side and the bushing was completely destroyed. Gerry

 

[beeguy]

I agree, probably a torsion bar adjustment issue.

 

[69 Runner]

Check out the lower control arm bushings. My charger leaned really low to one side and the bushing was completely destroyed. Gerry

Interesting thought as well. And if it were an A body, I'd say check the K frame where the LCA bolts in. They're prone to cracking.

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

I agree with many of the other posts here in that it may be something as simple as uneven spring load on your torsion bars. If it requires an unusual amount of adjustment to level the car, it may be something more. The guessing game is costly however. process of elimination will sort out the problem. A trip to a reputable collision repair shop would be a good first step to have an inspection done of the vehicle structure. The 25-50$ spent here can save you 10 times that amount in hit and miss repair/replace decisions. I have seen torsion bar fatigue/damage before although not on an older Mopar. A simple test you can perform if you don't have the $ for an inspection requires a little measuring on your part and a very level surface (which can be a challenge to find). you will also need 4 same jack stands and the vehicle supported dead even at the 4 torque box areas. If you can accomplish this you should be able to measure from the level surface to the suspension mounting points at all the critical areas such as the front/rear leaf spring hangers, torsion bar mounts, lower ctrl arm mounts, K-member through to the front of the rad support comparing measurements from side to side, noting any differences more than 1/8" (3mm). While this is not a deadly accurate method it may point you in the right direction if you suspect structure damage. A SKILLED collision tech is your best bet. If not structure then its likely a spring giving you grief.
Good luck!

 

[696pack]

will ive been going throw the trouble of trying to figure out why my roadrunner has been leaning on one side. i was thinking it was maybe a suspension problem, ive replaced the front shocks and replaced the rears with coil over shocks, bought new leaf springs with a 3 inch lift. and it still has a lean! im starting to think that my frame my have been bent from an accident.

Is it leaning in the front or rear?

If it is the front have you adjusted the torsion bars?

You could back them all the way off and then do equal turns to get them back up where they belong, but I would bet that there would still be a difference in height from side to side. I have never seen a perfectly even set.

 

[73roadchicken]

well after letting it sit for awhile i started to tackle the problem of my car leaning. it turned out to be my body mount bushings..they were completely gone on one side of the car.

 

[69 Runner]

You mean the ones between the K frame and the frame rails?

that would do it

 

[Revhendo]

I just got home from working on my bird and was going to suggest the Iso-bushings. I replaced mine with solid aluminum mounts.

Rev.

 

[Meep-Meep]

Looks like the problem is solved, but here is one scenario that just happened to me on my 66 that could have caused this as well. I noticed one torsion adjuster bolt all the way in compared to the other side but the car sat fairly level. Upon removal and closer inspection of the lower control arm with the abby-normal adjustment we found a split on the arm around the top of the bushing. I popped out the bushing, closed the gap in a vice and welded it up. I also added a small strap as a gusset. Adjustment back to normal and all OK. I have never seen this, but the car does have 285K miles on it.

 

[73roadchicken]

exactly 69 road runner. between the k frame and frame rail. but more on the front passenger side. the bushing was completely destroyed.