front ride hieght adjustment

[jim ross]

Good day friends. I was hoping someone could shed some light on my dilemma. I am attempting to raise the front ride height on my 1984 S. the car has BOGE w/ adjustable spring nut. been turning and turning ( wrench movement from my left to mt right. as stated in a maintenance tips post. for 4 full turns of nut NO change in spring length or movement up wards. NO threads showing either..what gives?..thnx James

[76FJ55]

It is possible that the threaded collar that sets on the shock body is rotating with the adjusting nut. if the threads have become corroded and the friction/ adhesion between the nut and the threaded collar is higher than the friction between the collar and shock body the entire adjustment mechanism will spin on the shock and it will not adjust height. you may need to disassemble the unit and free up the threads or replace the nut and or threaded collar to get it to work again.

[jim ross]

thats what i was afraid of..i soaked the assembly w/ penetrating oil..this may have made it worse! will adding 2 thick washers under each bolt ( 4 total ) under the bottom shock mount, help raise it a little?

[harborman]

Originally Posted by jim ross

Good day friends. I was hoping someone could shed some light on my dilemma. I am attempting to raise the front ride height on my 1984 S. the car has BOGE w/ adjustable spring nut. been turning and turning ( wrench movement from my left to mt right. as stated in a maintenance tips post. for 4 full turns of nut NO change in spring length or movement up wards. NO threads showing either..what gives?..thnx James

I did this. First I put a pencil mark on the shock below the nut and on the bottom part of the shock, right where the two upper and lower meet. Now you can see the change as you turn. It takes quite a few turns to make any difference as threads are fine. Once you think you have moved it enough, take a paper and put it up against the upper part and put a mark at you pencil mark. This is the distance you moved it. Now go to the other side and do same, then place paper on shock and see if it matches the other side. This way you keep both sides the same height! Because of the geometry the change is shock height will not equal actual height raised. When done, drive car to settle height and take actual height at bottom point shown in manual.

[MPDano]

Let's see the actual ride height via pics. I actually put clamps on mine to lower it. Stock front ride height is too high for my tastes.

[harborman]

Originally Posted by 76FJ55

It is possible that the threaded collar that sets on the shock body is rotating with the adjusting nut. if the threads have become corroded and the friction/ adhesion between the nut and the threaded collar is higher than the friction between the collar and shock body the entire adjustment mechanism will spin on the shock and it will not adjust height. you may need to disassemble the unit and free up the threads or replace the nut and or threaded collar to get it to work again.

I put PB Blaster on the shock and let it sit a day or so. It takes quite a few turns to move an inch and an inch changes the height more than an inch.

[harborman]

Originally Posted by MPDano

Let's see the actual ride height via pics. I actually put clamps on mine to lower it. Stock front ride height is too high for my tastes.

I set mine to the lowest spec or I should say to the lower end of the spec. Was it 7 inches? I forget now. If you go too low it throws off the alignment too much. At any rate, once you fiddle with the height, you need a realignment.

[jim ross]

i spun that darn nut for an hour with not a mm in movement. Inner workings must be frozen up. Stuck on lowest setting. last weeekend i was bottoming out on an AX track..i needed more hieght...

[harborman]

Originally Posted by jim ross

i spun that darn nut for an hour with not a mm in movement. Inner workings must be frozen up. Stuck on lowest setting. last weeekend i was bottoming out on an AX track..i needed more hieght...

Well sorry you are having the problem. Time to remove one and see what is wrong. Yes, too low and your front end hits, bends front pan on RR tracks, etc. You need to raise it up or suffer damage. There is a round spot on the bracket holding suspension in front. That is the measuring point to ground. There is a spec in MM for the height, Maybe 180 MM for front. Hope you did not strip the threads.

[harborman]

Originally Posted by jim ross

i spun that darn nut for an hour with not a mm in movement. Inner workings must be frozen up. Stuck on lowest setting. last weeekend i was bottoming out on an AX track..i needed more hieght...

You may need to rent a spring compressor and relieve the pressure on the shock and nut. You might have to remove the shock to do this and be careful as that spring will be under a lot of tension. Maybe take it to a shop and have them do it. Hope someone else might have an idea for you.

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by jim ross

i spun that darn nut for an hour with not a mm in movement. Inner workings must be frozen up. Stuck on lowest setting. last weeekend i was bottoming out on an AX track..i needed more hieght...

Well, if all else fails. You could always use those spring clamps but mount them the other way and expand your springs.

[jim ross]

i read that ride hieght CAN be measured fom bottom of tire to fender well as well..should be 27 inches factory setting..im at 25-1/4 on pass side and 25 on drivers side. looks cool..but. I replaced some sway bar and link bushings (aftermarket urethane) before my race sunday. I think i over torqued the link ends and had a problem with binding..as my ride hieght sank after every run! i fixed that problem...maybe shell be OK now? But i still want to raise the drivers side another 1/4 inch. then both sides another 1/2 inch. my skid pads took a beating on the track..but no real damage thank god!!

[jim ross]

Originally Posted by MPDano

Well, if all else fails. You could always use those spring clamps but mount them the other way and expand your springs.

where can you find 'em?? and where would be the best spot to set them? up high? would i run into problems AX racing??

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by jim ross

where can you find 'em?? and where would be the best spot to set them? up high? would i run into problems AX racing??

Not sure about AX rules, but I have them on my car and I passed the Tech Inspection. You can't see the clamps if you munt them low on the spring. I haven't AX'd yet and I don't know how they would handle the thrashing about in AX'ing too. Just a last ditch effort before yanking the shock out and replacing it.

I think I bought mine at Pep Boys, but i would just call the local Auto places near you before going there.

[jim ross]

thnx, i DONT want to take shock out and dismantle! im going to try a few more things to raise another 1/2 inch. as long as the suspension is rebounding now..that was the BIG problem i think...i had overtorqued the linkages and they were binding and not allowing the suspension to rebound properly. Do you know anything about caster effects? for AX / daily driving..would i want more positive or negative?

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by jim ross

thnx, i DONT want to take shock out and dismantle! im going to try a few more things to raise another 1/2 inch. as long as the suspension is rebounding now..that was the BIG problem i think...i had overtorqued the linkages and they were binding and not allowing the suspension to rebound properly. Do you know anything about caster effects? for AX / daily driving..would i want more positive or negative?

Sorry, Caster/Camber would be totally above my head. I am interested in the answer though. Do you AX through the PCA? I can't for my forst AX, but i want to sort out more stuff first.

[jim ross]

I believe more positive caster is goos for straight line speed and track..but negative is good for pivoting hard turns. I do AX with the PCA..region 12. I just finished my first last sunday with the GOLD Coast club. It was the most exciting thing ive ever done..and it was FAST too. track was .7 mile w/ elevation changes..off camber turns...banked turns..hairpins...everything! The club allowed MANY non porsches to enter..saw some good runs..best was a lotus elise..very quiet and FAST..smooth. by my last run i was within 5 seconds of the top drivers! I would suggest bolstering your skid plates under nose! i really beat mine up!

[MPDano]

Cool, i also your running an Auto like me. How did it fair? Did you just manually shift the 1-2-3?

[jim ross]

auto worked great... i just left it in lowest setting (2).. w/ first gear starts..my trans has an issue with upshifting into 2 nd too early. BUT with all that torque 2nd worked great! no worries there. i was on street tires..many used slicks..but i think it may have hurt them in the end..very sticky tires / half way thru the event the turns were collecting ALOT of dirt and rubber marbles. That mustve stuck to thier tires and reduced traction..

[MPDano]

Tighten up that Bowden Cable that attaches to your Throttle. That will get you later shifts. I've been messing with mine for months and finally got it where I want it.