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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 08:51 AM
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Default ride height

The car is an 02 convertible and last year I replaced the struts/shocks/springs with a Bilstein BTS-7501 kit. This year we installed an iron block LQ4 and the car seems to be a bit too low. Does anyone have an easy method to measure ride height without taking the car in to a shop? I have a two post lift so that wont work. I was thinking of placing stacks of 2x6's ( equal height) under each wheel so I can crawl under there to measure. Any suggestions? Also, I noticed that the springs are blue and everyone I talk to says the springs should have been black Eibach's in the kit. I purchased the kit from an individual, not a store so I cant go back to verify what he did with the kit before he sold it. Anyway, plan is to get this corrected over the winter so I am looking for advice on process and parts.
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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 11:33 AM
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Simply measure the ground to the center of the wheel well opening on all 4 corners with the car sitting on level ground. A stock car normally measures right around 27" at this point.
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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by BMR Tech2
Simply measure the ground to the center of the wheel well opening on all 4 corners with the car sitting on level ground. A stock car normally measures right around 27" at this point.
Well, that was just too darn easy! Front measure 25 3/4" each side and rear measures 26" on each side ( only 1/2 tank of gas, that could be the difference in height). That seems to be right in line with the advertised drop for this kit ( 1" - 1 1/4"). Dont understand the blue springs. So my choices are live with what I have or go back to a stock height spring. Thanks for the help.
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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 04:02 PM
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Depending on how much you want to raise the front up you can either use some hardened 1/8" thick washers or go with a set of BMR spacers. Both would mount between the front lower A-arms and the bottom shock bolt holes.
IMO, I would consider 27" on the low side for stock front ride height. 27.5" would be more common.

Last edited by 99Bluz28; Jul 17, 2014 at 04:12 PM.
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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 04:12 PM
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Thats an interesting approach. Would that bring the camber back in to GM spec?
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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 04:20 PM
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These may indeed be the simplest solution to raising your front end back up. It will reduce your negative camber, however we suggest any time a suspension component is changed, especially a ride height change, that you have the car aligned

http://www.bmrsuspension.com/?page=p...506&superpro=0
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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 04:28 PM
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I will give them a try. Just ordered a set from your Ebay listing. Yes, I agree, the front end would need to be re-aligned. Should make the tech happy, he wasnt pleased that I took the car with the camber slightly out of spec. Darn perfectionists! Should also make my new Nitto's and my new SLP Y pipe happier as well. Thanks.
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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 04:37 PM
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Not enough to make much difference since you would only be changing the ride height 3/16"- 9/16".
BTW, the Bilstein BTS-7501 kit did come with blue lowering springs, at least when they first came out but I'm not 100% sure if the springs are made by Eibach. The newer Bilstein B12/BTS-7501 kits have the black Eibach-prokit springs. FYI, nothing wrong with having some negative camber(-1* or less) in the front end alignment. Especially if you like to take corners with any speed( like I do!).

Last edited by 99Bluz28; Jul 17, 2014 at 04:51 PM.
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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 04:48 PM
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Camber was -0.4 and -0.6, but I would like it to be within spec. No hard cornering at my age ( 71), well not a lot. Dont want to have my hearing aid fall out, could get caught in the steering wheel!
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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 05:01 PM
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I guess that make me a Young Buck then (50)..!
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Old Jul 17, 2014 | 05:06 PM
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Darn kids!!!
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Old Jul 18, 2014 | 06:59 AM
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Originally Posted by 99Bluz28
I guess that make me a Young Buck then (50)..!
And I'm an "in between buck"......62!



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Old Jul 18, 2014 | 07:53 AM
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I hate to think what that makes me then at 26 haha. However I am curious as to why the tech did not try to correct the camber? Even the factory components allow for a fair amount of camber adjustment. Do you know if he attempted to change it and ran out of adjustment, or simply did not know how to adjust it on these cars?
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Old Jul 18, 2014 | 07:56 AM
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Originally Posted by BMR Tech2
I hate to think what that makes me then at 26 haha. However I am curious as to why the tech did not try to correct the camber? Even the factory components allow for a fair amount of camber adjustment. Do you know if he attempted to change it and ran out of adjustment, or simply did not know how to adjust it on these cars?
He ran out of adjustment. I checked and the adjusting bolt is all the way to the end of the travel/slot. His explanation was that the car was too low. It was done at the Chevy dealer and he adjusted the front end last year before I installed the new suspension. No issues back then.
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Old Jul 18, 2014 | 08:47 AM
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Strange. I have guys with more drop (1.5-2") that have proper camber, and adjustability still. But every car is different. There seems to be a large amount of build tolerance in these cars
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Old Jul 18, 2014 | 11:40 AM
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Originally Posted by BMR Tech2
...There seems to be a large amount of build tolerance in these cars
I agree!!


I installed a set of the Eibach 'Pro-Kit' springs in my '96 Z/28, back when it was a couple of months old. Since I had it apart, and I knew that lowering the car would send the camber negative, I made the adjusting slots about 1/4" longer (toward the inside of the car). As it turned out, I never needed that additional range of adjustment.
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Old Jul 18, 2014 | 01:43 PM
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IMO, -0.4* and -0.6* camber shouldn't give any tire wear problems. The only time I had any abnormal tire wear from negative camber was when I was running about -1.5* camber. Prior to that I had it at -1* with no issues.
IMO, your camber setting are nothing to worry about.
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Old Jul 18, 2014 | 03:41 PM
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Originally Posted by 99Bluz28
IMO, -0.4* and -0.6* camber shouldn't give any tire wear problems. The only time I had any abnormal tire wear from negative camber was when I was running about -1.5* camber. Prior to that I had it at -1* with no issues.
IMO, your camber setting are nothing to worry about.
Yeah, I wasnt really worried about the camber as much as I feel the car is too low for the crappy roads and speed bumps around here. I have about 3 inches, or so, of clearance between the ground and the SLP y pipe, just wanted to grab some more air space. The pipe is about an inch or so from the underbody lines ( brake, fuel?) and I dont want to get any closer than that. If the camber gets back within GM tolerance, after I install the spacers, that is an added benefit. Any trick to installing the spacers or just unbolt, lift up strut, slide in spacer and re install bolt?
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