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78 Concord - front sits high?

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Markindy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Markindy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: 78 Concord - front sits high?
    Posted: Feb/01/2023 at 5:04pm
I have a '78 Concord D/L 2-door that is really a great car...honestly has 20k miles on it.  But I've noticed the front end seems to sit rather high, compared to the back end.  I barely notice it while driving, but when sitting beside other cars at a light, it seems the front end is pointing upward.  There is no obvious damage to the car, and all the suspension pieces look solid and have good bushings.  If I measure the edge of the rocker panel at the front tire, it shows 10" from the ground.  The rear edge of the rocker is 9".  Sitting by itself, the car looks fairly normal...but parked next to anything else, it looks the front end is high.  The rear seems perfectly normal.  Any thoughts?

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nickleone View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote nickleone Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb/01/2023 at 5:08pm
Sagging rear springs.  Get a TSM, Technical Service Manual (eBay) for your year Concord.  All the proper dimensions are in there and much more.


Nick


Edited by nickleone - Feb/01/2023 at 5:11pm
nick
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Trader Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb/02/2023 at 8:04am
If you go to the Rock Auto catalogue and pull up the front springs for a I6 vs V8 on the Spirt (same body as the Concord), you will find them different. I'm assuming you have an I6 car and it would not be the first time that wrong springs were put into an AMC from the factory.
V8 coils will have the front approximately 1" too high on an I6 car.
If the rear is fine as per the TSM, I'd suspect that the front coils may be wrong.
At 20K, the tag or paint streak may still be on the coil for identification as per the TSM. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 1ManGang Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb/02/2023 at 6:55pm
Both those replies could be accurate.  I have had a number of 1978 Concord 2drs but none with that few miles.  If your car came with some repair paperwork or some old pictures, you could further investigate.  

I have a 99 Cherokee with 300k.  I bought some new rear springs from a private seller and put them in.  There were 3 different rear springs for Cherokees in 1999.  I went from the shortest to the tallest arch.  

The rear end sags more often than the front end would have the wrong parts.  

Dave
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote FSJunkie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb/07/2023 at 1:44am
Looking at AMC brochures and other photos of these cars when they were new shows that they usually sat slightly lower in back than in front. That's how they were from day one.

They start out with the rocker panel level to the ground with an empty gas tank and no load in the car. A full tank of gas sags them down about an inch, and any other load sags the back down more. Even sitting in the front seat sags the back down more than the front, since the front springs are stiffer than the rear.

It's just how they were designed. I know...it's infuriating. 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Markindy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/03/2023 at 3:29pm
Thanks to everyone who has replied.  The car rides and handles fine, it's just the perception of the car with the nose in the air that irritates me.  As FSJunkie indicated, it may just be the way it is.  My next question is whether anyone has fitted lift-spacers on the rear axle?  I've seen 1" aluminum blocks that can placed between the axle and leaf spring to raise the ride-height.  I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has tried that...whether the experience was good or bad.  Thanks, Mark
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bikerfox Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/03/2023 at 5:09pm
there's another option:  eatondetroitspring.com  you can get springs with a lower height.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Heavy 488 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/03/2023 at 7:57pm
Originally posted by Markindy Markindy wrote:

Thanks to everyone who has replied.  The car rides and handles fine, it's just the perception of the car with the nose in the air that irritates me.  As FSJunkie indicated, it may just be the way it is.  My next question is whether anyone has fitted lift-spacers on the rear axle?  I've seen 1" aluminum blocks that can placed between the axle and leaf spring to raise the ride-height.  I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has tried that...whether the experience was good or bad.  Thanks, Mark

Look under the rear of the car and see if there's anything for you to reconsider that idea
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scrappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/04/2023 at 6:55am
Originally posted by Markindy Markindy wrote:

I've seen 1" aluminum blocks that can placed between the axle and leaf spring to raise the ride-height.  I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has tried that...whether the experience was good or bad.

That won't work geometrically.  The axle is above the leaf springs, so spacing the axle further from the spring would lower the car.

Even if it did work geometrically, it wouldn't work because the springs don't interface directly with the spring pads on the axle.  The spring is clamped between two rubber isolators, which would require multiple parts past u-bolts and spacers to change the distance.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amcfool1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/04/2023 at 8:41am
Hi, I went through this exact issue with my 79 Spirit. (232/904, 52K original miles) Front was a little too high for my taste. tried various things, ended up with taking out the coils and cutting about 4-5 inches off the coils, enough to drop the nose a little, but not enough to mess up any front end geometry. If you cut a whole coil out, it drops the nose a LOT, too much for me.
Also, the 78+ cars have the "Isoclamp" rear suspension, not a bad thing in itself, but those isoclamps trap water, and tend to rust out the springs and mounting plates, even on a low mileage car. Check out the rear suspension carefully. Your rear springs could be a bit weak, just from age. Stengel Bros., is a good place to get new ones, and they will even bend them a bit more if you like.
Lastly, my Spirit had a 2:53 rear axle, meaning the car sort of "hemmed and hawed" when asked to move :). I had a fully rebuilt 3:08 axle from a 77 Hornet lying around, so decided to put it in the Spirit. The 77 axle is a NON Isoclamp axle, so it won't just bolt in, but luckily I also had a spare set of 77 mounting plates, put it all together, worked like a charm. Also got new U-bolts. One unintended benefit of this axle swap is that it RAISES the rear of the car by about an inch, leveling it out without messing with the front. Now the car has a slight forward rake, looks pretty good! In retrospect, I could have left the front alone, and had a level car.
Oh, and also, with the 3:08 gear, the car will now actually MOVE away from a red light with a little authority. MUCH more drivable and fun.
Good luck with yours.   gz

PS.  When I took the Isoclamp setup apart, even on this low mileage, more or less zero rust car, there was considerable  rust on the mounting plates and the springs where the isoclamps contacted them. Again, check yours carefully.
george z
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