Re: IML: front end height question of 1960 Imp
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: IML: front end height question of 1960 Imp



Paul, you've just solved a mystery for me. Yesterday I was making a long overdue adjustment to the parking brake on my '60 and had it up on jack stands placed under the frame about a foot and a half back of the front wheels. After I was done and had lowered the car I crossed to the front to close the hood. As I did I thought "My God, I've shrunk 4 inches!" I was very tired as the parking brake was the last item on a long "to do" list I had for the car yesterday, so I just shook it off and went in the house a got cleaned up. Today when I went out to the garage and walked in front of the '60 everything was back to normal so I marked yesterday off to fatigue. Now I know I'm not losing my mind. Yesterday yielded some benefits as I solved my gas gauge problem. It was the only gauge not working so I raised the back of the car unhooked the blue wire to the sending unit hooked a jumper wire to ground and turned the key. Nothing. Then I remembered there was a connector under the carpet in the trunk. I cleaned the connection at the sender, lowered the car, opened the trunk and pulled back the carpet. I unplugged the connector there and hooked the wire leading to the body wiring to ground, turned the key and this time the gauge came alive. Back in the trunk I took a good look at the connecting pieces of the two wires and noted they were green. I took the plastic plug casing off the wire leading to the sender and ran its flat surface back and forth over a flat file till it was bright and shiny. I took a miniture flat screw driver and cleaned as best I could the female plug. I then hooked them back up turned the key and was rewarded with the dismal reminder of how fast these cars go through gas - but at least I had a working gauge. There have been a number of comments on line about fuel sending units needing to be rebuilt/replaced. I thought I was heading down that road until I remembered that connection in the trunk. Moisture does strange things and even though my car was parked inside a barn for 12 years enough moisture still found its way into the trunk to corrode a connection under the carpet as the gauge worked when I parked it in the barn. So before you replace those sending units, you might want to check all the connections between the gauge and the sender.

Jim L. in OR
   '60 Crown 4dr Southampton
   '62 Crown 4dr Southampton

----- Original Message ----- From: <randalpark@xxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 5:33 PM
Subject: Re: IML: front end height question of 1960 Imp


Nothing about what you did to jack up the car should have effected the height. If anything, it should have sat a little high at first, and then settled once it sat for a while or was driven.

I am concerned about this change, since these things don't happen by themselves. If the front end is bottomed out, it is possible the the Torsion Bar Anchors have broken. I wouldn't think they both do it at the same time, but I guess anything is possible on a 47 year old car. The anchors are at the cross member under the transmission. If you are able, you should read the FSM Front Suspension section thoroughly.

I had this experience with my '65 Imperial back in the late '70s, but it only happened on one side. You should be able to tell if your front suspension is working by driving the car and feeling how to reacts to dips in the road way. I have no trouble myself determining this when it happens to my own cars, but without driving your car, I can not diagnose this for sure.

Are you positive that the car wasn't at this level before? If the rear end height is too high in relation to the front, you may also notice a vibration at around 35 mph due to improper drive shaft angle. If there is a vibration now and there wasn't before, then something definitely has changed.

The torsion bars are adjustable, but that can only be done if the anchors are in good condition.

Keep us posted on this Robert!

Paul W.


-----Original Message-----
From: Rob van der Es <r.vdes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 1:55 pm
Subject: IML: front end height question of 1960 Imp



Hello fellow Imperialists,


Apart from wrestling with some electric gremlins lately, I am a little
worried about one other thing.
When I looked closely to my car today I found that the front end was too
close to the floor.
It never drawed my attention before and I guess something must have
happend when the car was on jack stands for almost a week with the front
wheels free of the ground.

Ofcourse I did not place the stands or the jack right under the torsion
bars, the stands where placed under the wide frame members (left and
right).

I was working then on the driver side cilinderhead, trying to get rid of
some broken exhaust manifold studs.
When I succeeded this job, I lowered the car and was too happy to notice
the fact that the front end was lower then before.

When I walked around the car today, I can not get rid of the idea that
something has happenend.. The car's front end is definetely a couple of
inches lower then before.

What is happening here? And more important, how do I correct this situation.

I know there must be some adjusters but can I simply turn them to get the
front end up again?
Btw, the car's front end height is equal when you compare left and right,
it is just that the total front end (especially the lowest point of the
front bumper) is way too low to the ground.

Does anyone has an idea here?

THanks a lot,

Robert



----------------- http://www.imperialclub.com -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm



________________________________________________________________________
AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.


-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm






-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm



Home Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network


Copyright © The Forward Look Network. All rights reserved.

Opinions expressed in posts reflect the views of their respective authors.
This site contains affiliate links for which we may be compensated.