Very high front end issue

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wv hillbilly

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jan 26, 2017
26
108
28
Tornado, WV
87 & 88 Monte SS's sat higher in the front end from the factory
 
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Bonnewagon

Lost in the Labyrinth
Supporting Member
Sep 18, 2009
10,564
14,298
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Queens, NY
Get some friends to sit on the front. If it stays up then you know the springs are strong/maybe new. If that is the case then I would cut them a 1/4 coil at a time until the stance was where you wanted it. OR replace with stock springs. They aren't expensive but a lot of labor involved. Personally I like a fairly high ride height but I live in pothole central.
 
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vandyman

Apprentice
Jul 16, 2017
68
55
18
That ride height looks normal to me.
I have a 86 Monte and use Gabriel air shocks to adjust to what I want.
 
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Clarmo

Master Mechanic
Jan 29, 2016
267
460
63
Ottawa, Canada
I have the same problem!!! LOL
 

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clean8485

Comic Book Super Hero
Dec 18, 2005
2,862
2,154
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Ontario, Canada
The front end on my '80 Malibu was sitting high as well. I thought that maybe the rear springs were weak, or that the front springs had been replaced at some time in the past. When I took the car apart, I found that both front springs were broken. The very bottom coil had broken off. I couldn't believe that the front of the car would have sat so high with 2 broken springs. A friend explained it to me this way. When the springs are intact (not broken), the lower pigtail of the spring sits in a "pocket" in the lower control arm, which is made for the lower end of the spring. When the bottom coil of the spring breaks off, there is now a new bottom pigtail of the spring, which exerts pressure on a "higher" spot on the lower control arm (not the pocket, where it should be), trying to support the weight of the front of the car. In most cases, this will make the front of the car sit a bit higher (depending on exactly where the bottom coil of the spring breaks off). I always thought that broken springs would make a car sit lower, but I saw for myself that this isn't always the case. My suggestion would be to inspect the front springs in your Monte carefully, and make sure that they're not damaged or broken. Just a thought.
 
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pontiacgp

blank
Mar 31, 2006
29,270
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113
Kitchener, Ontario
another thing is you need to measure the ride height of the frame to see if the front is sitting higher than the back. The G body sedan's body makes the front end to be sitting higher than the back but the C channel of the frame is parallel to the ground. If the springs were shanged in the SS and the lower controls arms were torqued when the car was not sitting on it's wheels that would cause the car to sit higher. When I buy a G body I don't try to figure out (or trust) what previous owners did to the car, I remove what I don't like and install what I need to get the car comfortable to me.
 
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ItsnotaGN

G-Body Guru
May 28, 2016
662
1,142
93
Colorado
Mine sat similar, but I had an aftermarket fiberglass hood and the radiator had been replaced with genuine plastic as opposed to the original brass unit.
 

pontiacgp

blank
Mar 31, 2006
29,270
20,391
113
Kitchener, Ontario
until you guys get your car down to a reasonable ride height I hope you watch out for these warnings......:)


bridge_markings.jpg
 
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