I have a 79 Malibu, that seems to have more rear tire clearance on the rear pass side than on the driver side and I notice this same issue on previous G-bodies I owned or worked on. Granted, my car has a (Moser) custom length 8.5 10 bolt out of a 72 A body, A-body upper adjustable arms and stock G-body lowers (fits just like a GN rear). I was wondering if this was a common G-body issue or maybe my rear is offcenter? Either way, does anyone have a proceedure for centering the rearend? I'd like to stay away from adjustable lower control arms, but I guess that may not be possible if extreme adjustments are rquired to center the rear! Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Is it a G-body thing or is it my car? (rear not centered)???
- Thread starter SBCJUAN
- Start date
Hey Jaun,
I think it's a G-body thing myself,although the ones I've noticed including mine all have more clearence on the driver that is it appears the rear end is closer to the passenger side,I've got a Moser 9",
Edelbrock adjustable upper arms and Southside Machine lowers and it appears to me that mine is about 3/4" or maybe a little more off,some say it can be adjusted out with the upper control arms but I don't think it'll move that far myself,don't know for shure as I havn't got back to that part yet as I've had plenty of other things going on,anyway it's not real noticable till you put some big rubber on,275/60-15's on 15"X8" rims on mine by the way,It's been discussed on here several times but no real answers so far,If you figure anything out be shure to let us know! Thanks,KIllerDave
I think it's a G-body thing myself,although the ones I've noticed including mine all have more clearence on the driver that is it appears the rear end is closer to the passenger side,I've got a Moser 9",
Edelbrock adjustable upper arms and Southside Machine lowers and it appears to me that mine is about 3/4" or maybe a little more off,some say it can be adjusted out with the upper control arms but I don't think it'll move that far myself,don't know for shure as I havn't got back to that part yet as I've had plenty of other things going on,anyway it's not real noticable till you put some big rubber on,275/60-15's on 15"X8" rims on mine by the way,It's been discussed on here several times but no real answers so far,If you figure anything out be shure to let us know! Thanks,KIllerDave
Thanks for the reply Dave! I started looking into it because I wanna notch the frame and I noticed the difference! Not sure it's a big deal, but before I remove the rear to notch the frame, I will take measurements and of course do the same afterwards and see if I can get it even! Like you, I don't think adjusting the uppers alone will do anything for that, but we'll see! I gotta have the procedure for centering the rear somewhere (pretty straight foward I'd say). Thanks Again.
I just remembered something else,It's H*&^ getting old the brain among other things don't work like it used to! But anyway it was also suggested it could be how the body is bolted to the frame,there's play there so they may not be sitting square with each other either,yea I've been looking into the frame notch,mini tub and a six point roll bar myself,lotta work but it's part of the ultimate plan! Have Fun! KillerDave
If you are using the original lower control arms, you will notice that they are the same part on either side. The OEM bushings stick out further on one side than on the other. Since the control arms are the same and one is turned around backwards, it moves the rear a little to one side.
Bob (Shotgun) discovered this, and was able to more closely center the rear under his wagon.
Bob (Shotgun) discovered this, and was able to more closely center the rear under his wagon.
I had more tire clearance on one side vs. the other. When I took the car to the frame shop to have work done, the guy used the control arms to adjust it and now it is dead center.
I was a little worried what this would do to the alignment, but when I took the car in for my alignment the guy there checked everything out. He said although the rear is not perfectly square, it was well within spec.
The car launches and drives straight.
I was a little worried what this would do to the alignment, but when I took the car in for my alignment the guy there checked everything out. He said although the rear is not perfectly square, it was well within spec.
The car launches and drives straight.
Thanks again guys! The control arm bushing theory makes sense (haven't looked under there yet). Never thought it would be a major issue, just wondering if it was common or not! Sounds like there's a fix! Thanks again guys!
Where are you taking your measurements from? If you are measuring from the fender to the axle flange, instead of axle flange to frame, you might be seeing the body being off center of the frame. It's possible to move the body around on the frame a bit, perhaps you can adjust it to provide uniform measurements at the wheel openings.
Similar threads
