I just bought a salvaged '96 Formula. It was hit on the passenger rear fender and it was repaired. The car was a deal for $2600 w/ 78k miles and otherwise in really good condition. Working A/C and everything.

However, the passenger rear sits 1-2" higher than the driver side rear and I know they got the replacement fender and door from a V6. So I was thinking maybe they used a V6 spring on the passenger side?

How much taller is a V6 spring than a V8 spring?

I hope that's really what the problem is. I don't mean to sound ghetto, do it right the first time of course, but for a temp fix could I just hack off a coil to see if that is really the problem before I buy a whole set of lowering springs?

 

They are not really different heights but the V6 springs are designed to support a slighter lighter car so they are wound differently.

Even a newer spring versus an older spring will have a difference in ride height because many springs sag over time

 

Well this is a pretty extreme sag difference. The car is stiff and handles good. It just sits horribly.

The driver front sits 1.5" lower than the passenger front. And the driver rear sits 2.5" lower than the passenger rear.

 

Try swapping the rear springs from side to side. Other than that, it the car might be bent (hence the deal).

 

You'll have to get the car in the air. Sounds like damaged suspension components- I wouldn't think a sagging/different spring would sit that low, but a broken one could do that. You might as well take a good look under there and see what's screwed up- it would be a good idea on a car like that anyway, even if there wasn't any visual problems.

 

My buddy and I, he's a member on here I just don't know his screename, are going to cover every inch of this beast on tuesday. I'll tell you what I did this morning.

I dunno if it means or points to anything but here goes:

I jacked the rear of the car up and rested the frame on jack stands. I then released the jack to lower the rearend and let the springs and struts decompress. I then measured the distance from the bottom most part of the tread (both tires are the same size and tread wear) and both measurements came out equal.

Does that eliminate anything?

I want to wait a few more days and see if maybe the springs and suspension will level out some as it's driven more and more. I'm betting the car sat on a weird incline where I found it for some time. Maybe the springs and struts were compressed a bit too much? It looks a little better this morning that yesterday when I bought it.

 

Thats the first thing we'll do on Tuesday.