Lopsided Monaco

Lincsmoparmike

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My 68 Monaco was sitting really low at the front drivers side - I levelled it up with the passenger using the torsion bar adjusting bolt - this has left the front level but the bolt on the drivers side is wound all the way in nearly whilst passenger side is at least an inch below the control arm. Does this suggest the torsion bars need replacing?

Thanks
 
Does this suggest the torsion bars need replacing?
You have a serious suspension problem or a serious stub frame problem.
How do you know which?
Bring it in for a professional alignment.
Everybody's gonna fill your brain with all 5,766 final solutions.

So, NO! It's not the torsion bars. Yet.
 
Unwind the tight one and crank up the one that is hanging out below the control arm. They should be relatively equal then set the height by tighten or loosen equally.
You don't put spacers in on one coil spring to raise the front of the car so why would you think that one torsion bar is going to hold the whole front of the car up.
As mentioned above it's not the torsion bars. You most likely have shot lower ball joints or lower control arm bushings.
Repeat not the torsion bars. You will know it when they quit.
 
Check the torsion mount at rear crossmember of the car to be sure it is not rotted out and at the point of failure. Otherwise the most likely cause will be a bad LCA bushing as noted. Also inspect the mount for the upper control arm for rust and obvious distress. Ball joints usually will not wear enough to cause uneven ride height unless they are broken and falling apart.

Dave
 
Hi,
Drivers side rear spring is actually bent so that's a good call, since we have only had the car a week we are just working our way around it. There is rot in the Subframe and it looks as if both sides of the subframe where it joins the body has been well and truly hammered - we suspect some previous owner fancied himself as Canada's coolest cheapskate lowride guy and dropped the suspension and well and truly wallered over every speed bump/kerb he could find.
Not actually expecting one torsion bar to hold up the front - technically it's only the preload of one side that I have increased - you have to assume that the other side is being supported already by its torsion bar and it's preload setting, and its at its correct ride height, since the car is fully supported and one side of the car is not that much different in weight increasing the preload on the down side is only increasing the preload on the spring (Torsion bar) and not putting under anymore stress than its designed to cope with. Any how the whole lot is coming out for strip down and refurbishement / rebuild and repair and after that it will be going for an alignment check before going back on the road. Its actually quit common to adjust ride height by adjusting preload in coil springs and since a coil spring is just a rolled up torsion bar its not a lot different.
Thanks for all your comments and assistance - i will put more pictures up when we start the strip it all out.
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i had an alignment shop point out the sagging rear springs were the culprit....

I suspect mine are apt to be giving me some of the same problem, BUT, the driver side stug frame rail alsois badly corroded at the tranny X member. MULTIPLE causes to this symptom and it screams "FIX ME!!" for each one.

I also have found keeping the swaybar bushings fresh and tight will alleviate a good bit of this symptom for a while, BUT, it will show again when you hit a nasty bump to jounce things down.

MUCH of my Corona-bribe $$ are dedicated to this kind of stuff.
 
I suspect mine are apt to be giving me some of the same problem, BUT, the driver side stug frame rail alsois badly corroded at the tranny X member. MULTIPLE causes to this symptom and it screams "FIX ME!!" for each one.

I also have found keeping the swaybar bushings fresh and tight will alleviate a good bit of this symptom for a while, BUT, it will show again when you hit a nasty bump to jounce things down.

MUCH of my Corona-bribe $$ are dedicated to this kind of stuff.
Could be all of the above! Motor & trans coming out this weekend - then subframe - might be able see more clearly what's going on then - think there may be some heavy fabrication on the horizon - and a shipping order for new suspension parts!
 
Could be all of the above! Motor & trans coming out this weekend - then subframe - might be able see more clearly what's going on then - think there may be some heavy fabrication on the horizon - and a shipping order for new suspension parts!

If the stub is badly rotted and you are going to pull it out anyway, cheaper and a better repair to just replace it.

Dave
 
If the stub is badly rotted and you are going to pull it out anyway, cheaper and a better repair to just replace it.

Dave
Could be tricky getting one in the UK - we don't have many breakers yards for European stuff so not much chance of finding a C body with a good front subframe- this one looks like the only Monaco in the UK.
 
looks like quite a dent in the cross member. i wonder if it pulled the left side of the stub frame down enough to where the adjuster had to be moved up?
 
Could be-its quite a dent - whatever it hit to cause that could have caused some other mis alignment - cantimagingthe torsion bar being too happy about either - would have expected a break - but it seems to be in one piece could be distorted though. We will see whats what in the next couple of days. I am sure we will sort it out somehow!
 
Well we got to wrenching on the Monaco this weekend and managed to get the motor out- drop the trans and get the frame out as (Although we didn't quite do it that order!) and we got the the seat of the corrosion issues which need to be sorted out - looking like either a major fabrication project or replacement Stub - not easy to find one of those in Blighty I can tell you - anyone got one lying around they can post to me!?
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Eagle eyed amongst you will spot a bolt missing where the rear torsion bar mount member joins the trans mount - and there actually another missing on the other side at the back which you cant see.
 
Anyone know where we could get some measurements to use to check the subframe over?

Thanks

Mike

FSM section 23-122, attached is one from a '68 Fury which I think is the same, but check your Dodge FSM to verify. (Click on mail 0017 not the icon)

Dave
 

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Got myself the 67 Monaco/Polara FSM and it looks the same as you rightly pointed out! Stub looks like it measures true so far -Mopars - well made or what!
 
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