Rear end shifted 3/4" to right

[RKnorr]

84 SVO w/135K miles, had a fender bender couples years ago at left rear and only needed quarter panel replaced. I don't believe the tire / wheel was contacted but I have no other explanation for why the right rear tire sticks out more than the left rear. Any ideas anyone? Worn bushings, bent control arms? Thinking about grabbing rear control arms off of a junkyard Mustang. Do all Fox body control arms interchange?

[richsvo]

Yes, yes, and finally yes. I believe that is all correct. My bet is on a bent control arm. It would almost have to be...if the body is straight, and the alignment is good...

HTH,
Rich

[RKnorr]

I guess the only way I'll find out is to replace the control arms. Is a spring compressor required to replace the lower control arms or can I support the control arm with a jack, unbolt it and lower it slowly to release the spring tension? Would that be safe?

[kiwi]

Be carefull of that.....

RK......I would probably compress 'em; I would have to check underneath mine, BUT that sounds like the safer way....
BTW/ Let me know about carravanning for the reunion if poss...

[RKnorr]

Sorry, I won't be going to the reunion. I have other vacation commitments at that time.
Who besides you has an SVO and lives in Florida? I've never even talked with anyone else that owns an SVO.

[pegasus.v.o]

RKnorr, No need for a spring compressor on the rear springs.
Jack the car up by the rearend. Support the body SECURELY with jackstands etc.. Dont forget to scotch the car! Then let the jack down until the rearend is just hanging there, then take it back up an inch or so to take the tension off and you can unbolt everything.
The springs are unloaded at this amount of travel and will basically fall out once everything is unbolted.

[RKnorr]

Do you need to remove the shocks first to allow enough travel?

[Eyelawdoc]

Disconnect the shocks at the axle to give yourself enough travel to fully unload and remove the rear springs.

Bent control arms and worn bushings are a distinct posibility. I'm betting it's that great Ford quality control. I own several Fox body cars and there are measurable differences from side to side in the clearances between the wheels and the fenders. I had a discussion several years ago with the owner of Maximum Motorsports in which he told me that a major problem in designing and building high performance suspension and chassis parts was the variation in dimensionality from one car to another.

This isone reason why we get so much confusion and conflicting reports as to whether size 245 tires on the stock rims rub or not. There is a great variation from car to car!

[RKnorr]

I never realized that there could be that much built-in variation. It kind of makes you wonder what the allowable manufacturing tolerances are on the rest of the parts in the car. I'm going to change out the control arms when I can afford to and report back if and how much change in the side to side shift there was.

[raywoo]

FL SVO owners

RKnorr, I live in Gainesville

Ray Woo
85.5 2R

Originally posted by RKnorr
Sorry, I won't be going to the reunion. I have other vacation commitments at that time.
Who besides you has an SVO and lives in Florida? I've never even talked with anyone else that owns an SVO.

[RKnorr]

I replaced the control arms yesterday and that made no noticable difference in how much the rear is shifted. Any other ideas?

[KevinK]

I would check the body manual from Ford. It has dimensions which might give you a lead as to what has moved.

[richsvo]

Did you replace upper and lowers? Just curious...
Rich

[indiana dave]

Did they use a patch panel when fixing the car?
That could make that fender appear to be farther out than the opposite one if they just slapped it over the original sheetmetal.

[svo1fast4]

Could you put it on a 4 wheel alignment machine and just see what is going on?

Rob