leaning 80 causes?

[dmc]

Yeah perhaps that is my problem. I'm sure it's the reason my back is sore all the time. I'm about 195lbs. I loaded ALL my tools and gear on the passenger side which I know is heavier than me and have had it loaded that way for almost a month. Kurt (cruiser outfitters) has some front J's we're going to play around with when I get the time to see if perhaps my springs are defective. if not i'll switch to diet cherry coke to see if that solves it.
dmc

 

[dmc]

I'm back to level. Swapped out my springs with some new J's from Kurt (cruiseroutfitters). I added two trim packers to both DS springs. The lean had gotten worse 1.75 in up front. 1in in the rear. Both front Js were the same height when I removed them and sat them on the floor. I'm guessing the DS sagged quicker than the PS because of the lean.

I had a hunch on what the source of my problem could have been and I think I was partially correct. My theory was that the PO had installed the OME caster bushings just a hair off and the DS side would be pulled a bit lower because of it. I swapped control arms this weekend and installed caster plates (i'm running j's and spacers). Well sure enough the DS had a blown OME bushing. Installed the plates, swapped in the new springs, and threw in trim packers just for fun. Okay not just for fun, I was so fawking sick of looking at my truck leaning that i was seriously considering selling it. When you have co-workers who know nothing about cars asking you if you broke your truck you know you have a problem. Regardless I now have a mostly level truck.

Front DS is 1/8in lower than the PS at the wheel well.
Rear DS is 1/8in higher than the PS at the wheel well.

Close enough for me. If OME makes trim packers and 20mm is within their spec for normal i'll take it. The 1.75 inches was just too damn frustrating.
dmc

 

[Nay]

I'm back to level. Swapped out my springs with some new J's from Kurt (cruiseroutfitters). I added two trim packers to both DS springs. The lean had gotten worse 1.75 in up front. 1in in the rear. Both front Js were the same height when I removed them and sat them on the floor. I'm guessing the DS sagged quicker than the PS because of the lean.

I had a hunch on what the source of my problem could have been and I think I was partially correct. My theory was that the PO had installed the OME castor bushings just a hair off and the DS side would be pulled a bit lower because of it. I swapped control arms this weekend and installed castor plates (i'm running j's and spacers). Well sure enough the DS had a blown OME bushing. Installed the plates, swapped in the new springs, and threw in trim packers just for fun. Okay not just for fun, I was so fawking sick of looking at my truck leaning that i was seriously considering selling it. When you have co-workers who know nothing about cars asking you if you broke your truck you know you have a problem. Regardless I now have a mostly level truck.

Front DS is 1/8 lower than the PS at the wheel well.
Rear DS is 1/8 higher than the PS at the wheel well.

Close enough for me. If OME makes trim packers and 20mm is within their spec for normal i'll take it. The 1.75 inches was just too damn frustrating.
dmc

Congrats on getting it back to level...but I'd take a longer term view and get rid of OME given the quality problems you've had and for how long you've had them.

Having to use coil spacers to correct for coil springs that do not maintain spring rate is a serious quality problem, and should not be considered "in spec". If OME has such variance in the actual spring rate of their coils that they advertise having to correct with coil spacers, then the first thing I'd do is stop buying OME springs under the presumption that it is your 80, and not their springs.

Nay

 

[TiredIronGRB]

I added 30mm packers on the front and rear DS and it sits level now.

 

[dmc]

Every Cruiser I've ever owned has leaned so I'm sort of used to it. It's not like spring options for 80s are on every street corner. Having put my 80 through the abuse I have I'm actually surprised at how well my OME springs have held up. In addtion when 95% of the people running the same set up as me don't have a lean I tend to look at the variable first. My truck.
dmc

 

[-Spike-]

One of the things I'd look for on a chronic leaner is accident history. Frame or body tweaks can cause lean.

-Spike

 

[dmc]

One of the things I'd look for on a chronic leaner is accident history. Frame or body tweaks can cause lean.

-Spike

all the panels have matching VINs so I know the body is original. The frame could be tweaked but I doubt the frame could be bent without significant body damage. I'm content for now. If the lean returns then i'll breakdown and have the frame measured.
dmc

 

[ElJefe]

I've never had a problem with my 80 leaning, but with the early broncos, lean is nearly always caused by worn/misalligned front axle bushings on the radius arms. On several trucks with bad lean, I have seen radius arms disconnected from the frame mounts and set down on the ground. One of the arms will almost always touch the garage floor while the other is hovering several inches above the floor. This misalignment causes your entire front axle to become a giant torque arm pulling down one side.

If you really want to get to the bottom of your lean, I would start at the beginning making sure that all of your pieces are aligned correctly paying particular attention to the caster plates and bushings. If your raduis arms are not aligned with no load, start looking for why because that is where you lean is coming from.

 

[MoJ]

Congrats on getting it back to level...but I'd take a longer term view and get rid of OME given the quality problems you've had and for how long you've had them.

Having to use coil spacers to correct for coil springs that do not maintain spring rate is a serious quality problem, and should not be considered "in spec". If OME has such variance in the actual spring rate of their coils that they advertise having to correct with coil spacers, then the first thing I'd do is stop buying OME springs under the presumption that it is your 80, and not their springs.

Nay

Nay -

While I think OME could use some improvement I think this is jumping the gun a bit. When I see OME mention a max of 20mm trim packers it is in reference to the trim packers alone - not as part of the coil setup. In other words, the 20mm is the maximum amount of trim packers they recommend putting on top of any spring - to my knowledge it is not stated anywhere by OME that it is "normal to need up to 20mm of packers to level out your new OME coils."

Personally, I believe the coils have little to do with it. Here's the reasoning why -

-My 1994 80 has never been wrecked yet at 100k miles it was leaning to the driver's side 3/4". My first thought was that the original coils were done for and needed replaced. Replaced them with OME 2.5 and guess what - exactly the same amount of lean. The coils are in the correct location.
-My 1991 80 with factory coils leaned in the exact same manner as the 94.
-When people complain of lean it's always to the driver's side.


I really hope I'm proved wrong because I'd love for it to be as easy as just getting new coils or switching to another manufacturer.


Jason

 

[Nay]

Nay -

While I think OME could use some improvement I think this is jumping the gun a bit. When I see OME mention a max of 20mm trim packers it is in reference to the trim packers alone - not as part of the coil setup. In other words, the 20mm is the maximum amount of trim packers they recommend putting on top of any spring - to my knowledge it is not stated anywhere by OME that it is "normal to need up to 20mm of packers to level out your new OME coils."

Personally, I believe the coils have little to do with it. Here's the reasoning why -

-My 1994 80 has never been wrecked yet at 100k miles it was leaning to the driver's side 3/4". My first thought was that the original coils were done for and needed replaced. Replaced them with OME 2.5 and guess what - exactly the same amount of lean. The coils are in the correct location.
-My 1991 80 with factory coils leaned in the exact same manner as the 94.
-When people complain of lean it's always to the driver's side.


I really hope I'm proved wrong because I'd love for it to be as easy as just getting new coils or switching to another manufacturer.


Jason

Many people have reported curing lean problems by going to Slee's springs, and here we are dealing with a higher center of gravity (more lift). Is it new rubber in the control arms and panhards affecting axle location to such a degree that you get a 25%-33% increase in lift on one side (I think you'd feel this much bushing variance every time you stopped and started...in the form of some really healthy "clunks").

I think that a first solution may be to move to a heavier duty and/or more consistent spring that can properly support the weight of the vehicle at all four concerns throughout a full range of use. This is why I am constantly pushing to get a premium 2.5" kit on the market. You shouldn't have to increase your lift outside of stock suspension geometry in order to have a suspension that can properly support vehicle weight, both initially and over time. In theory, it should be less difficult to achieve this at 2.5" of lift than at 4" or 6", unless your design focus is so strongly to achieve a stock suspension upgrade that you leave very little tolerance for related component variances, which then show up as a suspension that looks busted on a $50K vehicle no matter how many times you go and buy the same springs.

I may have a different perspective than many here, having run OME on 2 different vehicles, and finding it to be a substantial suspension upgrade both times, and a marvelous entry level product (purchased at a more premium level product price). But I have also seen the leaning and quality issues develop both times as people use OME for more than carrying extra weight to a camping site.

My money says time will (again) prove that OME is not the best suspension value in the moderate lift category. That lean you see is the literal gap in the market to be filled.

Nay

 

[WildYoats]

Great to hear bro. Glad she's sitting level. Trust me, it bothered me for you too.