SteveB_RET

So my wife hit a curb at 30 mph. She ran over the curb on the right side of the car and bent both front and rear rims. She has a 2004 Mustang GT. I had both rims repaired and had the Ford dealer inspect the car. The car drives fine but I noticed that the right rear looked lower then the left. After measuring, I found the right rear at the wheel is 1 inch lower than the left. The front right and left match... Soooooooo my questions is what may have been damaged to make the rear set lower... I am thinking first check the shock, then the control arms and spring. Your opinions are welcome...

uberstang1

I would imagine either the shock or spring.

Blackvenom01

unfortunently looks like you need to change both which means change all of them lol...could it be a bent axle?? buddy of mine hit the curb we had no idea it was bent until we followed him goin 20 and you could see the wheel dancing

scottybaccus

The shock and spring are not likely to be damaged because the are not in the line of the impact. I would be very concerned that the impact was transfered to the suspension mounting points on both ends of the car. The right way to inspect this is on a frame alignment machine. Barring that, get it up on stands supporting the wheels. Jack stands are OK in the rear, but ramps at the same height are better up front. You need a stable arrangement to be under the car making a lot of measurements.

The car took a front to rear hit at each wheel. This is equivalent to a big yank to the back at the spindle, transfering energy into the lower control arm and tie-rod. The tie rod is likely undamaged because the steering wheel wasn't rigid and allowed some of the energy to disipate into her hands. The mounting points for the LCA are a diferent story. I just scrapped a k-member out of an '04 Mustang that took a similar hit. The mounting holes for the LCA pivot bolts were elongated and the k-member distorted. It wasn't apparent at first, but a tape measure told the story. In the rear, this big jerk to the rear was transfered to the lower control arm, maybe to the upper control arm. The rear LCA mount at the body is of most concern. There could be elongation of the holes here, or distortion of the torque box it is mounted to. Get the car in the air, weight on it's wheels, and break out a tape measure.

First, look for any indication the bolts at the suspension mounting points have moved. This will be visible as marks left maybe a millimeter or two away from the present position of the nut and bolt heads, washers, etc. They may have moved, left a mark and returned to their normal place, or they may have moved and stayed in the new position, leaving a mark in the old position. If you see ANYTHING like this, you will probably need to disassemble this bolt and inspect the holes, etc. Don't do that yet.

Draw a map of the car on a good sized sheet of paper and mark all the points that are mirror image from one side of the car to the other. At the front, the lower ball joint grease zert is great. At the rear, the LCA mounting bolts are key. You want to use a plumb bob to drop each of these points to the floor and mark them with a permanent marker or grease pencil. Be specific in the marks. An X is best, dots suck. 1/8" matters, so use a Sharpie and not a Jumbo chisle point marker you scored in kindergarten.

The idea here is to measure both sides of the car and compare. You want to measure front to rear on everything and then diagonal. Use stationary points atthe rear to check the front suspension, stationary points at the front to check the rear suspension, stationary at the front against stationary at the rear to check the body, front suspension against rear suspension to check the rolling chassis alignment. write down everything! You're looking for differences from side to side. IF you find anything more that 3/16" difference, you need to investigate further. I wouldn't be surprised to find 1/4" difference on a car not having hit a curb, but it would concern me. Anything at 1/8" is fine. This is a narrow tolerance, so be very particular how you mark and measure. Don't go to the center of a bolt or bolt hole, mark the front or rear of the bolt by hanging the plumb bob string off it on that side.

When you've done a full survey, you can compile all the info and see what might be amiss. Say you found the rear LCA measurement was long and the bolts there have shadow marks that indicate something moved. That calls for some disassembly to check for damaged holes, distorted metal, cracked welds, etc.

Hit me up if you need any help here. I'm happy to get on the phone with you.

SteveB_RET

Thanks for the responses. I will check out the rear LCAs and then put the car up on rails and stands and do some measuring. The car drives and handles fine. I've had it up to 90 mph with no handling issues.

uberstang1

I still say check the springs and the shocks, shocks blow out easy on impacts especially if there old, and I've seen plenty of old springs crack from a sharp sudden impact.

Blackvenom01

basically check evreything dont think bout her hittin a curb think about it like she got in a car accident...the forces put on the car that hard and quick can really jack some stuff up

actually surprised you didnt blow any ball joints

Schmalgar

Hey neighbor!

As someone who knows firsthand how women in Georgia, particularly around Atlanta, drive, I'll be the one to ask it... Why were you letting your wife drive the Mustang???







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Just kidding lady members! Really! Mostly... Sorta...

SteveB_RET

The LCA has the spring purch on it so I am going to start there along with the shock...I'll post what I find...

Schmalgar - LOL I know what you mean... But the 04 Mustang GT is hers.. I have an 07 Mustang GT.

SteveB_RET

Just got home from work. Backed the car up onto my ramps and crawled under the back. It looks like the spring has shifted partially out of the purch. Going to reseat it this weekend and see if that fixes it....