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  • Gm A body muscle car stance

    So I’m waiting for the head to get back from the shop because of a broken stud and my next order of business is a set of pullies for the 400, fuel system and a stance that will prevent my new tires from being scraped off by the trim moldings in the back.

    What are are you guys doing to your a bodies to raise the rear and put some distance between the rubber and aluminum? I can’t even fit a finger between my tires and the mounding.
    I have new hotchkiss lowering coil springs but they didn’t even lower the car cause the old ones were blown out..........
    hotchkis Fox shocks and sooner or later I’ll have control arms and a sway bar back there too

    what can I do to keep from tearing up my tires though? Airbags? Spacers?

  • #2
    I had an airbag in the rear spring but I like low - but also didn't have any trouble with 295/50 15s on 4 1/2 backspace 10 inch wheels....
    Doing it all wrong since 1966

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    • #3
      Seems like you're hitting some good P.I.T.A. challenges early in your hot-rodding career, but believe me many of us have been there. Since wheels/tires and stance make up so much of the character of the car, it's something that has to be considered early-on. I'd like to see pics, it does appear you're using different wheels than before. It would be a shame to have to jack up the car much, that four-link suspension is designed to run within certain angles. You can raise it with spacers or stiffen it with airbags, or use air shocks which tend to crack the shock mounts, but sooner or later you're going to have a load in the trunk or hit that bump and have contact.

      I too have fit 295-50s under an "A", my first-version '70 El Camino, but the fender lips were hammered on a bit and I was using the narrower '67-down rear end. You might look and see how much room there is on the inner side and if you've got some, consider different-offset wheels, or using one of those earlier rears...or, the hammer (wince). If it's just the aluminum trim that's hitting, maybe you can cut or bend that back a bit with the understanding that the lip underneath is an important body strength area. On my car I eventually wound up with the standard-width rear as a buddy really needed my '65 12-bolt and traded me, but then went with less positive wheel offset and skinnier 275s.

      Back in the seventies we just sawed and hammered and tolerated cuts on the tire sidewalls, or jacked-it-the-heck up and applied some nice big bondo fender flares. You up for nice big bondo fender flares? (kidding)

      ...

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      • #4
        Haha thanks for the old school tricks. I didn’t think of using an earlier rear end. I forgot to mention my issue with rub is almost always going around the corners. I’ll look for 64-67 gto/lemans rear end to solve my problems if the inner side can handle it. If that doesn’t work than I’ll get my body guy to use his fender tool that can bend the trim away from the wheel.

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        • #5
          well, thank God there is someone left out there that wants a real muscle car rake.

          Coil spacers and air shocks are the old school way. Air shocks will probably do it, still cheap thru rock auto. And you dont have to worry about them like a camaro where the shock holds up the floor, they go thru the frame crossmember.

          Quick performance has an ebay site with rear end stuff if you want to go new. (if you dont he said the housing is 52 wide and 55 axle flange to axle flange. They have a made to order ford 9" housing for like 385, His ebay store is staticz229 since there is more stuff on there than on his site if you are replacing and will end up finding new for the cost you can get used.
          Last edited by anotheridiot; February 21, 2019, 07:09 AM.

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          • #6
            I've used about every method imaginable over the years. Airlift bags beat air shocks in ride quality. Coil spacers . . . the rubber discs typically don't help enough and the metal ones eventually ruin your springs. Air shocks tend to be punishing unless the pressures are low.

            Taller coils and/or circle-track-style weight jackers are probably the engineer's way to address the problem, but they're typically not as cheap or easy as some of the other fixes

            (Swapping coils is easy, but searching the books for the right combo of rate, diameter, and height can be time-consuming and hit-or-miss. . . . unless you know someone who's got experience with the right part numbers . . . basically you're looking for a coil of the same diameter and end type, a similar or higher wire diameter/rate, and a taller free height. The computer-puncher counterpersons probably can't help anymore because they don't have the books with the specifications sections in the back. Sometimes you can just take a test shot by trying junkyard springs off of a heavier wagon variant from the same OEM . . . .Some places still have spring specialist companies that can help source this kind of stuff)

            A full Firestone-type air spring system (e.g. Ridetech) is probably the most modern, easy way to adjust ride height on the street (if you've got the budget for it).

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            • #7
              Might just be able to try some fronts since they are made to hold up the engine. The stock small ones were for the straight 6's, I can lift that motor (like clint eastwood in the everywhichway series) The fronts were still low to me until I got big block with A/C, I just dont see how stiffer springs wont make it ride as hard as an air shock.

              Either way, if you are looking for rake, I doubt you are looking for a state of the art soft air ride. Air shocks range from 60-99 on rock auto for the pair and I like that ride. I am sure you know, if they are not listed for your car they are for the chevelle.
              Last edited by anotheridiot; February 21, 2019, 10:58 AM.

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              • #8
                I have brand new coils in the rear and I’m on a budget so those will sit under there for 10 years at least haha. The air shocks are sounding like the most popular idea out there. I do like the earlier rear end idea but those are hard to find..... I’m going to price out the air shocks and see what they will cost. Do I need to worry about airshocks holding up the rear end with lowering coil spring under there too?

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                • #9
                  1) Take the tin trim off and check to see if you have the same issue? if not, trim the trim. if so, you can trim the tin trim and the wheel well lip.
                  2) how worn are the rear ends 4 link bushings?
                  3) is the clearance the same on both sides? I.E. is the body centered on the frame.
                  4) body to frame rubber mounts, are they shot?

                  And the easy one, will a 1/2" different wheel backspacing fit without hitting the inner wheel well and frame. if so. there you go. heck, if you can go an inch even better.
                  Last edited by JamesMayberryIII; February 22, 2019, 02:35 AM.

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                  • #10
                    High Quality Pro-grade Fender Roller eliminatestire rub on lowered vehicles

                    Patrick & Tammy
                    - Long Haulin' 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014...Addicting isn't it...??

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                    • #11
                      1. I’ll check the trim ASAP
                      2. Rear end bushings have to be bad. Car was kept in good shape for the 50 years it’s been on the road but little stuff like that was neglected
                      3.not sure on clearance I’ll check that too
                      4. How many body to frame rubber mounts are there? These are probably shot too
                      5. I think I can do an inch towards the frame but how can I add backspacing?

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                      • #12
                        or nascar pit row style. baseball bat, car on jack stands, jack under axle. slowly move tire/wheel running bat along the lip. and like a pipe cutter, jack up the axle after every pass, to move the lip a little more, doing this until you get it where you need/want it.
                        no special tools needed. other than time.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by pontiacpower View Post
                          1. I’ll check the trim ASAP
                          2. Rear end bushings have to be bad. Car was kept in good shape for the 50 years it’s been on the road but little stuff like that was neglected
                          3.not sure on clearance I’ll check that too
                          4. How many body to frame rubber mounts are there? These are probably shot too
                          5. I think I can do an inch towards the frame but how can I add backspacing?
                          different wheels. change the backspacing.
                          your a body, there should be 3 rubber mounts per side, rear corners, in front of rear tire, and at cowl. and 2 at core support. when they get old they crush, so the tention isn't as much and the body can shift to one side causing one side to have more clearance then the other.
                          The link bushings if worn allow the rear end to shift left to right more than normal and cause tire rub, in turns.

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                          • #14
                            Changing wheels isn’t in the cards at the moment. I feel like bushings are somewhat cheap so that’s going to happen. I love that baseball bat idea. Might do some of that along with replacing bushings. I haven’t seen the bushings but I’m almost certain no one else has either. So I’ll replace those and see if my problem is remedied.
                            Last edited by pontiacpower; February 22, 2019, 07:20 AM.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by pontiacpower View Post
                              I have brand new coils in the rear and I’m on a budget so those will sit under there for 10 years at least haha. The air shocks are sounding like the most popular idea out there. I do like the earlier rear end idea but those are hard to find..... I’m going to price out the air shocks and see what they will cost. Do I need to worry about airshocks holding up the rear end with lowering coil spring under there too?


                              You have brand new stock coils or shorter ones?


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                              The gabriels I put on the car before it sat back in 1985 were still holding air when we tore it apart a couple months ago.
                              Last edited by anotheridiot; February 22, 2019, 07:20 AM.

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