Raising the front end 69 Cuda

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Even though you say you want the car "higher" by about an inch, what exactly are you trying to achieve? How tall of a tire? What size?
What we all need are pics of current height. How are you going to drive the car? I mean realistically....

Raising a car does nothing but worsen things. Lift, bump steer, roll center to name a few.

Post pics.
 
redfastback said:
Even though you say you want the car "higher" by about an inch, what exactly are you trying to achieve? How tall of a tire? What size?What we all need are pics of current height. How are you going to drive the car? I mean realistically.... Raising a car does nothing but worsen things. Lift, bump steer, roll center to name a few.Post pics.
Click to expand...
Well you can see my car in my avatar but at this moment it is jacked up off the ground as I am in the process of replacing the rear springs so I can't give you a pic in its' current condition. I already have the tallest tire possible on the front (I can check the size tomorrow). I purchased the next size taller tire and they wouldn't clear the fender so I had to go down one size. It's just a daily driver, grocery getter, pick the kids up from school and the occasional stomp on the gas for a few seconds. No drag racing or road racing. Our roads are very flat except for speed bumps all over the place.
Will raising the front worsen everything even if I manage to keep the geometry correct?? My alignment man is extremely experienced and specializes on older cars but uses all the current technologies/equipment.
What am I trying to achieve??? Nothing special....some members like their cars the stock height and rake, some like their cars much lower than stock and some, like me, like their car with a little raised up stance. Plus it makes it so much easier to get under the car.
I check and see if I have any pics in my files.
treblig
 
if your gonna do it you may as well go all the way... :)


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I did a little digging but didn't find any pictures to post.
On the lower control arms they removed the rubber stop
And added a spacer that would hold the rubber stop in a higher position
than stock by about the thickness of the rubber itself. Close to 2"
Preventing the body from coming down so far.
On the upper control arm they removed the rubber bumper and drilled
a hole in the control arm and mounted it there rather than the little shelf
on the frame rail. Then they added a plate about 3/8" thick to the shelf
for the rubber now mounted in control arm to come down on.
This is how they controlled travel limits.
The steering arm bending was to correct steering geometry after
adding the 1/2" spacers between frame rails and k-frame.
As far as I can tell the spacers were only added for carb to hood clearance
to meet class rules. The arms were bent down about 1" and in about 1/2".
I don't believe they did any other mods to the upper control arms but I have read
the steering was not very stable at speed on the fast end of the track.
They probably could have been improved if they had.
As far as how high they cranked up the torsion bars I see them
at many different heights but most of the old pictures I have seen
the cars set mostly level but consideribly higher than stock.
 
I like the looks of your car. Old style slot mags with wide tires out back. Stripes and
60s color.
I say raise it up. Just adds to what you got going on now. I do mine in this same
style. And if anyone wants to admit it or not that's how these cars were driven and used
back in the day. I remember it very well. My high school parking lot was full of cars like this
and that is alot of why I like these old cars.
They take you back. If they do that then your doing it right.
 
Treblig said:
... Have you ever tried to get a jack under a car but couldn't because the front cross member was so close to the ground that you couldn't get the jack under it unless someone lifted up on one of the fenders?????...
Click to expand...
yeah, mine! and its not even that low. Course my floor jack aint the slimmest either.
 
ssba said:
I like the looks of your car. Old style slot mags with wide tires out back. Stripes and60s color.I say raise it up. Just adds to what you got going on now. I do mine in this samestyle. And if anyone wants to admit it or not that's how these cars were driven and usedback in the day. I remember it very well. My high school parking lot was full of cars like this and that is alot of why I like these old cars.They take you back. If they do that then your doing it right.
Click to expand...

Thanks "ssba"!!! That's one of the things I'm trying to accomplish. The last car show I took the Barracuda to I had many, many people say, " Yea!! , I had a car fixed up just like this back in the day", then they proceed to ask me all about it. I also appreciate all the info you found. I'm going to look under the car today and "scope out" the control arm. What you are saying makes sense. The only part I'm a little leery about is the bending of the arms?? Can you heat them and bend them (I do have a torch) or do you bend them cold?? I don't want to change the material condition of the metal. Otherwise you've given me some good ideas.

thanks,
Treblig
 
If you can get away without bending the steering arms that would be best.
I think they did this because the spacers between the k-frame.
I do know if you over heat a forging like the steering arm while bending it can take the properties out of the steel built into it at the forge.
Street rodders have been doing it for over 50 years on the old ford hotrod suspensions.
I would look into that for some direction on doing it proper.
It is a very important part to not do right from a safety perspective.
When Chrysler bent the arms for their SS racecars they did it before the
parts were finished machined then inspected and heat treated the parts
before giving them to the racers.
You won't have that option, more of a down and dirty hot rod trick from the old days
is about all you can do. The less amount of heat you can put on it the better I'm sure.
But you better check into some tried and true methods used by the hot rod crowd.
 
ssba said:
If you can get away without bending the steering arms that would be best.I think they did this because the spacers between the k-frame. I do know if you over heat a forging like the steering arm while bending it can take the properties out of the steel built into it at the forge. Street rodders have been doing it for over 50 years on the old ford hotrod suspensions. I would look into that for some direction on doing it proper. It is a very important part to not do right from a safety perspective. When Chrysler bent the arms for their SS racecars they did it before theparts were finished machined then inspected and heat treated the partsbefore giving them to the racers. You won't have that option, more of a down and dirty hot rod trick from the old daysis about all you can do. The less amount of heat you can put on it the better I'm sure.But you better check into some tried and true methods used by the hot rod crowd.
Click to expand...

Hadn't though about it but I don't see why I can't GOOGLE it??
SAFETY FIRST!!
Thanks,
Treblig
 
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