Homemade Spring Offset kit

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dartfreak75

dartfreak75

Restore it, Dont part it!
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Has anyone ever made there own or seen it done before? I want to do a offset shackle and hanger to gain 3/4 or 1 inch or so of tire room but really dont wanna pay 200 bucks or more for the kits. The shackle itself seem easy just bend them in a precise location the same amount on both sides. The hanger I'm not sure about?
I dont want to do the relocation. I dont want to cut on my frame nor do I need that wide of a tire. I just a little over a half an inch. Thanks for any help.
 
The front hanger can only be moved a 1/2”. That’s all the room there is between the stock hanger and the frame. Anything more than a 1/2” at the front hanger would require cutting the frame.

Even the Mopar Performance 3/4” kit doesn’t move the springs by a 3/4”. The front hanger only moves a 1/2”, the rear shackles are 3/4”, and it calls for the spring perches to be moved 3/4”. So it side loads the springs and places them at a slight angle, and still doesn’t actually get you a full 3/4” offset. That’s why DoctorDiff’s kit is advertised as a 1/2”, that’s really all you get.

You can make your own hangers, it’s not all that hard. You just have to shift the spring hanger a 1/2” over from where it mounts on the car. The shackles require more than just bending though. The bends will shorten the shackles, so, if you want the rear spring eye to stay in the same vertical location you’d have to start with a slightly longer shackle.
 
I've done both the "3/4" relocation and the 3" relocation. To me, if you're gonna do it, you may as well do the whole 3" and put the springs in the frame rails. Course, to take advantage of that much room, you'll need to mini tub it.
 
72bluNblu said:
The front hanger can only be moved a 1/2”. That’s all the room there is between the stock hanger and the frame. Anything more than a 1/2” at the front hanger would require cutting the frame.

Even the Mopar Performance 3/4” kit doesn’t move the springs by a 3/4”. The front hanger only moves a 1/2”, the rear shackles are 3/4”, and it calls for the spring perches to be moved 3/4”. So it side loads the springs and places them at a slight angle, and still doesn’t actually get you a full 3/4” offset. That’s why DoctorDiff’s kit is advertised as a 1/2”, that’s really all you get.

You can make your own hangers, it’s not all that hard. You just have to shift the spring hanger a 1/2” over from where it mounts on the car. The shackles require more than just bending though. The bends will shorten the shackles, so, if you want the rear spring eye to stay in the same vertical location you’d have to start with a slightly longer shackle.
Click to expand...

We`ve been thru this before, I know u have seen every offset kit made by everybody in the world, but if u have to indent the frame rails to get the front hangars in and drive them in somewhat w/ a hammer , before the chassis stiffening, u will have more than 1/2" in the front hangars. I measured mine before installation , they WERE over 1/2" . All parts and cars are not the same on cars and parts that were not cnc . When I dropped my dana 60 in it did not move the springs one iota , the guy I bought the dana from , installed the spring hangars and shortened the rear 1" shorter than A body specs, before adding the disc brakes. The guy really knew what he was doing, fit perfectly.
Show me someone else that has 295 65 d15 tires on a stock fender well, w/ just the front edge of the fender well lengthened .

thumbnail.jpg


By the way, this is the only thing I`ve ever disagreed withu on.
For most of the offset kits, U ARE RIGHT !
 
famous bob said:
We`ve been thru this before, I know u have seen every offset kit made by everybody in the world, but if u have to indent the frame rails to get the front hangars in and drive them in somewhat w/ a hammer , before the chassis stiffening, u will have more than 1/2" in the front hangars. I measured mine before installation , they WERE over 1/2" . All parts and cars are not the same on cars and parts that were not cnc . When I dropped my dana 60 in it did not move the springs one iota , the guy I bought the dana from , installed the spring hangars and shortened the rear 1" shorter than A body specs, before adding the disc brakes. The guy really knew what he was doing, fit perfectly.
Show me someone else that has 295 65 d15 tires on a stock fender well, w/ just the front edge of the fender well lengthened .

View attachment 1715352983

By the way, this is the only thing I`ve ever disagreed withu on.
For most of the offset kits, U ARE RIGHT !
Click to expand...

I aint got a clue on who made it , I bought it off a guy on this forum , that said the reason he was selling it "it wouldn`t fit his car ." ???
Wish I`d fully relocated the springs while building it tho, the 10" tires ain`t big enough , so far .
 
Bob, are you talkin to yerself again?

FWIW, I really like the US CarTool 3" relocation kit. You can even get it with the mini tub kit. Comes with the filler panels, cut templates and all. Really tempting to do it to the Valiant.
 
famous bob said:
I aint got a clue on who made it , I bought it off a guy on this forum , that said the reason he was selling it "it wouldn`t fit his car ." ???
Wish I`d fully relocated the springs while building it tho, the 10" tires ain`t big enough , so far .
Click to expand...
 
RustyRatRod said:
Bob, are you talkin to yerself again?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
FWIW, I really like the US CarTool 3" relocation kit. You can even get it with the mini tub kit. Comes with the filler panels, cut templates and all. Really tempting to do it to the Valiant.
Click to expand...

LOL might as well be!
I know about the uscartool kit, and that's what I`d use if doing it. At my age , I don't want the car scattered all over the garage, if GOD called me up, my son wouldn`t have a clue what to do w/ it , and it seems like it takes me about 8 times longer to get anything done anymore.
Not bad mouthing him ,he is way smarter than I am, but he pays to have his cars fixed, he`s got the coin I never had .

FullSizeRender (2).jpg
 
famous bob said:
LOL might as well be!
I know about the uscartool kit, and that's what I`d use if doing it. At my age , I don't want the car scattered all over the garage, if GOD called me up, my son wouldn`t have a clue what to do w/ it , and it seems like it takes me about 8 times longer to get anything done anymore.
Not bad mouthing him ,he is way smarter than I am, but he pays to have his cars fixed, he`s got the coin I never had .

View attachment 1715352987
Click to expand...
I don't know why this pic popped up now, I tried to post it in the previous post. ???
This was with 296 60 15 drag radials , before the hoosiers.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I've done both the "3/4" relocation and the 3" relocation. To me, if you're gonna do it, you may as well do the whole 3" and put the springs in the frame rails. Course, to take advantage of that much room, you'll need to mini tub it.
Click to expand...
Here is the thing. I considered doing the spring relocation, actually planned on it later on in the build but I got to measuring on my car and of I did the relocation I'd have to move my entire exhaust(dont want to I like were its at).
Like you said I would need to do a mini tub dont want to do that either I want my car to remain factory in the metal. I'm not a good enough body guy to attempt a project like that.
I would also have to get different rims with more backspace to put the tire in instead of out. That's a no go I already have the rims I want to use.
And I really dont want to cut and weld my frame. And I really dont think I'm gonna need that much tire anyway. It's just a stockish 360. I may change my mind on that after I start driving it haha.
I would like to run like a 255 60 tire.
 
famous bob said:
We`ve been thru this before, I know u have seen every offset kit made by everybody in the world, but if u have to indent the frame rails to get the front hangars in and drive them in somewhat w/ a hammer , before the chassis stiffening, u will have more than 1/2" in the front hangars. I measured mine before installation , they WERE over 1/2" . All parts and cars are not the same on cars and parts that were not cnc . When I dropped my dana 60 in it did not move the springs one iota , the guy I bought the dana from , installed the spring hangars and shortened the rear 1" shorter than A body specs, before adding the disc brakes. The guy really knew what he was doing, fit perfectly.
Show me someone else that has 295 65 d15 tires on a stock fender well, w/ just the front edge of the fender well lengthened .

View attachment 1715352983

By the way, this is the only thing I`ve ever disagreed withu on.
For most of the offset kits, U ARE RIGHT !
Click to expand...

You can disagree all you want Bob, I don’t care. Facts are facts.

Maybe someday you’ll actually get out a measuring tape and measure the offset difference between a set of stock front hangers and an MP set. Should that day ever come, you’ll realize you’ve been wrong the entire time. Unless you put the spring eye inside the frame, it’s a 1/2” offset. And if you did that, the spring would rub on the frame. The modification to the frame rail is needed because of the poor design of the MP hanger, the nuts stick out too far. But that doesn’t mean it has more spring offset. The offset on it is identical to the DoctorDiff hanger, it’s only a 1/2”. The only part that’s offset 3/4” in the MP kit is the shackles.

And the MP hangers are what I have on my Duster. Seen ‘em, measured them, installed ‘em. The MP hangers are offset a 1/2”.

dartfreak75 said:
Here is the thing. I considered doing the spring relocation, actually planned on it later on in the build but I got to measuring on my car and of I did the relocation I'd have to move my entire exhaust(dont want to I like were its at).
Like you said I would need to do a mini tub dont want to do that either I want my car to remain factory in the metal. I'm not a good enough body guy to attempt a project like that.
I would also have to get different rims with more backspace to put the tire in instead of out. That's a no go I already have the rims I want to use.
And I really dont want to cut and weld my frame. And I really dont think I'm gonna need that much tire anyway. It's just a stockish 360. I may change my mind on that after I start driving it haha.
I would like to run like a 255 60 tire.
Click to expand...

What car do you have?

A 255 will fit a lot of cars without any spring movement. Usually the 1/2” offset will let you go as wide as 275 on a Dart or Valiant body. Or in my case a 295, but that only works for the sport body cars (Demon, Duster, Dart Sport, Barracuda).
 
dartfreak75 said:
Here is the thing. I considered doing the spring relocation, actually planned on it later on in the build but I got to measuring on my car and of I did the relocation I'd have to move my entire exhaust(dont want to I like were its at).
Like you said I would need to do a mini tub dont want to do that either I want my car to remain factory in the metal. I'm not a good enough body guy to attempt a project like that.
I would also have to get different rims with more backspace to put the tire in instead of out. That's a no go I already have the rims I want to use.
And I really dont want to cut and weld my frame. And I really dont think I'm gonna need that much tire anyway. It's just a stockish 360. I may change my mind on that after I start driving it haha.
I would like to run like a 255 60 tire.
Click to expand...

You can run a 275 60 with the right wheel and no relocation.
 
72bluNblu said:
You can disagree all you want Bob, I don’t care. Facts are facts.

Maybe someday you’ll actually get out a measuring tape and measure the offset difference between a set of stock front hangers and an MP set. Should that day ever come, you’ll realize you’ve been wrong the entire time. Unless you put the spring eye inside the frame, it’s a 1/2” offset. And if you did that, the spring would rub on the frame. The modification to the frame rail is needed because of the poor design of the MP hanger, the nuts stick out too far. But that doesn’t mean it has more spring offset. The offset on it is identical to the DoctorDiff hanger, it’s only a 1/2”. The only part that’s offset 3/4” in the MP kit is the shackles.

And the MP hangers are what I have on my Duster. Seen ‘em, measured them, installed ‘em. The MP hangers are offset a 1/2”.



What car do you have?

A 255 will fit a lot of cars without any spring movement. Usually the 1/2” offset will let you go as wide as 275 on a Dart or Valiant body. Or in my case a 295, but that only works for the sport body cars (Demon, Duster, Dart Sport, Barracuda).
Click to expand...
I have a 75 dart swinger. I haven't tried to measure yet with me new wheels. But if been told that 245 is about the widest I can go. That would be awesome if I could get them to fit in the factory location! Thanks
 
Oh the wheels I got are factory original 15 inch steel wheels I cant remember if they are 15x7 or 15x8? And they are the original backspace nothing changing there.
 
Have to go back and look, but I think Freiburger homebuilt some offset front hangers on Roadkill Garage when they did the suspension on the Vanishing Paint Challenger. Not certain, but sure seems like he did.

Can't remember what he did with the shackles.

Just tossing it out there as an potential place to look for ideas.
 
DionR said:
Have to go back and look, but I think Freiburger homebuilt some offset front hangers on Roadkill Garage when they did the suspension on the Vanishing Paint Challenger. Not certain, but sure seems like he did.

Can't remember what he did with the shackles.

Just tossing it out there as an potential place to look for ideas.
Click to expand...
Thank you I will check that out
 
dartfreak75 said:
I have a 75 dart swinger. I haven't tried to measure yet with me new wheels. But if been told that 245 is about the widest I can go. That would be awesome if I could get them to fit in the factory location! Thanks
Click to expand...

245 is probably the last “safe” bet with the stock spring locations. That said, there are quite a few people out there running 255’s with the stock spring locations, especially on the ‘70 and up Dart’s. There are some out there that couldn’t do it though.

There’s enough body tolerance on these cars that 255’s aren’t a sure thing. If you’re not willing to roll or trim the quarter lips then starting with a 245 is a much better choice with the stock spring locations. If you don’t mind doing some fitting and trimming, there’s a good chance you could make the 255’s work.

dartfreak75 said:
Oh the wheels I got are factory original 15 inch steel wheels I cant remember if they are 15x7 or 15x8? And they are the original backspace nothing changing there.
Click to expand...

If they’re original they’re most likely 15x7’s with a 4.25” back space.
 
72bluNblu said:
245 is probably the last “safe” bet with the stock spring locations. That said, there are quite a few people out there running 255’s with the stock spring locations, especially on the ‘70 and up Dart’s. There are some out there that couldn’t do it though.

There’s enough body tolerance on these cars that 255’s aren’t a sure thing. If you’re not willing to roll or trim the quarter lips then starting with a 245 is a much better choice with the stock spring locations. If you don’t mind doing some fitting and trimming, there’s a good chance you could make the 255’s work.



If they’re original they’re most likely 15x7’s with a 4.25” back space.
Click to expand...
Thank you buddy! This is good info. What does rolling the lip Intel? Iv seen the rollers for sale on Eastwood but never seen them used does it change the appearance of the wheel opening?
Does anyone here have any before and after pics of this?
 
You should be able to google pics and videos of fender rolling that show it well. Essentially you are folding that 3/4" lip up against the inside of the fender itself, at least partially to gain clearance when the suspension moves. I've done it with an aluminum bat and a 1" round bar, but that isn't real pretty. It can damage the paint if you go too aggressive or if there is any weakness or impending rust in there. I needed to roll the lip on my Cuda on one side a little but the quarter has so much rust I decided to just cut it off with an abrasive wheel.

Decent article on it. You could always sell the tool for most of what you have in it when you are done if you can't borrow one.
Eastwood Fender Lip Roller - Popular Hot Rodding Magazine
 
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oldkimmer said:
U can get the rear shackles off of a 1969/1970 C body. Not sure on other C bodies. Not sure on the offset. Kim
Click to expand...

Not sure where you are, but those C-body anything's are mighty thin in the Midwest!
 
I would bet the 275 60s are on a Dart sport or Duster where there is more room than a hardtop Dart. I also think 245-60s are widest sure bet on a hardtop Dart.

Regarding the movement of the front spring hanger - doesn't everybody drill a hole in the frame to allow the welded nut on the hanger to fit inside the frame?
 
str12-340 said:
I would bet the 275 60s are on a Dart sport or Duster where there is more room than a hardtop Dart. I also think 245-60s are widest sure bet on a hardtop Dart.

Regarding the movement of the front spring hanger - doesn't everybody drill a hole in the frame to allow the welded nut on the hanger to fit inside the frame?
Click to expand...

I had to enlarge an existing hole quite a bit , pretty heavily massage the frame rail and drive the front spring hanger in place ,it was and "is" more than 1/2 " offset , and aint coming out easily. I had to pull one to place an 1/8" shim in front of it to square my rear end, with 295x65`s on it , it has to be perfect . After being told that`s not what I did, I`m sure mine are freaks , hence the guy I bought them from couldn`t get them in his car . ????. If I spend money on something, I`m dam well going to use it , even if I have to modify it . Which is the case for a lot of parts now.
There was another guy on here that had a pair that was over 1/2" in the front too, but don't remember his handle .
After all this B.S. and "know it knowitallishness" , I`m sure dr.diffs are 1/2" , and mine are not the norm.
 
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