Lift spindles?

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Mopar87

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So I picked up a 73 plymouth scamp and my plan is to use it to drive and go camping on the back roads around here.I know from past experience the passenger car tires do not survive long on the gravel and rocks around here, so LT tires are a must.Unfortunately, the smallest LT tires are 27-29".So I need some sort of lift so those tires can clear with as little trimming as possible.The rear is easy with literally thousands of ways to get more height.Its the front I am worried about. Suspension travel is important on gravel roads so I would prefer that the torsion bars be set to the middle point of their travel. I could space the K member and torsion bars down like a IFS lift like on a chebby or something, but that takes away from ground clearance and creates more things that could potentially get hung up or ripped off.I am wondering if anyone knows of a spindle that would fit or could be easily modified to fit that would lift the front a couple inches? On an episode of roadkill they found a amc hornet baja car, and they said it used a dodge van spindle plus dual coilovers on the front. Also from a post here F body lowering spindles can be used to lower A bodies so what about in reverse? Thanks in advance.
 
I have plenty of pickups both 2wd and 4wd there poor handling and stiff suspension are not fun on back roads.The weight balance is so front heavy that they understeer badly until the rear end swings loose.The slow steering ratios make catching the slide hard.The stiff suspension means that they bounce and skitter all over the road. Cars even old old muscle cars have much better handling,have a better weight balance,a lower center of gravity, and readily available parts to change aspects of the car.Besides,back in the day everyone went camping in station wagons and rwd cars. Vehicles that handle and are responsive are much nicer to drive on gravel than any truck or SUV could ever hope to be while still being able to do truck or SUV stuff.
 
You need a 68 charger.
Buddy had one, we spent a lot of time cruising the backroads. Rallye style.
I agree that cars do well on gravel,but a 68 chevy c10 had coils all around and it was a great gravel road truck.
Personally i would rather be in a pickup and drive within the limits of it.
Pushing a car hard on gravel roads, a body especially is just a failure waiting to happen.
Lifting such a car will make it less like a car to handle and more like a truck. A lot of work for so little gain.
 
I agree with previous post. I had a 67 gmc 1/2t and it rode like a car. I think the newer coil sprung Rams ride pretty good, too. I had an 09 Ford f350 work truck which rode and handled like crap on rough paved city streets.
 
Mopar87 said:
So I picked up a 73 plymouth scamp and my plan is to use it to drive and go camping on the back roads around here.I know from past experience the passenger car tires do not survive long on the gravel and rocks around here, so LT tires are a must.Unfortunately, the smallest LT tires are 27-29".So I need some sort of lift so those tires can clear with as little trimming as possible.The rear is easy with literally thousands of ways to get more height.Its the front I am worried about. Suspension travel is important on gravel roads so I would prefer that the torsion bars be set to the middle point of their travel. I could space the K member and torsion bars down like a IFS lift like on a chebby or something, but that takes away from ground clearance and creates more things that could potentially get hung up or ripped off.I am wondering if anyone knows of a spindle that would fit or could be easily modified to fit that would lift the front a couple inches? On an episode of roadkill they found a amc hornet baja car, and they said it used a dodge van spindle plus dual coilovers on the front. Also from a post here F body lowering spindles can be used to lower A bodies so what about in reverse? Thanks in advance.
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I would guess if you want a lift spindle you will have to make it yourself, perhaps by modifying a fat an drop spindle as they are welded together out of 3 or 4 pieces.
They do make lift spindles for Mustang II suspension if you could change over to some kind os front end that uses those.
 
rustycowll69 said:
I agree with previous post. I had a 67 gmc 1/2t and it rode like a car. I think the newer coil sprung Rams ride pretty good, too. I had an 09 Ford f350 work truck which rode and handled like crap on rough paved city streets.
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I spent a lot of time in the provincial parks up here. There was a guy with an f350 that drove the road (near 60 miles) and i couldnt keep up to him with a half-ton.There is one road,ruts holes and hills that you couldnt build a car or truck to run it. 14 miles takes hours.
 
I searched for lift spindles for a long time and never found anything. Finally had to use the torsion bars to lift the front end to match the back. Be you'll probably have to buy adjustable UCAs because you won't be able to get a proper alignment once it's raised up (that's what I did anyway). Treblig
 
Before aftermarket lowering "spindles" were available, I knew a guy in CA with a 68 cuda who had some stock spindles cut and rewelded to lower his car by 2". Might be a possibility to do the reverse if you can find someone to do it.

Would I want to be tearing around back roads on welded spindles? At least if you get stranded in the boonies with no cell service you'd have your camping gear with you.

How about a straight axle with leaf springs?

The 68 and earlier hemi SS cars had 1/2" thick spacers between the K member and frame rails to gain some hood clearance. You could try some 1" thick aluminum blocks there and maybe jack up the T-bars another inch. You gonna radius the wheel wells for clearance?
 
I would prefer not to have to cut the wheel wells,But I will trim the corners if thats what it takes.
 
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