rear end height High or low or inbetween.

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66Dvert

66Dvert

Working on my custom car parts again!
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I just go the dart down on wheels and and thinking about the height
I bought the wrong springs (6 leaf HD springs, my bad!) any way I put them on and then lowered it about 3 inches. I'm thinking I need it somewhere in between that 2 setups but can't decide. I know it'll drop a lot in the front when I get the motor and trans in. here's what they look like now in either the high or low setting.
so far I have 215/60 14's on the front(or will have after I fix the flat from sitting) and 275/60 14
on the rear. it's tight but I have more that 1/2in clearance to the wheel well lip and almost that much to the leaf spring in the lower position and with the 6 leafs it doesn't flex to much at all.

here's the high setup. a little high for me since the front's gonna go down with the engine/tranny weight
View attachment DSCF3637.JPG


here's the lower setup. I like this one but it might go a touch higher. can't decide
View attachment DSCF3646.JPG

I know it'll sag some after a while so I want to go a little higher than I think I want and let it settle down after use.
 
The lesser one (bottom picture) the engine will make it have a bit more rake
To much and the front end is going to be loaded up with weight.
Like your car :cheers:
 
Low....keep in mind that A bodies have shorter A arms etc and are harder to dial in more caster that will be needed if the rear is up high. Jacking up the rear affects handling.
 
I personally like the rear rim right at about the fender lip to an inch above with the early "A"s. I think your lowered picture will look good and I would not raise the car anymore.
 
The lower is better but you are putting the cart before the horse, trying to finalize ride height without the car being together.
 
1968FormulaS340 said:
The lower is better but you are putting the cart before the horse, trying to finalize ride height without the car being together.
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I'm not trying to finalize it, I'm trying to figure out how much I might need to get removed after I get the interior, engine and tranny in and to see if those big tires would hit in the lowered position, it looks like I can lower it an inch or more to really stuff it up in the well without a problem . the spring shop I'm going to was asking for an approximate time line (I know a guy that knows a guy that can get it done at a better price but I need to do it on their timeline when they have an opening) the engine will be mocked in this week and I can get a lot closer to final height. the interior (97 sebring) is about 70 pounds lighter than stock "front and rear" seats. so that will not change things much and is super fast and easy to put in.
 
1968FormulaS340 said:
The lower is better but you are putting the cart before the horse, trying to finalize ride height without the car being together.
Click to expand...

He is absolutely right!!! I didn't realize you don't have a drive train in the car!! The second photo does look much better, but the weight of the engine/ trans/ driveline/ exhaust WILL change the rear as well
 
pishta said:
where on earth did you find 275-60/14 tires? I like #2.
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"where on earth did you find 275-60/14 tires?"
that's exactly what I said when I bought them from a guy yanking them off his challenger ,said he was going to 17's and I got them for song. he said that He bought them because that's all the gas station had on the shelf that were 14's in Ohio where he blew out the back 2 doing burnouts at the big mopar show up there. I though it was pretty cool I have never seen 275/60's them suckers are big!

I'm leaning on going even lower that the lower version.(about 1 inch above the rim) I'll know more after I get the engine mocked up in position and get that odd tire (15") off on the front. I'll be having a company de-arch those springs after I get a good height set on the front.
 
That car is beautiful regardless of ride height! Slightly biased opinion from where Im sitting anyway.

Do you really have to get the springs dearched? I would try just pulling out a leaf to get it a little lower. Cant wait to see more progress :happy1:
 
OK brother, who makes 'em? Cant read the name...something Radial T/A? BF Goodrich Radial T/A?
 
pishta said:
OK brother, who makes 'em? Cant read the name...something Radial T/A? BF Goodrich Radial T/A?
Click to expand...


they are 275/60 14's B F Goodrich Ta's

I bought them from a guy 2 years ago and they were a year old then, I'm unsure how long they were in that gas station(shell full service station) sitting on the shelf though. I know there is a way to date code the tires but don't know how.
they are HUGE in the wheel well. I love the look of the flat tread pattern and stuffed into the wheel well.

View attachment DSCF3640.JPG

View attachment DSCF3638.JPG

BTW can you really pull a leaf out of the pack and lower the car? does that really work? I thought the main leaf set the height?

I may have to get another set of springs if they can't get me to the height drop I want. I'd like not to have a huge rake on the car "70's style mind ya" tail light shootin to the sky! . now if it was just a drag car I'd be all over it for weight transfer but even that looks like to much to make it transfer good.
 
crvtec90 said:
That car is beautiful regardless of ride height! Slightly biased opinion from where Im sitting anyway.

Do you really have to get the springs dearched? I would try just pulling out a leaf to get it a little lower. Cant wait to see more progress :happy1:
Click to expand...

thanks for the compliment
I have an old set that was close to the original height but was weak. I might just have that set rebuilt and an extra leaf put in for stiffness..
it's all about money right now so I'll see what the spring shop says after I take in the pictures of the car with the engine and trans in it.

I never though I'd get this far after I started tearing into it. the car was a complete rust bucket with great frame rails and that;'s about it. I had to repair EVERY panel in one way or another. I'm hoping I can get the car cut n buffed to get the pearl to pop on a sunny day and I can take pictures of it glittering in the sunlight..
 
Are those lowering blocks I see? Whatever you need to do to get rid of these will be money well spent.
 
C130 Chief said:
Are those lowering blocks I see? Whatever you need to do to get rid of these will be money well spent.
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yep they are,but only to check the height I need. I just yanked them off the jeep I was scrapping and decided to check the ride height and discovered the springs were Wayyyyyy to high for me. after I get the engine and tranny in (temporarily) I'll decide what type of spring work needs to be done to get the car sitting with the wheels stuffed into the wheel well . either new springs, de-arching the new springs that are on it now or getting the original set rebuilt to the height I want. Then the blocks are GONE! BUT I've had the car up on the dolly cart so long that I just couldn't wait to get it back on wheels too!
 
yeah, those tires are long "out of print" there is a date code on all tires, usually in a noticeable stamped pad Prior to 2000, its a 3 digit (wk/y, ie. 428 would be 42nd week of 1998 ). after 2000 is a 4 digit wk/yr ie. 4208 would be 42nd of 2008. Tires that are >10 years old are considered "expired"....http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11
 
pishta said:
yeah, those tires are long "out of print" there is a date code on all tires, usually in a noticeable stamped pad Prior to 2000, its a 3 digit (wk/y, ie. 428 would be 42nd week of 1998 ). after 2000 is a 4 digit wk/yr ie. 4208 would be 42nd of 2008. Tires that are >10 years old are considered "expired"....http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11
Click to expand...


dang the only 3 or 4 digit code I could find is 2800 soooo that means they might be a 28th week in 2000? expired or not those tire look great stuffed up in the well. the more I look at it down on the tires the better I like it. now to get the rest of the stuff on and in so I can DRIVE it! lemme see hmm weather seals, top and padding, wiring,brakes...... maybe this year is the year it gets done!
 
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