1966 rear suspension

[radstad66]

Can anyone tell me why my 66 rear suspension is so high.
This car is a 425hp 4.11 r.gears was once used for racing with the flairs. The car sit with 2 inches between top of tire to bottom of new original fenders. I replaced the 10 leaf spring with a standard 9 leaf. Still high in the air. ?

[Tom Bryant]

Welcome to the CAC. The only thing that comes immediately to mind would be that they might have used shorter spring bolts to raise the car for tire clearance. Check the length of the bolts on the outer end of the springs and make sure that the cushions are as specified. Could have built up extra cushions to raise it also. I'm at work so I don't have the length in front of me. Let us know what you find.

Tom

[J Lance Miller]

For some reason, 6 1/4" comes to mind - shorter bolts will lower the rear as Tom mentioned. The arch of the spring uninstalled should be very close to 10". The only other thing I can think of is perhaps the spring cushions could be installed on the wrong side of the spring... the order from top to bottom should be - bolt, washer, cushion, cushion cup, trailing arm, spring, cushion cup, cushion, washer, nut and cotter pin.
Hope this helps - Lance

[radstad66]

Hey, Thanks for the reply, but I ordered new bolts, they were the same size as the old ones, and I got them in order with the cushions , The bolts are about 6 1/2 inches. I got P205 75 R 15 Tires and 271/2 inches from the ground to the bottom of the fender. any idea what it should be at?

[radstad66]

Another thing, I bought the new spring from The Last Detail and it came with a band on each side. It looks like its holding it from straightening out. Should I try and take them off? Also, I do not have the spare tire or tub, That can't make that much of a difference would it?

[J Lance Miller]

I would leave the bands as is - I think they help prevent the spring from having awkward compression and rebound characteristics. They could have been installed too tight I suppose... do they look like they are bent over pieces of iron or more more like the thin steel bands used to hold a load on a pallet?
I had my spare tire tub off for quite some time after my suspension rebuild - made it easier to admire my work! It should not effect your ride hieght too much.
I'll get the correct ride height measurements out of the AIM when I get home, or maybe someone reading this thread with access to their AIM can post them for you.
Lance

[Tom Bryant]

John,

I also ran my '67 with the spare tire and tub out. To see how it sat click on the home page icon at the bottom of this post and go to the "Other Cool Stuff" page. The tires are 215/78R 15.

It could be that the spring was made with too much arch. If all else fails you could go to a 2" longer bolt to lower the rear to where you want it.

Tom

[J Lance Miller]

With the car on a perfectly level surface:
Measurement D is the difference between the distance (perpendicular) from the ground to the centerline of the upper strut (or camber) rod bushing and the distance (perpendicular) from the ground to the centerline of the lower strut (AKA camber) rod bushing.
Measurment K is the distance between the frame and the ground at a point 24" forward of the rear wheel centerline.

D = 3.78"
K = 9.16" (+-.50" & +-.25" side to side)

Options that affect measurements K & D:
D/K | Option
-.01/-.02 | M35
-.09/-.11 | L36
-.09/-.11 | L72
-.01/-.04 | N40
-.15/-.16 | C07
-.01/-.02 | L79
-.06/-.24 | C60(327)
-.07/-.06 | C60(427)
So if you have options M35, L36 and C60 - your D measurement would be 3.61" and your K measuremnt would be 8.97".
Lance :cool