PDA

View Full Version : 1st Gen Camaro suspension/wheels-tires quesion



MikeJ67
06-12-2017, 05:11 PM
141196Hey everybody.
I've been lurking in the wings here trying to read as much as I can, but I'm running out of time. So I'm just going to lay it out here and try and get some of your opinions and professional advise.

I'm trying to wrap up the build on my '67 Camaro. I ended up having to build the motor in it which put me way back. The car is clean and had new brakes, tranny, tires/wheels and a few other things when we bought it. Of course, nothing stays stock for very long if I can help it.

Quickly, I've got tubular front upper & lower control arms, CPP Big Brake kit (13" frt - 12" rear) with 2" drop spindles. (yeah, I know) so here's my questions. How low can you go and how wide of wheels/tires will fit a lowered car?
I want to add a 1" lowered coil spring up front (for a total of 3" lowered) and in the rear I was thinking of 3" dropped leaf springs and hoping that would be enough. I'd like to put 245/40-18s up front on a 18'x8' wheel and in the rear I'd like to go with 275/40-18s on 18'x9.5' wheels. I'm working in a rear spring relocation kit to move the shocks inside of the leaf springs so I have as much room as possible. I don't mind rolling my fender lips in either if I have to.

My wife will also be driving the car, so I can't go crazy with it. I have another one in the wings to do that stuff to later on.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Rod
06-13-2017, 08:51 AM
your wheel and tires size selection is on target, you will need to roll the front and rear outer wells and some mods to the upper, outer edge front wheel well, and a few button head bolts also. 8 inches about as wide as you can go without changes to steering arms, spindle and so on... show us some pics as you come along

MikeJ67
06-14-2017, 04:18 PM
Thanks Rod. Yeah, I just ordered the fender lip roller from Eastwood. On sale. I've done a couple of cars and now hoping these lips roll fairly easy. Lol.

I might go with a 45 series tire if that is going to help me not scrape & rub on the car. In the rear I may even go with a 9" wide wheel, but still use the same 275 size tires. My car came with power steering & brakes. The spindle / brake kit also comes with some quick steering arms, so I'm going to have to look at them side by side as I install the front suspension this weekend?

Soooooooooo button head bolts - great idea. I never thought about that. But that's why I asked. =) I don't mind the fender lip thing like I said, but what can you do on the inside of the wheel wells? Are we talking like trimming or something?

In my head I'd like to see the middle of the tire on the front end. The top of the tire tucked up under the fender, but not quite the top of the rim at the fender lip. Almost the same in the rear and that would be my perfect stance. If I have to change or adjust that with the tire height, than I can work with that.

I've got a ton of pics so far. I'm going to have to get a folder together to put just a couple of each stage in there so I can share once I get things moving.

Thanks again for the advice. I'm sure it will really come in handy.

TheJDMan
06-14-2017, 05:21 PM
Your preferred stance can be accomplished but you will need to be spot on with your wheel back spacing. I don't know how you get there with your proposed suspension setup, Rod would be your best source of information there. But just for reference, I'm running a 275/35R-18 on 18x10 wheels up front with no modification to either the inner or outer fenders and 335/30R-18 on 18x12 wheels rear with Mini-tubs. The only change to the front fenders was to replace the wheel well bolts with button head bolts to avoid tire damage. Here is a shot of my stance.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/12/CAMARO3-1.jpg

ra11ysport
06-14-2017, 08:39 PM
I think it looks great just the way it is! My 67 wont fit a BFG 275 even with rolled quarters.