need advice on lowering a 1978 corvette

[chevyhector]

Hey All,

A friend of mine has a 1978 Corvette and he wants to lower it 2in all the way around. He's willing to cut the coil springs and modify the rear leaf springs. Can someone please send me any info on how to accomplish this with the stock parts?

Thanks
Hec

:cheers:

[monteboy84]

In the rear it's pretty easy to do with the transverse monoleaf, you should just need to run longer endlinks to drop the ride height. It sounds like you've got the front end figured out.

I'm not 100% sure if the 78 will have a rear suspension identical to a 69, but the geometry on our 69 race car is terrible, everything about it is less than ideal, due to the arrangement with a fixed-length halfshaft and trailing arm. Keep in mind that dropping it is going to change some geometry, so you'll want to check things out before hitting the highway with it after lowering.

[chevyhector]

Thanks Matt, I will relay this message to my friend ! You are :1st: in my book !

Hec

[John Wright]

What happens to the camber at the rear wheels when you lower it?

I'm picturing a VW bug riding on the inside sidewalls of the tires.

BTW, I had a 77 and I can't picture that car being highway worthy with a 2" drop....it bottomed out the exhaust on every bump in the road at stock ride height.

[twosaturns]

is Corvette Brakes still around? they had some great suspension setups for vettes, including FRONT transverse fiberglass leafsprings.

[monteboy84]

@ John, You're right, 2" is probably too much, I think 1" is doable, 2 would be a stretch. Either way you go, I think sidepipes are probably a necessity, even if for nothing but ground clearance.


is Corvette Brakes still around? they had some great suspension setups for vettes, including FRONT transverse fiberglass leafsprings.

http://www.vbandp.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=370

Unfortunately, I don't believe any of these address the poor rear geometry that came on these cars. The only way to fully address it is to swap rear halfshafts that are variable length, and convert to a different suspension system.

[BulldawgMusclecars]

I just worked on a '78 Vette, with lowering very close to what you describe. I used Vette Brakes and Products springs (they were the stiffer ones, around 650lb I believe) in the front, with 1/2 coil cut. The rear was already lowered with a different spring and longer bolts (also VBP I think). I can find out if you are interested, just PM me.The front springs were only about $60.
BTW that is a very streetable amount to lower your Vette.

[John Wright]

BTW that is a very streetable amount to lower your Vette.
I agree with using a much stiffer rate spring....the stock rate is way too soft to keep it from scrubbing the road.

[chevyhector]

Thanks Joe and others, I will forward all this great info to my buddy.


I just worked on a '78 Vette, with lowering very close to what you describe. I used Vette Brakes and Products springs (they were the stiffer ones, around 650lb I believe) in the front, with 1/2 coil cut. The rear was already lowered with a different spring and longer bolts (also VBP I think). I can find out if you are interested, just PM me.The front springs were only about $60.
BTW that is a very streetable amount to lower your Vette.

[chevyhector]

But if you can, keep the info coming in !

[406 Q-ship]

Talk to Guldstrands, he is the Corvette man. I would not lower a C3 2" but 1.25 is doable. I would get a set of front springs and then you will need longer bolts for the rear leaf that allow adjustablity. Camber adjustment will be a bit*h but if you talk to Guldstrands he has a kit that will make it possible to adjust camber much easier, just hope that it doesn't screw up the rear toe setting cause that is shims on the lower swing arm and a MFer to set (especially if the bolt is rusty). Side pipes will not help ground clearance that much, remember the exhaust pipes on a Vette are above the frame except where they pass under the rear center section. Good Luck

[srh3trinity]

I found a good deal on a '78 this last weekend and went and looked at it several times. I was shocked when I started researching the suspension on the car that they had not changed anything from the C2's for the most part. The car was selling for 4K, but was going to need a lot of money invested. I couldn't justify the amount of time and money that it would have taken for that particular car. If only it had been a metal bumper car.

[monteboy84]

Side pipes will not help ground clearance that much, remember the exhaust pipes on a Vette are above the frame except where they pass under the rear center section. Good Luck

True enough, I forget that we have a dropped floor and custom side-exit headers on ours. Stock arrangement sidepipes won't do anything for ground clearance.

[chevyhector]

Anything today???

[BulldawgMusclecars]

I'll go by my customer's house this weekend (he is just up the street from me), and snap some pics, and get the specifics on the rear. He is running 17" TT2s, and on this car it is very streetable. He drives it all over the place (esp since we did the TH2004R swap), inclduing in ATL traffic and out of state. I have driven the car, and its no less "streetable" than any low car...C5, 4th gen F-body, etc). In any case, its far better than what the first shop did to lower it...they HEATED the stock springs with a torch until it sagged. The springs were so damaged, I am surprised they didn't break. I can compress them easily with my hands (I still have them here, in case anyone asks me to lower their car with a torch!).