Rear Leaf Relocation for 2nd Gen Camaro

[OneslowZ28]

In the long Quest and indecisiveness of what the hell i want to do with my car....does anyone know of any companies that make a bolt on or a limited fab rear leaf spring relocation kit? The back half is easy to do im just concerned about the clamshell set-up on the front mount. Will moving to the inside of the frame cause any problems? I would like to find out before i start making something rather than doing it and find out something was made. nothing is more aggravating than that and im sure you all have been there before. You guys have been a great help so far so im sure this will be the same. Thanks

[MrQuick]

As long gas you move the rear spring mount the equal amount as the front, you should have no problems.
To move the front perch, just use the right on the left and left on the right. The frame bolt hole will still be used. You will have to reinforce the floor pan to mount the remaining 2 bolts of the perch.

[WS6]

could i get some more info what it is your doing and why? would it be the same as my 79TA? to my knowledge all second gens have the same suspension design. thanks

[jeffandre]

As long gas you move the rear spring mount the equal amount as the front, you should have no problems.
To move the front perch, just use the right on the left and left on the right. The frame bolt hole will still be used. You will have to reinforce the floor pan to mount the remaining 2 bolts of the perch.

Great idea Vince, too late for me though...I built a heavy duty bolt-on bracket assembly that the stock front leaf mount bolts too. I will need to reinforce the floor some, and that will happen when cage time comes around...

[OneslowZ28]

could i get some more info what it is your doing and why? would it be the same as my 79TA? to my knowledge all second gens have the same suspension design. thanks


What it is that im trying to do is stuff a set of 335's in the back. i was thinking of going with a 4 link setup but i think i will save that for later. Right now the direction im going is with a martz sub-frame Ramjet 502 6spd and a 9" rear. Im sure it will change again but i like this idea so far.

[MrQuick]

Your gonna need the 335's. You might want to consider the link setup now, when I did my mock up the tire was 1/4" from the spring. You doing the Martz front,might as well get the rear too.
Jeff, your set up works well too. If you like HEAVY DUTY!!! LOL hows it coming along?

[WS6]

ok so in order to get a 12in tire in there you have to move the springs inboard. this would put them on the inside of the subframe rails correct? so how then, if that's right, would you make the new spring mounts strong enough? im guessing your going to a fuel cell too then? thanks for the info. i thought maybe you were tubing the rear wheelwell, but i wasnt sure.

[jeffandre]

My son broke his leg at football camp the other day so my front end custom tweaking is halted. I will get the GW del-a-lum's machined to fit my control arms next week, so at least a little progress is planned.

I fit 345's on the rear of my 71 Camaro by first trying the Comp. Eng. shackle relocation pieces, but since this jacked the rear of the car up like a 4x4 I cut off the bushing parts and welded leaf spring sliders to them. That lowered the car back down again to my satisfaction (with 2" lowering blocks for now). I moved the frnt spring mounts inside fo the frame rails so in effect the fronts of the springs are closer together than the rears, and my research says that this is actually desirable for cornering. With the springs closer together I figure the body will roll more than before, so the 1" sway bar should be a good thing.

I also built a recessed cell containment section in and under my trunk floor to hold a 20-gallon fuel cell, giving the leaf springs the room they need. The wheel tubs have been moved inward 3"+ to give the 345's at least 1" to the frame as well as 1.25" to the fender edge. I swear I will get more pics as soon as I can, maybe even next week since I will be off of work.

[zbugger]

....I swear I will get more pics as soon as I can, maybe even next week since I will be off of work.
I'll believe it when I see it. That sounds like a ton of clearance, by the way. Does the tire actually look small in there?

[Blue70]

From the photos I've seen the tires in no way look small at all!!

They are HUGE!! :eek:

I can't wait to see more pictures Jeff :yum:

[jeffandre]

I'll believe it when I see it. That sounds like a ton of clearance, by the way. Does the tire actually look small in there?

The tire looks good with a good amount of clearance for lowering the car as much as possible. I could easily fit 355's someday, but my emphasis is on the front sizing now (have 275's, will put 285's on someday). I gotta get my stepson's digital camera and get busy dangit! My son broke his leg at football camp the other day, so I will be spending my days off helping him out.

[WS6]

kinda off subject but yet not. what do yall do with the interior if you have tubs back there now? is custom the only way or do the factory interior panels still manage to fit? ive never measured so i dont know. im thinking no.

[jeffandre]

kinda off subject but yet not. what do yall do with the interior if you have tubs back there now? is custom the only way or do the factory interior panels still manage to fit? ive never measured so i dont know. im thinking no.

I am nowhere hear the interior work yet, but others have narrowed stock or later model rear seats with great resutls, check the interior section and you should be able to find a few. The side panels will fit to a degree, but I will have to cover the tubs with some type of fabric, preferably padded as any rear passengers will be in close quarters.

[WS6]

cool thanks. im actually kicking myself because after i typed my question i remembered there was an old dart that was minitubed at a local cruise in and i didnt think to look and see what they did for the interior

[OneslowZ28]

anyone else have any pics and or info on some of their rear installs. i have only recieved one so far and it seems somewhat easy to do. Thanks again JEFFANDRE i hope you ride turns out sweet. The progress looks good and professional.

[jeffandre]

Thanks and good luck, the effort has been worth it. Get us some pics of your progress when you can.