Lowering a 2nd Gen

[rickk]

chucks73 , go to www.martzchassis.com take a look at my camaro .

rick kirkindall

[Chucks73]

Rick, Very nice ride and that IS the stance I would like to go for. I'm not ready for the big buck options yet. It was hard to read the write-up in the magazine. Would like to know what size tires and rims you have in the front and also the back spacing. Thanks for your quick response.

[Mean 69]

Rick, if you get a chance, can you measure what the height of the rocker panel is just in front of the rear tire? Just outboard of the pinch weld, there is a flat section, my mockup says 6.5" is about right. Any lower and I will lose clearance for suspension travel, due to the fun shape of the inner fenderwells. I like the height of your car too, probably what I will go with.

Mark

[jeffandre]

The front inner fender wells are a definite limiting factor to those of us wanting a very low ride while having rub-free travel. Maximum backspacing helps here a lot, but I know I will also need to modify the fender-to-inner-fender attachment area in order to get everything to fit.

Before spending any big bucks I would recommend the following steps as a trial fit:

1) Front: Remove and cut a bit off of each front coil spring until the car sits where you want it. Again you will need to check everything and let it settle for days as you drive it in order to get everything set.

2) Add rear lowering blocks until you get the ride height you want for trial testing. Check ground clearnace and suspension travel issues before driving. Once you buy new springs you will want to factor the ride height into the equation so that you can eliminate/minimize the lowering blocks.

3) Once everything is set, use your relevant data as well as data gained from others to determine the best springs to suit your needs.

Be careful of drop spindles, sometimes they add more problems to the equation than solutions. A search here will shed more light on them. While coilovers may be a good solution down the road, I believe there will need to be modifications made to both the lower control arms and possibly the frame before a good coilover setup can be installed. Keep checking out the cars on this site for more information and don't be afraid to ask more if you need clarification on anything.

For the record I have Vette Brakes fiberglass springs so I cannot really tell you much about my setup as it is adjustable height-and-firmness-wise in the front. I did have 3" lowering blocks in the rear for trial fitment only, and it sat right where I wanted it. In order to minimize the block size I had to change the rear leaf shackle to a slider system, but this was mainly necessary because I minitubbed the car and when I moved the leafs inward their relative height changed according the change in the rear trunk pan area (hope this makes some sense). Good luck,