'66 suspension saga

[bacfire]

I finally got around to replacing the suspension on my '66 coupe. After months of reading archives, talking to folks, and agonizing over too stiff/soft, too high/low, etc., I finally went with Grab-a-trak 1" lowering GT coils, 4-leaf mid-eyes, Shelby drop, and roller perches. I already had export brace/monte carlo, 1" front bar, and GR 2 shocks all around. She's a daily driver and I'm getting old, so I wanted a nice ride.

Well, I got the nice ride, but now my front end sits well over 2" lower than the rear. Hub center to fender lip is 14" rear and 11.5" front; well off my hoped-for 12.5 front, 13" rear. I was in a time crunch getting ready for Cruisin' the Coast, the annual big event in my area, so I took it to a local dealership for alignment to Opentracker specs. They botched it, then the front end settled more and made it even worse. Looks bad and drives worse. So now it's 1" spring cushions, maybe lowering blocks out back, and a DIY alignment job.

 

[steveh326]

man sorry to hear this, I hope you get it worked out. I have a similar set of parts sitting in the garage waiting to go onto the car, hopefully next weekend. I was hoping for a nice low stance with the front about an inch lower than the rear. Like you I read and read and read and finally put together my parts list based on what I thought would work. I can't afford to be experimenting with high dollar parts, was trying to get the right ones the first time. Good luck with your resolution. I have read where the rear leaves will take a little time to settle in and may go slightly lower in a month or so, but I don't have any experience with them yet.

 

[68dustin]

i used the same setup, front sat higher than the rear... i chopped coil out and all fixed!

 

[bacfire]

i used the same setup, front sat higher than the rear... i chopped coil out and all fixed!

Crazy, ain't it? You'd think with the same car, same parts everywhere, things would come out roughly the same. My front end settled 3/4" in the first hundred miles or so, but nearly 500 miles later the rear hasn't moved at all.

 

[S-Car-Go]

That's no fun. Have you tried setting the rear end on jack stands (loading the suspension) then loosening up the shackles and eye bolts a little? Then bounce the rear and retighten everything. I always do the final tightening with the weight of the car on the suspension.

 

[bacfire]

I tightened with the car jacked up, thinking that it would work itself out and settle with driving. I'll try your advice before I order lowering blocks. Thanks.

 

[bacfire]

Tried it. Didn't work. Ah, well...

 

[palerider94]

I've got 1" lowering springs on my 1970 and standard eye leafs in back and had same experience as 68dustin - albeit it was a 1970. But makes no sense why the car droped so much in front. Usually people complain that it sits too high in front even with 1" lowering springs. Because the old springs sag over time alot. Shelby drop would not drop much at all usually not noticeable. You sure you got the right springs? I'm assuming you ar running a v8. They may have sent you springs for 6 cyclinder. I would double check that first before messing with anything else. Try popping old springs in and see what you get.

 

[v8only]

damn, front sat lower?? Here is my 66 with an explorer rear and grab a trak mid eye springs and 17's...no shocks bolted up, but shocks don't give ride height. My ass is in the weeds already, can't imagine how the front springs would look. I bought my springs slightly used though, so perhaps they've settled?

btw, no drivetrain and stock front suspension in this shot

 

[bacfire]

You sure you got the right springs? I'm assuming you ar running a v8. They may have sent you springs for 6 cyclinder. I would double check that first before messing with anything else. Try popping old springs in and see what you get.

Got a stock 289 in it with air, but it has a Sanden compressor. The springs are tagged with the Grab-a-Trak logo, so I don't think they're 6-cyl pieces. I'll see if I can find the box to get a part #.
The old springs were so shot that the car sat about where it is now even with three twist-in spring nuts (spacers) in each one. There was such a clear difference in spring rate that a mechanic buddy who was hanging around said. "Man, those things are so stiff they're gonna beat your brains out." They're not, of course.
My 1" poly cushions came in yesterday, but it will be a few days before I get to install them.

 

[four29scj]

I used the Mustangs Plus Super Starter Kit on my '66 w/302. 620 coils, KYB shocks, 4-leaf mid-eye springs, 1/4'" coil spring pads, 1 1/8 sway bar. At the time I had power steering and when you order the kit they ask you if have power or manual steering. I later removed all of the power steering stuff and went to manual steering to simplify and save some weight and cash. I did not do the "Shelby drop". I have 15" wheels with 205/50's on the front and 225/60's on the rear. Yes I know - weird tire combo but I bought 4 - 205's thinking it would look right and it didn't. $$$ mistake. WAY to much space in the rear wheel wells. So I bought 225's for the rear. Then the car had a forward rake, so I installed 1" lowering blocks on the rear to level the back again. Finally after all I get "the look" I wanted AND, the handling is decent enough for me, since I'm not racing....yet. The alignment was done at a local Firestone shop, and the guy actually knew what he was doing when working with shims and such on an archaic suspension system with limited adjustment.

 

[bacfire]

Finally got my 1" spring pads in and a proper alignment done. I'm sitting a little higher than I originally wanted...13" front, 14" rear, wheel center to fender lip...but I'm just gonna live with it. I think it will be fine with a future wheel/tire upgrade.

The car drives pretty well now. My KYB GT-2s are really too soft, but I'll stay with them for now to keep the plush ride. The rear end rolls noticably under any kind of hard cornering and the car wanders a little on uneven highways, but I think a rear bar will cure all that.

BTW, getting GT springs with a 1" pad stuffed in place is a *monster* hassle. If I ever do it again, it will be with the proper tool!

 

[S-Car-Go]

How'd you go from too low (11.5") to too high (>13") with a 1" spacer? Odd.

 

[bacfire]

Couldn't say for sure. I assume that the point that I measured...the center cap on the outside of the wheel...has a greater arc of travel, and that maybe a 1" increase further inboard at the spring was magnified into a 1.5" rise from center cap to fender lip. But I'm speculating. I'm not sure of the geometry and I'm not at my car to look more closely.