What is involved with lowering the car?
03-14-2004, 11:45 PM
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What is involved with lowering the car? In addition to the spring kit, do I need to get the relocation brackets, new shocks, and adjustable pan hard bar, etc? I also wanted to some other mods like 18" wheels and eventually dual exhaust. I know I will be cuting it close with clearence. What would be the best approach to the order of these mods? Lowered, then wheels, then exhaust? Thanks
Last edited by BLASTER; 03-14-2004 at 11:51 PM.
03-14-2004, 11:55 PM
#2
You don't absolutely need relocation brackets unless you drag race. If you lower the car a lot, you will need some better shocks, since the stock ones have a narrow range and will wear out quickly on a lowered car. You may not need an adjustable panhard bar; I didn't. You'll just have to try it and see. Dual exhaust will be hard to get over the axle on a lowered car; you may have to end it before the axle. Either way, you will have much less ground clearance than before. I sugest going with a 3.5 or 4 inch single exhaust and taking it over the axle so you don't have to breath the exhaust.
03-15-2004, 12:34 AM
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After lowering my car, all you need is springs. Ride will be rough, and you might deceide to upgrade shocks, so it would be wise to do it at the same time. Rears are cake, fronts are a PITA. I dont mind the ride. Pretty much what Cal said. But the exhaust should be done last and you might have ground clearance issues with the headers.
03-15-2004, 10:35 AM
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While I race seldom, relo brackets made my car bite
better after lowering, than before without them.
It's something you can do later (as is everything
but the front spring/shock assembly, basically).
For a 1" drop you can probably get by without an
adjustable Panhard and adjustable torque arm. More
severe drops may mess with your side-side location
and pinion angle. Once you've decided on springs
that set the drop height, maybe you can get more
specific advice about that.
I would definitely do wheels/tires after the lowering
so that the tire shop can see what you have to work
with. You might try jacking front and rear wheels up
against the body individually once lowered, looking at
tire scrub clearances (w/ fronts at different turn angles
too) so you know how much additional width & height
you can drive on, hard, without issue.
better after lowering, than before without them.
It's something you can do later (as is everything
but the front spring/shock assembly, basically).
For a 1" drop you can probably get by without an
adjustable Panhard and adjustable torque arm. More
severe drops may mess with your side-side location
and pinion angle. Once you've decided on springs
that set the drop height, maybe you can get more
specific advice about that.
I would definitely do wheels/tires after the lowering
so that the tire shop can see what you have to work
with. You might try jacking front and rear wheels up
against the body individually once lowered, looking at
tire scrub clearances (w/ fronts at different turn angles
too) so you know how much additional width & height
you can drive on, hard, without issue.