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Hello all, been lurking for months and searching and learning from all the info available, but now i'm stumped on my rear suspension.
Recently got a 63...long story...but been in the family since '69 or '70. Hasn't been run since about '83 when leaded premium became unavailable.
Motor is in process of a rebuild, finished rebuilding the front suspension, and just finished the rear, and that's where i need help.
Main question is are there specs for the angles of the half shafts or the control arms(strut arms)?
I have the assembly manual showing 3.55" drop from CL to CL of the strut rod, mine is about 7". With the car up in the air, jack stands on the rear shock mounts(suspension loaded) as i spin the tire i feel a very slight resistance, and looking at it, it seems the bolt heads on the saddle clamps (rear end yoke) are making contact, as the paint is chipped. The wheels spin easy, but there is one spot it needs a little more to continue round.
When i got the car, i did test fit the wheels and no issues, but he rubber bushing on the bottom of the leaf was missing on both sides.
I could easily lower it and 1" or so (little high in the back for my taste) with longer bolts.
Looking for suggestions or ideas....since the rear suspension was completely removed and all rubber items replaced, do these cars 'settle' once driven?
I'm not new to working on old cars, but this independent rear suspension is new to me.
Hope to get it back on the road in the next 1.5-2 months. Looking forward to getting this back on the road after 30+ years, and this time i'll be in the driver seat, not in the back
You say that the suspension is loaded, with jackstands under the shock mounts. How loaded is it? Is the full weight of the car on the jack stands? Half the weight?
With the car fully up in the air, and the wheels and tires off the ground, there will very likely be some binding (interference) in the half-shafts as you try to rotate the tires. It can be enough to even lock the wheel from turning further in that direction. The rear control arms move in an arc as the frame rises and falls in response to unevenness in the road surface. The amount of clearance necessary will not normally be exceeded unless the car was "airborne" or the suspension nearly fully unloaded. If you are encountering interference with most of the weight on the suspension then you definitely have a problem.
If you could post a few pictures of the rear suspension in the position where the interference is occurring that would be great. A view such as this would be helpful... (This chassis does not have the weight of the body on it, but even at this angle, there is little chance of any half-shaft interference occurring.)
only the rear was up on jack stands, no spare tire, no motor or trans(don't think that matters) Toe has not been set, camber is very close to 0.
I took the jack stands out this evening, so it's on all 4 wheels in this pic.
Hope you can see where the paint is missing....that's where i believe it's touching
It should look approximately like this when the entire car is assembled. Yes, the suspension will settle in a little over time - but not a great amount. Maybe 1/4 inch - to 1/2 inch at most as the rear spring cushions compress.
When the rear is unloaded and drooping, the u-joints will have interference.
Remember that the engine and transmission set fairly far back in these cars and the rear suspension will pick up a fair amount of their weight. Not sure if you have the interior installed or not and I can see the spare tire tub (and tire) are out. All of these are largely borne by the rear suspension. That looks like an original rear spring. It will come down when all together.
Wow, Dan, yours is what i thought they would look like, much more horizontal. no spare on mine, but there is a full interior, and yes an original rear spring, car has low miles and spent a good chunk of life off the suspension, stored on blocks on the frame, dad thought that would help the life of the suspension.
Since the car isn't complete, am I over thinking this and worrying to early? Shall i get the motor/trans back in and then revisit this?
Yes, I think you are worrying over nothing. Having a good original spring is a huge factor in your favor - it almost can't sit too high when it's all assembled. One that has been driven hard for many, many miles might sit low - but no original spring should sit high if everything is installed correctly. Repro springs are a real mixed bag and we see lots of posts on problems with them causing the car to sit high.
Since you are on the ground, toss 100-150 lb in the back (get a friend to climb in the luggage area) and then roll it back and forth while bouncing the tail by hand. It should settle a fair amount.
Without engine, transmission, full tank of fuel, spare, and so on, it will sit high.
Since you are on the ground, toss 100-150 lb in the back (get a friend to climb in the luggage area) and then roll it back and forth while bouncing the tail by hand. It should settle a fair amount.
Without engine, transmission, full tank of fuel, spare, and so on, it will sit high.
I agree with the above. You may even need more weight to settle the suspension.
The rear u-joints will strike at full droop. You can find u-joints with more clearance, but the factory joints made contact similar to yours.
Some shocks limit the travel, and the potential for interference.
Make sure you have the French locks on the hub end (outer) u-joint bolts to keep it together at speed.
You may also want to lower the rear after completion. The need is aesthetic and performance related.
The 63-67' camber bracket provides a higher roll center for a stiffer rear suspension roll resistance without an anti-swaybar. The resulting handling provides too much overseer for some drivers, and excessive camber change that does not work with modern wide tires as well as the lower roll center of the C3 camber bracket. Longer spring bolts help, the C3 bracket helps more, to reduce the oversteer.
It is nice to read a family car being resurrected.
It is nice to read a family car being resurrected.
Never dreamed it would actually be mine, but now my big goal is to bring her back to life drive to dads and hand him the keys. Then help my brother bring his back from the dead...his has sat since '72
Never dreamed it would actually be mine, but now my big goal is to bring her back to life drive to dads and hand him the keys. Then help my brother bring his back from the dead...his has sat since '72
Congratulations on the car and working on getting it back on the road. You need to get a 1963 Factory AIM (Assembly Instruction Manual) and a 1963 Chevrolet Service Manual if you do not have them already.
The AIM actually provides specs for the rear (and front) suspension. You load the rear up with additional weight to the given spec and ONLY THEN do you tighten up the rear suspension bolts. If you do not, you will lock the rubber suspension components into an unnatural position will will result in the car sitting high and also prematurely wearing/tearing the rubber components rather on when it is on the road.
07-21-2016, 08:09 PM
New guy with Noob rear suspension questions
