front shocks - shocking question ??
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,269
Likes: 54
From: Orlando Florida
St. Jude Donor '05
front shocks - shocking question ??
Stock ride height for a 79 is somewhere around 27.5" - 28" ...... I'm wondering if the front is lowered to 27" or lower (many cut springs to get the front down to 26.5") should the front lower shock mounting location be lowered by that amount that the ride height is dropped ?
It would be very easy to add a thick washer (like a spacer) between the shock and the lower control arm and use longer bolts.
Would this keep the shock from bottoming out when using very short springs ? Would it be better for the shock to operate as if the ride height was stock or is this one of my brainfarts ??
It would be very easy to add a thick washer (like a spacer) between the shock and the lower control arm and use longer bolts.
Would this keep the shock from bottoming out when using very short springs ? Would it be better for the shock to operate as if the ride height was stock or is this one of my brainfarts ??
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,161
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From: pr, frederick md.
that youll be fine. however you are barking up the right tree as in the mini truck crowd, where the suspension is REALLY low, they use shorter shocks from different manufactuers specifically for what your thinking about doing in your vette. 2" and 3" drop spindles in conjuction with dropped or cut springs is the norm, so they MUST use shorter shocks
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
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From: Exiled to Richmond, VA - Finally sold my house in Murfreesboro, TN ?? Corner of "Bumf*&k and 'You've got a purdy mouth'."
CI 6-7-8 Veteran
CI-VIII Burnout Champ
St. Jude Donor '06-'10, '13
My front end is VERY low (the tires tuck up in the fender) and I have never bottomed out a shock yet. I hit some serious potholes out in the middle of Oklahoma and never had any damage (I did check, some pot holes made that much of a "bang").
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,083
Likes: 2
From: Montreal Qc.
Originally Posted by redc3
that youll be fine. however you are barking up the right tree as in the mini truck crowd, where the suspension is REALLY low, they use shorter shocks from different manufactuers specifically for what your thinking about doing in your vette. 2" and 3" drop spindles in conjuction with dropped or cut springs is the norm, so they MUST use shorter shocks
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,269
Likes: 54
From: Orlando Florida
St. Jude Donor '05
I have the Bilstein HD's with 550lbs springs and I don't bottom out - I was just wondering if these shocks are designed to operate at a specific height. I thought that if they were designed to work best in a C3 at 27.75" ride height then it may be a good idea to relocate the lower shock mount by 1" if the car is lowered by 1" ..... well, it seems these shocks work well at any ride height between 26.5" and 28" ... 
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,161
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From: pr, frederick md.
Originally Posted by Star79
wonder what shocks this guy has on his mini-truck
thats a good one... but seriously hes probably got some pretty normal shocks. what hes done is called a body drop