How can i lift the rear of my chevelle a few inches? Can someone help - don't know the difference between springs, coils or how the shocks work - just starting this out. Grandfathered willed me a 72 Convertible and trying to do it some justice.

:confused:

Looking for help.

B Ray

Air shocks are about the easiest and cheapest way to go, and work great.

If you jack the back end high enough that the lower control arm isn't parallel to the ground, you'll have no end of wheel hop problems.

Air shocks stink as far as I'm concerned. Stiffer coils--or coil spacers--are cheap and trouble-free.

My 'Camino has a pair of PVC spacers bought in the plumbing department of the local Menards; they cost less than $10 about ten years ago. I put 'em between the top of the coil and the spring pocket.

What about Coil springs from an El Camino - i remember pop telling me that they might get the ass end up higher - any comment - it was about 10 years ago he said that so i am not too straight on that - and he is isn't around anymore to help me out with this stuff

After all the years of use on the coil springs that are in there, all you may need is new springs. Get the heavy duty ones when they ask you which ones you want. Air shocks are a bad idea because they place the weight of the car on the bottom shock mount. Take a look at the amount of metal there. I can't tell you how many customers cars I've welded the shock mounts back in because of air shocks. The best and most stable way to adjust ride height is an air bag in the coil spring. This will also help with wheel hop by preloading the spring. El Camino springs and station wagon springs have ,I THINK, the same part number as the aforementioned heavy duty springs.

What ever you do, DON"T put spring expanders or air shocks on the car. They are just a band aid, and they mess with the original engineering of the suspention geometry and mechanics.

Good luck, give us some pics, so we can see what you're working with.:beers:

Do NOT jack it up with air-shocks!! The upper shock mounts were not designed to hold the weight of the car and WILL break over time. I've had to weld more air-shock busted mounts than I can count. If you want to raise it a few inches just use a rear spring that has a few inches higher installed height. I use them on my car but I can't remember the MOOG number. I'll look for it.
Mike

What about Coil springs from an El Camino - i remember pop telling me that they might get the ass end up higher - any comment - it was about 10 years ago he said that so i am not too straight on that - and he is isn't around anymore to help me out with this stuff

I think that your pop was referring to the fact that air shocks are standard on El Caminos and that you can easily vary the air pressure to adjust for loads in the bed. By varying the air pressure, you can also vary the rear end height.

Raising the rear WILL cause wheelhop, unless you make some other serious changes (no-hop bars w/ adjustable upper arms). If you ever want to do a burnout, don't do it. Wheelhop is hell on everything from the engine, trans, driveshaft, axle, suspension, etc...

Also, you can fit pretty big tires in the stock wheelwell, so there's really no reason to ever lift a Chevelle anyway.

Thanks men- for all the input - headed out to get the heavy duty springs and installing today - YES ON EASTER - My wife loves me - !!!

Schurkey, please tell us more about the PVC spacers. Exactly what did you use? I already put new springs in but still need a little more lift.

Thats why if you have air shocks you get lakewoods ladder bars the bolt on ones i never have a problem with wheel hop, check out my car with the ladder bars my car sits like it is without any air in the shocks because someone apparently put coil insulators on top that were 6-7 inches tall instead of the normal ones being polyurethane being 1/2" thick:sad: i wish it sat lower to give it a nice stance were i could control it but its already like that and my dad said to leave it like it is so what can you do:noway:


If you jack the back end high enough that the lower control arm isn't parallel to the ground, you'll have no end of wheel hop problems.

Air shocks stink as far as I'm concerned. Stiffer coils--or coil spacers--are cheap and trouble-free.

My 'Camino has a pair of PVC spacers bought in the plumbing department of the local Menards; they cost less than $10 about ten years ago. I put 'em between the top of the coil and the spring pocket.

Is there a reason why you want it up higher? I wouldnt go with air shocks, ladder bars or any kind of slims your ride will be much stiffer.
Remember your springs are 36 years old and could just be weak, a new set of springs for your car might give you the height you want.
Do you have any pictures of you car to give us in idea of what your got.

Schurkey, please tell us more about the PVC spacers. Exactly what did you use? I already put new springs in but still need a little more lift.
The entire suspension of this 'Camino was TOTALLY WIPED OUT from morons who should have known better. I mean both front upper control arms were cracked; the ball joints were wiped--the thing had such tall springs in it that it looked like someone made a 4X4 conversion out of it. I made the salesman drive the car to my home 'cause I was scared to. I installed the H-O Racing Specialties Strong-Arm suspension kit at the same time that I installed their tall-spindle disc brake conversion. These springs are designed to lower the car about an inch or two from stock--or--about six inches from the way it was.

Anyway, I soon discovered that No-Hop bars on an El Camino have clearance problems with the bed. None of the other body styles have that sort of problem--but--the El Camino/Sprint do. No-Hop bars will pound dents into the bed from underneath as they "self-clearance".

SO, not wanting to pitch the springs which were at that point about three hours old--I drove out to Menards and wandered around looking like a "deer in the headlights"...

...until I strolled into the plumbing department. They have piles of odd-shaped PVC "thingies", and I have absolutely no idea what they are supposed to be used for--but they were about the right diameter; and about an inch or inch-and-a-half thick; and had a nice inner flange that would sit inside the ID of the spring.

I bought two, went home, dropped the shocks and lowered the axle. Jammed 'em in place--and it's been smooth sailing ever since. The back of my 'Camino is "approximately" stock ride height; and the front is just a touch lower than stock. Works for me.

I built coil spring spacers at work from some round stock that was laying around. They look like these in the picture but are steel. I put a 1/2" threaded hole in the bottom to bolt it to the coil mount, Works good but I did need to go with no-hops as the wheel hop was outrageous.

LK
http://xs125.xs.to/xs125/08131/coil-spacer351.jpg (http://xs.to)

just get some wagon springs. if your going to replace the shocks. just jack the car up from the frame and the springs will fall out. jim

just get some wagon springs. if your going to replace the shocks. just jack the car up from the frame and the springs will fall out. jim
1. You better disconnect the shocks first.

2. Don't stress the brake hose by dropping the axle too far.

3. There's a batch of different springs, depending on year and model. Among the changes are whether or not the end coil is pigtailed. Be sure of what you need--and what you're buying.

I built coil spring spacers at work from some round stock that was laying around. They look like these in the picture but are steel. I put a 1/2" threaded hole in the bottom to bolt it to the coil mount, Works good but I did need to go with no-hops as the wheel hop was outrageous.
If you install them on the axle side of the spring, they contribute to unsprung weight.

If you install them on the top of the spring, between spring and frame, they're not adding to the weight of the axle.

Less unsprung weight is better.

You can buy a molded spacer for $10 at J.C. Gypme that isn't brittle like PVC and doesn't weigh a ton like steel.

Tom

I did a 71 Chevelle with wagon springs(for a Biscane I think IIRC) and the lift wasn't overtly tall or ridiculous like say with High Jackers(Wooo! I had to get my money back on those!)but the the tail was raised enough to make it look bad-assed.:thumbsup:

Get AirLift 1000's inside the stock rear coils.
Forget the airshocks, they are terrible.

Airlifts will give you that 1/2"-2" lift that you want, & valved separately they will help the handling.

These cars just sat low in the back, even when new- look at the factory brochure pictures. That was just the style.

Airlifts are about $65 from summit or jegs.

My $.02

These cars just sat low in the back, even when new- look at the factory brochure pictures. That was just the style.They weren't low, the front was just too high. ;)