I am, as I sure others are, are trying to get ideas on how their Chevelle will look when lowered and how much to go. I thought if you guys that have already lowered your car could post up how they look, it would really help us out who are trying to figure out how much to lower the car. :D

Here is a pic of my 71, which is dropped about 1.5 inches.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/kcwrrn/Wheels001.jpg

my pics in my sig...the front is about 2.5 inches and the rear is right at 3.25-3.5 i know i i know weird measurments huh..:)

real nice guys, what size engines?

69 Malibu w/ LT1 350... old pic dropped about 3" all around...
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/medium/69Malibu1.jpg

newer pic, dropped about 4" front/3" rear, although it's a little uneven in this pic for some reason. :D
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/medium/auto-x1.jpg

3" back roughly 3" front..

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/DSCF0842.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/DSCF0896.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/DSCF0894.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/DSCF0874.jpg

aaron

I like them slammed like that but how do keep the front tires from rubbing the wheel wells?

i have never had it rub. i have 11 track passes on this set up (drag), and over 3k miles on it.
front tires are 245.60.15 on a 15x7 with 3.5"bs rim, and rear is 275.50.15 on a 15x8 with 4.5"bs. i cant run any higher or wider of a wheel in the rear, which is okay by me. front i could get away with a little taller and def wider, but it all depends on your wheel set up.

aaron

Pics in the link in my sig below.

Down about 4 in front and 3 in the rear.

I lowered the front until the lower control arm was level, and dropped the rear until it was almost level with the front. It took a few tries with different springs, but I got the look I was after (low as possible but still able to drive anywhere).

PS- don't buy into the 'settling springs' idea- new aftermarket springs won't 'settle' more than 1/4-inch or so...

Hey Dylan,
The pic in my sig has the Velle dropped 2" front and back. No tire rub issues.
Marc:beers:

Heres a couple pics of my 66....the back has stock springs and the front has completely custom worn out original springs that drop it a ton, enough to where I have to lift the front of the car up in order to get a jack under it lol....its the next thing on my list to replace but it dont give it a bad stance either

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/yost44/Mag1.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/yost44/6320_1148931489829_1423830450_30791.jpg

Some VERY nice looking cars! Blue seems popular.

http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv357/DET17/IMG_0124PT.jpg (http://www.chevelles.com/forums/%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv357/DET17/IMG_0124PT.jpg%5B/IMG%5D)Hopefully, here's a couple pics of my 70 Malibu just prior to and near the end of PowerTour '09. I don't know absolute "drop" since I started with 39 year old front springs, and Lord knows how much they settled over all the years, but IIRC the front relative drop was 1.75" and the rear around 1.2". We might get more meaningful numbers if we measured, say, top dead center of each fender F & R and recorded those readings which should directly reference the frame.

I'm running the SC&C front & rear SPG springs without any spacers......WARNING, I've already hit my crossmember once (3.75" daylight) while on HRPT 09 which cracked multiple tubes of my new 3 core radiator (lesson learned...never MOUNT electric fans thru the tubes with supplied plastic bolts :()

While I'm tempted to raise her up, I love the slammed look, so I'm going to keep her this height thru this year and hopefully won't hit bottom again :noway:

Duane

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv357/DET17/IMG_0127PT.jpg%5B/IMG%5Dhttp://www.chevelles.com/forums/%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv357/DET17/IMG_0220a.jpg%5B/IMG%5Dhttp://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv357/DET17/IMG_0220a.jpg (http://www.chevelles.com/forums/%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv357/DET17/IMG_0220a.jpg%5B/IMG%5D)
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv357/DET17/IMG_0124PT.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv357/DET17/IMG_0220a.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

truly, beautiful rides in here everyone and all these stances are bad ass!!!! Can't get enough!

See link below. Hotchkis TVS dropped about 1.5 inches. The front has actually lowered another 1/2 inch since I have driven it a few hundred miles.

http://www.murphysclassics.com/murphys.asp?ID=140&page=previous+projects

Eric

See link below. Hotchkis TVS dropped about 1.5 inches. The front has actually lowered another 1/2 inch since I have driven it a few hundred miles.

http://www.murphysclassics.com/murphys.asp?ID=140&page=previous+projects

Eric

very nice!!! anyone got any more pics of their rides?! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Just rolled it out today for these pics. Brakes not finished but wanted to set it on the ground for a look-see.

Front - SSBC 2" drop spindles with Eibach Sport springs.
Rear - 3" drop springs from Performance Online.

Lowered 1" in front, 1.5" in back. :D Just kidding. This is with the front cross member sitting on the ground. I do run air bags, but I also have the 2" drop spindles in the front.

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/Bad66Chevelle454/LaborDay08019.jpg

Here is my wife's '70 with stock springs but, it seems that her Chevelle is sitting lower than the cars with dropped springs? Those are 275/60R15's (27.99") on the back too.

Why change out the springs for dropped springs to sit higher?

http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/9393/lhdx8.jpg

1" in the front,2"http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp10/bbmusclecars427/NOSAY0041jpg.jpg?t=1252286234 in the rear.

bad66chevelle454.....that is awesome looking...still unsure if I want to bag my car eventually or jsut keep regular springs in shocks....your car almost makes it an easy choice

Mine is a 2" in the front with dropped spindle disc brakes and 1" in the rear.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e345/team5150/214.jpg

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=114676822&albumID=2470663&imageID=39728822

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=114676822&albumID=2470663&imageID=39728911

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=114676822&albumID=2470663&imageID=39728869

Here is my wife's '70 with stock springs but, it seems that her Chevelle is sitting lower than the cars with dropped springs? Those are 275/60R15's (27.99") on the back too.

Why change out the springs for dropped springs to sit higher?

oh im not too sure about that.
i have a 275/50 on the back which is a 26" tire, and it tucks it. plus a 25.7 tire on the front.
my front x-member is 3.5" from the ground. the exact height of a 8oz soda can.

aaron

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc98/iowacar/IMG_5729.jpg


I don't know the total drop, all I have in it is SC&C stage II setup with the SC&C springs

oh im not too sure about that.
i have a 275/50 on the back which is a 26" tire, and it tucks it. plus a 25.7 tire on the front.
my front x-member is 3.5" from the ground. the exact height of a 8oz soda can.

aaron

That is the point I was trying to make, you have a 3"/3" drop but, it sure doesn't look like a 3" drop compared to wifey's Chevelle. Plus, the 27.99" tire diameter on her Chevelle makes her Chevelle sit 1" higher in the rear compared to yours using 26" rear tires.

As I surf this topic, I see many cars sitting much higher than wifey's Chevelle with claims of dropped springs. If I install a 3" dropped spring in the rear of her car, would it lower it 3"? I have always wondered who made the industry standard that a 1", 2", or 3" spring will actually lower the vehicle by that amount from a stock spring?

I will measure her front crossmember to road clearance. Maybe a better measurement method might be to measure from the road surface to the wheel well lip or the rocker panels for this topic?

That is the point I was trying to make, you have a 3"/3" drop but, it sure doesn't look like a 3" drop compared to wifey's Chevelle. Plus, the 27.99" tire diameter on her Chevelle makes her Chevelle sit 1" higher in the rear compared to yours using 26" rear tires.

As I surf this topic, I see many cars sitting much higher than wifey's Chevelle with claims of dropped springs. If I install a 3" dropped spring in the rear of her car, would it lower it 3"? I have always wondered who made the industry standard that a 1", 2", or 3" spring will actually lower the vehicle by that amount from a stock spring?

I will measure her front crossmember to road clearance. Maybe a better measurement method might be to measure from the road surface to the wheel well lip or the rocker panels for this topic?


i would venture to say that my car dropped more than 3" in the back.....some people say that springs dont settle but my car sure did about .25-.50 of an inch or so. And after measureing before and after putting the springs in (from stock springs) it dropped 3 inches for sure..like i said, at least 3....but i agree, im not sure what the industry standard is, and these days with these cars changing hands so much you never know if the springs in your car are stock or not. unless you buy stock springs first put them in and then go with dropped springs......what a confusing thing...im gonna go take a nap now:D

i had a 14" tall rear spring in the rear and put an 11" tall rear spring in, which to me is a 3" drop in the rear.

from went from a 19" tall spring to a 9.5" tall spring and a tall adjuster set at 3 5/8" from the bottom of the adjuster to the bottom of the threads. i am unsure what the rest of the height is.
my front x-member is 3.5" off the ground, the a-arms are perfectly straight.

i think angle of pics is what makes a stance look higher or lower...
next to my stock height trans am
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/DSCF0085.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/DSCF0086.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/DSCF0105.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/IMG_2319.jpg

aaron

i agree with you on the angle of the pictures, and although your velle looks about the same ride height (by pictures) to your trans am, it still looks lower and more aggresive than the trans am. but then again i think some of it might be that we as hot rodders generally know what the stock height is of our cars, and we have that mental picture that we can compare to. i guess it changes from person to person......nice velle by the way looks real clean!!!

thanks man. not trying to argue at all, just point out.
i will try to get pics of my velle next to poolsharks (member here) next time i see him. as far as i know his is stock height, and i had no idea how high they really were until mine was lowered and parked next to his.

the trans am and the chevelle have about the same ground clearance as each other, but the wheel wells are much higher on the ta, which makes it look higher. they are also about the same to get in and out of, minus the smaller doors on the velle to help ease it.

aaron

I'm not sure how much it dropped but here it is now.

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=81&pictureid=1878

Thats SWEET.

I LOVE IT! :thumbsup:

Pics in my sig and I have some in my profile. I now have Air Ride (all pics are before Air Ride) .

Hey Aaron, sorry if i came across in any type of argumentative way...that was not my intention at all!! but regardless, this post is a good discussion either way.

Hey Aaron, sorry if i came across in any type of argumentative way...that was not my intention at all!! but regardless, this post is a good discussion either way.

nah man its cool., and i apologize if i came across that way also. didnt mean to, i have a tendency to do that, just ask my girlfriend.. haha.

here are some pics to shot the significance in drop..

here is some compare o...

stock variable rate springs vs black magic 5.5x11" 175lbs springs

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/Image011.jpg

before
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/Image002.jpg

after
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/Image014.jpg

stock front spring vs speedway tall adjuster set at 3 5/8" from bottom f thread to bottom of adjuster, and 5x9.5" 550lbs black magic spring

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/newold.jpg

aaron

That is the point I was trying to make, you have a 3"/3" drop but, it sure doesn't look like a 3" drop compared to wifey's Chevelle. Plus, the 27.99" tire diameter on her Chevelle makes her Chevelle sit 1" higher in the rear compared to yours using 26" rear tires.

As I surf this topic, I see many cars sitting much higher than wifey's Chevelle with claims of dropped springs. If I install a 3" dropped spring in the rear of her car, would it lower it 3"? I have always wondered who made the industry standard that a 1", 2", or 3" spring will actually lower the vehicle by that amount from a stock spring?

I will measure her front crossmember to road clearance. Maybe a better measurement method might be to measure from the road surface to the wheel well lip or the rocker panels for this topic?

Your last paragraph, my point exactly from pg.1 of this thread. DROP is relative....old vs. new. Remove all the smoke and mirrors by measurement relative to center of wheel well lip.....the only other variable would be tire OD. While the cool factors vary, my question is ....how much cross member clearance is enough for a "street driven" vehicle?

Duane

DET17....not sure of an actual number measurement on mine but I can fit a jack under my car with out lifting up on the front end a couple inches


http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/yost44/Mag1.jpg

well you also have to take into consideration the grass in this picture.....Ill try to find one on black top and take a measurement to see what mine is....I know coming out of driveways with a curb my headers/exhaust will drag

Found some

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/yost44/000_0725.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/yost44/000_0726.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/yost44/000_0724.jpg

nah man its cool., and i apologize if i came across that way also. didnt mean to, i have a tendency to do that, just ask my girlfriend.. haha.

here are some pics to shot the significance in drop..

here is some compare o...

stock variable rate springs vs black magic 5.5x11" 175lbs springs

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/Image011.jpg

before
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/Image002.jpg

after
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/Image014.jpg

stock front spring vs speedway tall adjuster set at 3 5/8" from bottom f thread to bottom of adjuster, and 5x9.5" 550lbs black magic spring

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/ssclonelq9/Chevelle/newold.jpg

aaron


how does that bag in the back work for you...also i like that front spring adjustment, is that one that has that special tool to adjust, and just out of curiosity do you have to take the weight of the car off the front suspension in order to adjust it or can you do it with the car on the ground.....well look at that you got me wanted to mess with my suspension again!!!!!:D

My car has the 1 inch drop hotchkis springs all around.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/ardad/my72chevelle009-1.jpg

DET17....not sure of an actual number measurement on mine but I can fit a jack under my car with out lifting up on the front end a couple inches


http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/yost44/Mag1.jpg

Sweeeeet 66. In my case, I can NOT get my 1 ton floor jack under my crossmember. Fortunately I grabbed the semi-scissor jack from my 88 Cav Wagon before I sent her to the boneyard (330K miles, orinal 2.2 liter 4 banger) and I slide the Cav jack behind the front tire @ frame dogleg to get clearance on the floor jack. As I said, I'm around 3.75" inch of daylight under my crossmember WITHOUT passengers....but she's pretty stiff with my 550"/in front springs so not much deflection.

We just rolled thru western Ohio, from Toledo to Cincy on the HR Powertour in June :D

yep...75 is about 3 miles from where I live at.....If you saw touchdown jesus/big butter jesus...then you saw the town I live in....Next year I plan on join HRPT on its way through....I would like to get some stiffer springs and keep it at that ride height which I think should help eliminate the rubbing

TTT! Anymore beautiful rides?!

Car in my signature, the shot in the driveway prior to tear down is stock wheels / tire size and hotchkis drop springs on all 4 corners.

My ride will change significantly from that due to suspension changes but I liked the stance with the hotchkis springs. I believe 1901r for front spring PN.

Here are some pics of my '71 wagon with Eibach lowering springs on front and rear.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/21jre5mKZTqfmrWPPrkmEw?authkey=Gv1sRgCMvol6vjq4iSz wE&feat=directlink

does any one have any good suggestions on what i need to do on ride height.http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt71/kevins67/Kevinscar09-09002.jpg

does any one have any good suggestions on what i need to do on ride height.

Yeah, put the hood, bumpers and interior back on it... that should lower the ride height.... :D

does any one have any good suggestions on what i need to do on ride height.http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt71/kevins67/Kevinscar09-09002.jpg



MAN!!! i love that color what is it!!!!

ttt!

Its only lowered 2" in front and 1" in back for now but after new wheels go on it will come down a little more. thinking 1 1/2 more in front & 2 in back.http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt257/blownrat/Chevelle020.jpg:yes:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd244/amschevelle/chevelle/39chevelle006.jpg
front springs are moroso trick springs with a coil and half cut off
rear springs are fox body mustang springs with a coil cut off

mine is 1 1/2 in front 1 in back
196519446_img_5780.jpg

sorry about that
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/medium/IMG_0039.JPG

sorry about that
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/medium/IMG_0039.JPG

quite a line up there.:D

how about a dropped El Camino that isn't one color?
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r189/RacrM3/El%20Camino%20Project/100_0577.jpg

not sure the total of the drop, but it is pretty low.