Hey guys,
I just installed a posi with 3:73 gears, it's awesome!! BUT, I've got really bad wheel hop. I had a little before with the open rear end and now it's worse... I've got new springs with new air shocks and I only put enough air in to level-off the ride height.(It's not jacked up.) Jeg's has "air bags", lift bars and traction/action coil spring bars. Any recommendations on any of these as to which ones work the best? Thanks, Chris

Are the lower control arms boxed?
Have the original bushings been replaced?

Bill,
No,the arms aren't boxed and only the bushings where the upper control arms mount to the diff were replaced. The others looked o.k. but I'm not sure if they're the originals or not. Would bushings really make that much of a difference in contolling wheel-hop? Chris

Originally posted by cd66malibu:
Would bushings really make that much of a difference in contolling wheel-hop?Replacing the old bushings and boxing the flimsy lower control arms, possibly consider adding a rear sway bar will almost guarantee eliminating wheel hop.
Also, air shocks aren't the best thing either...if you must lift slightly, air bags would be better. IMO

I have the lift bars on my car. They're AWESOME. The car corners better, rides just as smooth, and I have NO wheelhop. They are perfect for a street-car IMHO. Best money I spent smile.gif

I'm still running the original springs, and cheap parts-store shocks. I added a sway-bar, and am running a 3.08 posi.

A big wheel hop fix is getting the pinion angle correct. Ralph

Ralph,
I keep hearing about getting the pinion angle right, but isn't that set by the control arm
lengths? I'm not sure how you're supposed to adjust or check the angle...

Bill,& others,
Thanks for the info on the boxed arms/sway bar set-up. I do have a sway bar laying around but was to lazy to weld up the arms and attach the bar. I'll try that fix first and see what the deal is with the pinion angle. If those don't fix it I'll look into those lift bars. I'll keep you guys posted but it'll be awhile before I can get a welder again. Thanks , Chris

Change the control arm bushings while you are at it. The sway bar is a nice extra bit of insurance to control wheel hop, but the bushings are the source of the problem.

For comparison, we have a '67 that we put a 3.73 posi in. At the same time we put in new bushings everywhere in back and boxed the lower arms. We have never experienced any wheelhop. The car does not have a sway bar. Hope this info helps point you in the right direction.

Keeping the rear end of the car as low as possible is a big help. May not look pretty to some people but it works. Four speed cars are more prone to wheel hop than the automatics. Urethane and the low rear have been the cure for our problems. All out race cars are a whole different beast.

To adjust the pinion angle you have to use adjustable uppers or fab your own. Ralph

Thanks for all the info, guys. Like I said, it'll be awhile before I get a welder to box those arms but I'll also add new bushings while I'm at it. I'll let you guys know if that cures the problem whenever I can get it done. Thanks again, Chris

I have no wheel hop at all in my 66 with a 454/4speed 373 Eaton Posi. I got a great deal on a Hotchkis set with adjustable uppers, and it makes all the difference.

cd, In order to move the Instant Center (IC) of the car back and remove wheelhop, you need to modify the suspension geometry. Now that's something that is almost guaranteed to work. With that in mind, the best bang for your buck is either SSM Liftbars or No-Hop bars by Lakewood or Edelbrock. Messing around with bushings or boxing control arms is not guaranteed to do anything. The A-body rear suspension is not designed well for powerful standing start acceleration. As designed, the rear suspension tries to unload the rear tires, giving you wheelhop. In my opinion, new bushings are a band-aid...they're nice to have but certainly not guaranteed to solve your problem. Spend your money on something that's going to fix the problem the first time.

Glad to hear the SSM Liftbars are recommended. I also have wheel hop in my '66 with 4:10 posi rear. It was horrific when I first got the car on the road after a restoration (bought the car in pieces). I bought new original coil springs and that took care of 90% of it...*much* better. But alone in the car, I can still get -some- if I let it spin without moving for a few secs. If anyone else in the car...no problem.

But even when I don't have wheelhop, I have no traction either. I have to really feather the throttle to get the car moving with those gears. So, at some point I thought the SSM liftbars sound ideal and I'd like to try 'em.

Tom

Hello,

I have a 66 SS396 that was 99% original when I got it. It had wheel hop so bad, I thought it was going to shake my teeth out.

I picked up a set of the Lakewood no-hop bars (they look identical to the Edelbrock ones to me) and installed them with the original upper control arms.

All I can say is WOW! NO WHEEL HOP whatsoever. After doing some research on Instant Center, I know that the geometry is now working. The harder the car tries to hop, the harder it gets pushed into the pavement.

This was the ONLY modification I made to the rear-end (so far...saving pennies for new parts) but it completely eliminated the wheel-hop. Hope that helps!

-Curtis