I think this is the right forum. 70 Chevelle 396, M21, 3.73 posi. stock wheels. Engine is nothing radical and I don't plan on racing it. But on occasion feel compelled to remove some excess rubber from the rear tires and I get wheel hop. Bought the car in pieces and rebuilt front suspension, new motor mounts. Front control arm bushings were shot. Could rear bushings or trans mount contribute to problem? Has F41 boxed control arms and don't really want to replace rear suspension. Hoping bushings or trans mount will help.

More than likely if the car is at stock ride height a fresh round of rear suspension bushings will cure your problems. For better affects all the way around, consider going with poly bushings in the rear for even better control. For most cars fresh bushings will cure wheel hop quite nicely. If you still have wheel hop following the install of new bushings (which the car likely needs anyway) there are a number of other solutions to explore.

If your car doesn't have a rear sway bar it too can help with wheel hop and also will provide improved handling characteristics for more pleasing driving all the way around.

Thanks, for the reply. I did do poly bushings on the front and would do them on the rear if they need replacing. Does have a rear sway bar and most everything is stock. I suspected rear bushings because body mounts and front bushings were all shot. Just wanted to make sure it would help before tearing things apart.

I'm new but I am having similar problems.

I have installed all new bushings and new Hotchkis 1" drop springs

I have airshock and the springs have spacers to raise the body (used drop springs cause the spacers were a lil much for stock springs)

Am I gonna have to get traction bars to solve this? It's fine until the lil small block starts to hit its torque

If new rear poly bushings don't cure the problem you will be looking at either of the following:
1) Lakewood/Mr. Gasket or Edelbrock No-Hop bars that raise the upper control arm about 2 or 3 inches where it attaches to the axle.
2) Southside Machine Lift Bars that replace the lower control arms and hang lower at the rear axle by 2 or 3 inches.

I went with the No-Hop bars so you couldn't see them, but either will work.

Bushing may not stop the hop but they are a good idea. They will enhance handling a bunch.

Air shocks on a Chevelle = wheel hop - all the time. Also, the Chevelle suspension needs to be ran with the lower control arms near parallel to the frame.

Originally posted by GRN69CHV:
Air shocks on a Chevelle = wheel hop - all the time. Also, the Chevelle suspension needs to be ran with the lower control arms near parallel to the frame. graemlins/thumbsup.gif graemlins/thumbsup.gif graemlins/thumbsup.gif graemlins/thumbsup.gif graemlins/thumbsup.gif

thanks

Originally posted by GRN69CHV:
Air shocks on a Chevelle = wheel hop - all the time. Also, the Chevelle suspension needs to be ran with the lower control arms near parallel to the frame. Of course, not everybody wants to run their car with the back end that low. For many folks, it's just plain stylistically unacceptable, and I can't blame them. Besides, the quote above isn't necessarily true. Yes, it may help a stock suspended Chevelle to get the rear low, but it's certainly not mandatory. If you're keeping the rear up a few inches with air shocks or air bags or whatever, No Hop Bars or Southside Machine lift bars will still work to alleviate your wheelhop.

The deal is I hate stock ride height and tire width of chevelles. Those ladies have wide behinds and to me it looks better to have the tires as close to the width of the fender as possible. I'm running 295/50/15 BFG which are supposed to have a tread pattern of about 12 in on 15/10 alum slotted mags. The width is perfect on the drivers side but for some reason the rearend seems to be to the passenger side so its about 1/4 in too wide and I get some occasional rub.

I have the lip rolled so it can't cut the tire no matter how hard it hits but it gets annoying so I have some spacers under the springs, even with no air in the shocks I am a little higher than I want but I want the springs to settle before cutting my spacers which consist of a 3 in tall piece of steel pipe with a plate on top that has a smaller pipe welding on that slides into the spring to hold it in place.

My dad has the same setup on his 69 SS 396/munci...he gets no wheel hop but he has ladder bars under his.

I don't have a problem ditching the air shocks for some decent $30-40 performance shocks if that will solve the problem and improve handling, but if I'm still going to have wheel hop with reg shocks I'd rather stick my money in some form of traction bars that will let me keep my sway bar.

I am open to opinions, I'll try to get some pics of the cars stance so you guys can see exactly what I'm going for here. Like I said its a lil too high right now, but I'd rather wait until the brand new hotchkis springs settle and cut my spacers once than cut now and have to make new ones later.

I eventually want to narrow the gap between the tire and fender down to 1/2 in, but I'm betting I'll have to stay a little higher until I can afford $500 for new MT rims since theyre the only company I know of that still sells this style wheel. With proper backspacing I could easily fit the 295 possibly wider inside the wheel well without any other mods.

Here's an opinion.


"You pays your money and you takes your choice."


If you want it up, live with the hop.

On my elky I boxed my lower control arms, replaced all the bushings with rubber(for a good ride)took the air shocks off and replaced them with KYBs, added a sway bar, and replaced the rear springs with what was supposed to be stock height springs along with air bags for another option to use when tuning the launch.

Before I did all this I had not once ever had wheel hop. And the old bushings were shot! Well I noticed the new springs raised the rear almost 2", and I also noticed a severe case of wheel hop my first trip down the track after the changes!!! It didn't matter whether I aired the bags up or ran them flat!!! graemlins/angry.gif

So I am convinced the added rear height of the springs is the culprit!

I'll know soon though because I'm changing from the 10 bolt 2.73 posi to a 12 bolt 3.31 posi AND reinstalling the old stock springs this weekend. I'm also going to use solid bushings in the upper housing control arm mounts.

I'll post back later with more info.

TS507, no one is arguing against the fact that the A-body rear suspension - in stock form - works better the lower to the ground the body is. But using No-Hop bars or SSM lift bars will allow you to raise the rear several inches over the stock ride height and not have a problem with wheelhop. So actually, if you want it up, you don't have to deal with the hop...it's just do you want to pay to fix it. Ladder bars would work, too. But as you've already pointed out, you'd lose use of your sway bar.

Sad thing is getting wheel hop with 3.08 gears and a mild 350 :D

Guess its a good thing I saved: $200 MSD box, $200 roller rockers, and $150 forward lamp wiring harness...all by the advice from this site.

I too have no doubt lower height would get rid of the problem, but unless I fork out the cash for new wheels its not an option without 1/2 to 3/4 in of fender mods...eventually I'll be able to afford to have this done

Well, put the stock springs back in and have my stock ride height back and the wheel hop is gone!

Now if I can just get the right rear to plant harder!

I really don't think the ride height is at all to blame for your wheel hop. In fact it just plain cannot be blamed. Vehicle height has nothing to do with it whatsoever. Things like pinion angle will have an effect, but vehicle height? haha

Originally posted by baddbob71:
I really don't think the ride height is at all to blame for your wheel hop. In fact it just plain cannot be blamed. Vehicle height has nothing to do with it whatsoever. Things like pinion angle will have an effect, but vehicle height? haha Ride height, no!

But the springs that caused the raised ride height changed the pinion angle which then caused the problem.

Originally posted by baddbob71:
I really don't think the ride height is at all to blame for your wheel hop. In fact it just plain cannot be blamed. Vehicle height has nothing to do with it whatsoever. Things like pinion angle will have an effect, but vehicle height? haha No joke. It has everything to do with it. The higher the rear of an A-body car, the more the axle tries to lift itself off the ground, creating wheelhop. It's the nature of the design. Pinion angle, while possibly a contributing factor, isn't the cause. Get under the car and look at it. The upper control arms are angled such that under load the axle unloads itself. Wheelhop. No-Hop bars and SSM lift bars are designed to reverse this trend and actually load the rear, that is, exert downward force on the axle.

I've run airshocks in the past with 20 lbs. of air and no wheelhop (before I knew better)..I also had boxed arms (F41) with and without wheelhop,news bushings,poly bushings,etc...tried Southsides,seemed to work the best.Even tires..sometime I get wheelhop with my street tires (just a little) but not with DOT slicks or drag radials-not ever.

I agree with Larry. The upper control arm angles and the direction the rearend housing goes when the torque is applied is crucial to prevent axle wrap and wheel hop. graemlins/thumbsup.gif graemlins/beers.gif