Hey Str8up, I had the same problem with my Eibach Sportline springs. The front dropped 2" and was perfect. The back sat up like it had air shocks on it. I pulled the springs and cut a half coil at a time using a cutoff wheel in my die grinder. I think I ended up taking them down one and a half turns(built my 87 ten years ago and cant remember for sure). I run Koni red shocks and struts. I will take photos this weekend.

 

Lowering our 3rd gens 2" with good springs, like the Eibach Sportlines, and good shocks and struts, like Koni reds, dramatically improves their already impressive cornering and high speed abilities. The lower center of gravity increases their lateral acceleration(cornering traction) and being closer to the ground increases the function of the ground effects, reducing undercar pressure(body lift) at high speed.

I lowered my 3rd gen as part of a total "optimization" project which started with building a high test chassis and suspension, and concluded with a high horsepower engine and drive train. Remember, when building your 3rd gen suspension to install good subframe connectors as well. A good suspension needs a stiff chassis to work well.

These cars were designed to be the muscle car to end all muscle cars. Incredible handling and areodynamics were part of that original mission and the engineers did very well. As we modify and upgrade our 3rd gens, we shouldnt ignore the suspension as that is this body's strong point.

 

here's a recent one, dropzone front springs, cut stock rear springs, need to cut more but i'm waiting until my taller tires are on before i cut
too much

 

sailtexas, what wheels are those, they look good.

 

I think the thread is valuable to TGO members who would like to lower their rides. The innuendo, however, adds nothing and fast becomes annoying. Please keep to the topic or I'll lock the thread.

From the OP: "Let's officially make this the place to post pictures of any and all lowered 82-92 Camaros & Firebirds so that everyone can get a good look at 'em. (Preferably at multiple angles)"

JamesC

 

Those are C5 Corvette optional N73 magnesium wheels. They are hard to get, especially undamaged. They look awesome on 3rd gens

 

Str8up, 84Z28, Flrtin1, you guys got some bitchin rides.
572RAT man that's a wicked stance.
Can't beat Sickness with the Airride though.
Later.

 

Thanks Bud, I appreciate the compliment!!! I agree with you 100%......those other cars you mentioned are definitely some VERY nice rides.

I just got my 2.5" cowl induction scoop today, so I'm hoping to have that mounted in the next week or so. Once I finish that I'll get started on the bodywork & paint. I'd really like to have it all done by the end of summer.

 

Yeah, my car still has all the stock struts, shocks, and springs. I plan on replacing everything after I get the bodywork and paint done. Then after everything is finished I'll probably do a 383 stroker or a 406 sbc swap. That won't be for a while though as my current motor runs like a top and gets somewhere around 18-20 mpg. IMO that's some great mileage when you compare it to my '72 (which gets about 3-4 mpg).

 

correct!

 

WS6 springs, cut 3/4 coil off in front, 1 full coil off in rear. LS6/T56 so my front weight is lighter.

 

What do you guys think would be a good drop on C5 wagon wheels and safe enough to be workable even with stock 91-92 wheels? 1' all around? I will have pictures of the Cam tomorrow when its finally out after 5 months. Right now the front seriously needs a drop.

 

my 1983 l69, 2inc drop, iroc k member and suspension and 1992 body kit, corvette 18/10 wheels and trans dapt 2.5 spacers rear and 2.25 front. i still need some after market lca's and rear shocks etc

 

Racecraft 2'' drop spindles, stock springs. Wheel touches fender liner while sitting still with wheel slightly turned off center in either direction. TOO LOW. Have not rectified yet..thinking about replacing the spring isolators with the ones from the rear? Any thoughts? Chassis is straight, springs were replaced recently. not spring sag. Also have wilwood brakes which increase the trackwidth by less than a half inch which puts the tire closer to the fender but still...didn't think that after intallation of racecraft drop spindles, car would be inop

 

I also have the racecraft drop spindles, with new stock springs, only difference is I have a 28 x 7.5 tire, which in narrow then the stock tire. I have no problems with rubbing

 

With Eibach Sportlines,

 

Sorry for the smallish pic, here's my Eibach Sportlines and otherwise 100% stock suspension (I know, I know, should be on spindles with proper shocks). What do you guys think? Should it be lower? How is the stance, could it be more aggressive? I'm on a 60 series tire as well.



Sorry for the smallish pic.

What do you think?

 

very nice car, just be careful with that bumper cover you got on in the pic. moisture gets underneath can cause damage to the paint.

 

Bumper cover? No bras/covers there, that's just the way she is!

 

rlewi771: Your car sits VERY low... I'm worried, as I was looking into getting those 2" drop spindles as well... I have new springs and spring isolators and shocks and struts.. and my car sits@ 28.5" on the driver front and 28" on the passenger, so when i'm in the car i'm sure it's about 28" on both sides... 2" drop will put me at 26" front fender height, what height are you are like that (fender lip to ground). Thanks.. Also, maybe your struts are worn out?? If they are, the car may sit lower I've heard than if you had new ones.. Just a thought..

 

Yep. I think the 2" dropped spindles are too low for most cars, on stock springs or stock height springs.

They would be good combined with weight jacks though, if you used stock height, or taller, spring to go with them. Then you could get your ride height up to a good, usable stance, without compromising the geometry. And I'm not saying dropped springs alone are bad for geometry. I run weight jacks & am happy with my alignment.

 

Stephen: In your opinion, what is a good, usable ride height? I do have the stock MOOG springs in there, which obviously raised the height compared to my previously sagging stock springs.. I like the spring rate of these new springs, but the height is a bit too high for my taste.. If I drop my car 2", I will be at 26" fender height in the front.. Is that too low to be usable? What height is your car at when you drive it on the street for daily use and not at the track?

 

I'll see if I can measure today.

 

Well, what I'm about to tell you about my car contradicts me BUT read on......

My car is my ONLY car & my "daily driver". But I don't work outside of the house, so I don't have to go very far or very often. My car sits at 25 3/4", ground to center of wheel well height, measured right at the wheels hub center.

But I KNOW where I can & cannot go, on the roads. Just the other day, I went to an intersection I've never been to before. I wanted to turn right. Impossible. I had to turn left, into a persons driveway, make a 6-pt turn around, to line back up in the direction I originally wanted to go!

At speed bumps, I STOP, idle the front wheels over it, idle the rear wheels over it, then go on. I commonly get people behind me honking, because I go SLOW over them, or turn slow at road dipped intersections. Screw tem. Its my car, not theirs!

For a regular, more trouble free driver? Another 1" in ride height (for about 27")would be better/more appropriate for a driver. It all depends on how much you are willing to put up with, when you lower a car. My nose just clears parking curbs, which to me, is great. I don't hafta worry about the nose getting caught or the rear sticking out into the parking lot drives.

 

first time seeing your car. great looking car!

 

welp...just sacked up and ordered my weight jacks through Ground Control. I spoke to them on the phone about my issue of being too low with 2'' drop spindles and that I would need some assistance in ordering the correct spring height and spring rate. They told me their tech used to race our cars so he should be able to get me dialed in. They passed the order on to him and we will see what he comes up with. Didn't want to spend another $500 but...drop spindles over lowering springs is a must in my book.

 

I definitely dont buy into the drop spindle hype. We've been doing htis for years just fine without drop spindles. A 2 inch drop is absurd anyway. Plus they have some significant drawbacks.

 

What are the drawbacks to drop spindles?

 

From my experience with them, my 17x9.5 z06 wheels wouldn't clear the outer tie rod with drop spindles. The adapters I was using with them pushed the wheels out past the fender lip atleast 1/4", and the rim still didn't clear the tie rod. I plan on ordering custom wheels tomorrow, so that I can finally get my car on the road again.

 

Ah, but if using stock 8" width wheels this should not pose as a problem then?

 

I think so, rlewi771 is running stock iroc wheels, and doesn't seem to be having a problem with the width and backspacing of his wheels. I am going to be runing 18x8 with my drop spindles.

 

I just measured the front end of my car, with the 2" dropped spindles, tubular k member and tubular a-arms, all racecraft, stock moog springs and spring insolators, driver's side was 26 1/4 inches and passenger side 26 3/8 inch. MT sportsman 28 x 7.7 x 15 front tires
I have no rubbing, can go over speed bumps with no problems, I live in the pot hole capital of the world, and don't have any problems with bottoming out. When I originally had 26 inch tall tires I did have some problems, with the new tires that solved that

 

yes with the stock wheels, no issues whatsoever with the drop spindles. I'm kind of thinking the vette wheels not fitting might have been a blessing in disguise. I was never really all that keen on running 2'' or more spacers on the car. I have 4 Nitto NT-01 tires on the way to my house to put on the stock wheels since the vette ones did not end up fitting and am much more excited about the handling I will be getting from these than the big vette wheels with nice tires.

 

Sorry, wheels are far from stock

 

You should be OK then. I have brand new 275s on 9" wheels & don't rub in turns. I only get mild scraping on big dips & I don't slow down good like I should have.

 

sorry, I misspelled what I meant. I was just letting you know with a bra over the bumper for along period of time will cause moisture to be traped underneath, in which causes paint damage. That is what happened to my first camaro!

 

just saw this thread, great looking cars in here. a couple of folks that have been on the boards for a long long long time. here's mine:


i'd like for the back to sit like this one day:

 

Thanks TERR, it's getting new paint this winter. I can't wait. I'm thinking of going all blue with black or dark gray Heritage stripes. What do y'all think? Dean

 

I've always liked blue w/black stripes, but if the grey was really dark, that would look good too. What kind of handles did you fabricate into the doors? I like the flush mount smooth look of them.

Hey Stephen, my car's stance (or ride height) is like yours, in that I also have to go slow in certain situations. (Over speed bumps, dips in the road, pulling into driveways) It's certainly not for most people but it doesn't bother me a bit. I'm never usually in such a hurry that I really need to drive fast, so the look vs drivability trade-off for me is well worth it.

 

The handles are from a mid 90's Cadillac. Lots of 90's GM cars had them, so they aren't hard to find. Dean

 

Puma1552: I love your car. Perfect height, great color- looks aces! Don't do another thing to it!!

 

I don't know much about the whole lowering thing but what I do know is that I hate the huge wheel gap I have with the stock crosslace rims. I have a set of 17x9'5" vette rims I plan on installing next year, will I be ok to go with the Eiback Prokit on the stock struts?

 

Bigger wheels won't help you any, because the tires will be a lower profile sidewall & the same overall diameter. You'll have the same gap you have now, just more wheel & less tire.

 

So what do I do then? If I'm going from a stock 16" rim to a 17" rim with a 40 series tire would I have to lower it 2"? Lowering the car 2" seems like alot to me on stock suspension but as I said I don't know much about it.

 

Did a half a coil up front and a half a coil out back and removed the rear isolators. It settled more after I took the pic and I also need to get the right size tires and it will come down about an inch more. I'll get some more pics soon.

 

Same day, still hadn't settled. Just figured y'all might like it. Its my one of my favorite pics so far.

 

When you guys lowered your cars, were you suprised on how much of a drop it was? After the springs settled of course. I just lowered mine with cut 650lb springs and Koni yellow adjustable shocks/struts with an adj panhard bar i havent put on yet. I was scraping my exhaust off EVERYTHING! My driveway, bumps on the road, im afraid to take it out now but it handles like an autocross car which is what i wanted.

 

Were they stock springs? RS? Z28? GTA? Other? And how much did you cut off?

 

From what i know they are Z28 springs but not 100% sure, I bought them off a guy that had them on his auto cross car. The thing that didnt make sense was that they sat as high as the stockers? So what i did was i took them back off and cut 1/2 coil. The car isnt slammed, my wheels look like yours where they are tucked in a little bit. About 24 1/2 inches from the ground to the top the wheel well for the front. I am riding on stock double line 16" rims and the guy before me had 17's on his. Did i miscalculate?

 

I had an extra set of springs in my garage, which are 640lb IROC springs, i cut about 1half and an 8th because i didnt want to exceed 3/4's. They look better then before and an inch more clearance. Do you guys ever scrape your exhaust or crossmembers? (i have a spohn T56 crossmember)