The rear is resting on jack stands, the front frame horns also. So, it is currently sitting about one inch lower in back than it would just sitting on all four wheels. The rear is 1/2 inch from the snubbers. The driveshaft is about 1/2 inch from the floor. Everything clears, and it still should when the axle hits the snubbers. But, what about when the front of the differential pivots up during acceleration? Should I create more room in the driveshaft tunnel?
If you don't make more room, you will spend driveshaft money again while wishing you had. Just think about normal suspension movement, or have somebody show you with what you have. Give yourself at least 2 1/2" at the rear of the shaft and taper to less as going forward.
nothing is cheap or easy as it seems up front. running modified leaf springs? how tall are lowering blocks? stock rearend? can cut rubber snubbers in half to give a little extra room. what did you lower front with? if running stock seat will have to modify for floor tunnel.
I see another problem. Your shock mounts are hanging below the scrub line. Around here that would never pass inspection. I flipped mine to clear but i still have to cut the u bolts off to clear.
I pondered flipping the shock mount, but that puts the shock in an even worse angle on a really low car. The blocks are only 2 3/4", so the scrub line shouldn't be too bad.
That's why I was stalling on cutting the driveshaft tunnel. Once you do that, you have to channel the rear crossmember, then you have to channel the bottom of the seat, then you have to .......
I moved my shock mounts on the frame back about 4 inches to straighten them up abit. Was an easy mod. Used the original shock bolts. Your springs sagged out that much? I have 3 inch blocks and i'm ok for travel.
I dearched the springs 3 inches, then added 2 3/4 inch blocks. I want the car as low as I can possibly get it, without a c notch.
Another problem I see is your pinion angle. You may have some drive line vibrations. They make pinion angle shims or the correct way would be to cut the pads off the housing and re-weld with the correct angle.
It should be 3 and 3 they should be Parallel with each other. From the picture it looks like your penion is pointing at the sky. http://www.hotrodheaven.com/tech/chassis/rideheight.htm I have used this in the past.
They are parallel at ride height. In the pic, the rear is almost bottomed out, so that I can check driveshaft clearance. I agree it looks odd. You can shoot for 3 and 3, but with a car that rides significantly lower in the back, the front angle is gunna end up much more. Am I wrong? Rich
No, you should be good with those angles. The main point is to be within a degree of each other, not taking in to account spring wrap et. You'll know when you drive it but I think your good.
Well it's a no brainer then really. If you want suspention travel and be able to drive the car, you gotta go up or it's frame mods and floor mods.
I've spent the last three nights cutting out / raising the tranny tunnel, and making a larger hump in the middle of the rear end hump. I didn't want to, it's just the price you have to pay for getting it at the desired ride height. Rich
It's a bit like drag racing. The effort to get a little more requires a lot more effort. Will look cool thou in the end.
On my 50 coupe I had to raise the tunnel twice. Once when I got the car and once when I put the 20 gallon mustang tank in it. I almost didn't think about the added weight of more fuel. I had it tached in place then filled it up. If I wouldn't have it would have rubbed. Mine is jamco 4 inch lowering spring in back with 3 inch blocks from butch. I did cut 1 inch out of my bump stops. The driveshaft was rubbing when I bought the car way back when it was a rat rod. I have speed humps on my street and the first time I drive the car when I rode over them it rubbed big time.
So, your already where I'm heading, flatter springs, 3 inch block, shorter bump stops. In addition to the raised tranny hump.... Did you raise the center of the hump over the axle? Did you raise the tranny hump under the seat? (if so did you have to alter the seat) Did you raise the area just above the rear u joint?
I just rasied the tunnel about 24 inches long or so. I didn't have to raise anything else. My combo as it sits is a 302/c4 W/maverick rear end. I have put on about 900 miles as it sits now. It didn't touch anywhere. The front seat did touch the tunnel once I rasied it. I had to bend up the bottom of the seat about and inch . I plan on cutting it and folding the edge to make it look stock before I have the redone. The rear seat is from a club coupe as mine was a business coupe but nothing has been done to it and it fits fine. I know that when I bought it had some pretty good rub marks from the cross memeber in the rear by the rear end and also was rubbing the floor pretty good. But they had 4 inch blocks that they ground down to fit the stock rear end. I swapped out the motor and trans three weeks ago and put a new drive shaft in it so far no rub marks and it doesn't hit anything. I tried to get it to rub I but it won't The pictures are of it with a full tank of gas.The front tunnel is a mixture of a junk yard mustang and orginal shoebox. I was driving it daily till this Monday when I had to start driving a more "professional" company toyota matrix. Thats a hard pill to swollow for a guy from Detroit. The owner of the company called it my muppet car. "Front tunnel moved up yes middle tunnel moved up yes starting at right before back of front seat back 24-30 inches I can measure. Maverick rear so i'm not sure as I swapped it out once I bought the car and drove it and it rubbed and I moved the tunnel as I did the rear end swap. "
Do the 51's have a different floor mine seems to have more clearance than that and its down on the snubbers already and never rubs.
The Jalopy Journal
