dschallock

Is there a correct way to raise the rear a little? Are coil spring spacers an incorrect way? Should whole new springs be purchased that are longer?
-Dan

RAMBOW

stock springs, Good Gas Shocks, and AirLift 1000 bag inserts inside the rear springs.

valve the bags separately, run about 10psi in each back and it will lift your rear about 1/2" which is perfect if you ask me.

They provide great adjustability for hauling a load or extra people w/o stressing your shock mounts the way air shocks do.

I've put them in every GM a-body i've ever owned.

Rickman48

I've found the 'overload' springs you can buy seperatly from Auto Zone work pretty well.
$25 - they bolt over your shocks, and are adjustable by compression.
Currently on my S-10 Blazer for the last 40k, oblivious of load!

defiant1

My original coil springs have 2 spacers on each spring. I am getting new springs, so I will compare the difference in height between the two. I notice rockauto sells the coil spacers as well.

d1

oldcutlass

The aluminum and rubber spacers that go above the sping work well. I used station wagon springs gas shocks on the back of mine.

dave84

This is the next area I am looking at after brakes, so my question is what would be the best solution to all who have raked out the back end: station wagon springs (maybe even cut down), the air bag solution Rambow gave, spacers. Who has tried what? I've heard from many sources for GM A bodies to use station wagon springs. All I want is about 2" higher in the back, this cutlass needs a new stance. Also down the road I'll be throwing on wider wheels and tires, give it a real mean hot rod look.

joe_padavano

Cut 1/2 to 1 coil from the FRONT springs.

droptopron

Spacers aren't great because they put added stress on that isolated area of the spring. Keep in mind that the shocks & springs do different job. Shocks control the ride & springs hold the car up. Any solution thru the shock is asking it do to something it wasn't originally intended to.

dave84

So changing the springs only would raise it, keep it rigid still and allow the shocks to work the way they were meant to work? I'm only looking for about 2" up on the back.

oldcutlass

Mostly any mod to springs will likely lead to a shock change. I used station wagon springs and longer shocks.

BlackGold

You can use longer springs, or you can use stiffer springs. Or you can use the original springs but put a spacer above or below them. Each of these will affect the ride in a different way.

Note that, no matter which of the above methods you use, you will also be changing the geometry of the control arms and the pinion angle. This isn't quite as disasterous for the rear as it is when you raise or lower the front and thus change the front-end geometry, but it will still affect handling and traction. The RIGHT way to raise the rear would involve changing the location of the control arm pivot points. Which brings us to the best way to control ride height: install a 4-link set-up with coil-over shocks.

2" is not a small amount.....

roscoep41

I put 1 inch spacers on top of my springs and raised the rear 3/4 of an inch.

71KUTLASS

i went with a heavy duty cargo spring. I think they were intended for a station wagon. Anyway did the trick for me and only cost me about 80 bucks

Big Blue 72

LoL, that is just dropping the front

joe_padavano

My point exactly. You get the rake that looks good without raising the CG of the car. This way you don't screw up the handling. If you are raising the back just to get wheels and tires to fit, then buy the correct tire size and wheel offset. There is no reason to raise the back.

Big Blue 72

This is true but won't cutting coils mess up the ride quality due to the change in spring rate?

RAMBOW

cutting the coils actually increases the spring rate(which is a good thing for handling purposes). So as long as you don't cut too much off causing it to bottom out all the time, it won't negatively affect handling, actually it would benifit it.

joe_padavano

Although, in fairness, "ride quality" is not necessarily the same thing as handling. If a soft ride is desired, cutting the coils will negatively affect the ride quality.

Big Blue 72

I guess everything is relative , I have seen rides with tons of coils cut and they just bounce all over. Is that pretty common with an increased spring rate?

e129745

The shocks dampen the release of the stored energy. They are to control the rate or velocity the release occurs. Spring rate changes require shock rate changes to keep/get spring oscillation under control and predictable.
(I know, "old thread", just bored)

76olds

76 station wagon coils and Monroe air shocks in the rear here, run 80 lbs of air, A little high in the rear but I like it.

coppercutlass

cargo coils also do the trick pretty cheaply.

distributorguy

Reset tow-in angle with a tape measure after lowering, as its all you'll need. I prefer about 1/8" toe-in, which zero's out at speed. An older front-end rebuild you might want to go up to 1/4" toe in.

joe_padavano

Dredging up a pretty old thread here, but since you brought it up...

Sorry, but there's more to it than that. Changing the rake of the car changes caster angle for the worse.

oddball

Camber also changes when the front ride height changes.

joe_padavano

Yes, but not nearly as much as caster. The bottom line is that whenever you do a wheel alignment, you are supposed to account for rake angle of the vehicle, as this affects the kingpin angle (the line between the ball joints) and thus all alignment adjustments.

distributorguy

Personally, I like the handling of a car with low caster. I prefer it. As long as the car still turns out of corners on its own (without having to push the wheel back to center) its all good.

R&RTrading

I just had this issue. Needed to raise the rear up to clear bigger tires. Air shocks raised it tbit it was too much for it (and more than likely they leaked because they suck) and it would sink back down. Instead of getting sedan or wagon springs, I went to the junkyard and pulled rear coils from a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. They fit perfect and give the perfect height to clear the wheels. Not too stiff and ride nice. Might be worth a try as it was a $20 fix.

RandyS

What car were these put in?

R&RTrading

1969 Olds Cutlass. Should be similar to others.

RandyS

Unfortunately, not a 66....... Had my hopes up for a minute.