I hope someone can help me with this....
I have a 77 cutlass and I've never really liked the way it sat. So I put brand new shocks and springs and it still sits at the same height. My biggest pet peeve is that it looks like it sags in the rear. I've seen other cutlass' and they dont look like mine, why????
I found on ebay a pair of 1,2 or 3 inch lift kits. Has anyone used these things before? Any pros & cons with using them? I don't want my car to sit on a 45 degree angle so I can plow snow with it ehh!!!(lol)

thanks,
Gabe

 

Lift kits are a band-aid at best. Most likely problem is that your rear springs are sagging. New springs are the right answer.

 

Bad

 

As you can see from my pic I have a lift kit.I like it because i"m high but on all my other cars I went for the low look.I'm going to take it off I just don't know when.I would go with new springs like joe said and if you're not happy put some airshocks on the back.

 

Joe, I have new springs and shocks.

 

Get yourself some air shocks for the rear, the height will be adjustable, and you can compensate for weight in the trunk. Projectheaven, i just want to say, I love your cutlass, I LOVE the color, but im not a fan of the wheels. That thing would be beasty with some old slot dish mags, know what im sayin ? LOL but hey, both of you guys have great cars never the less. Mine looks like a giant glob of crud now, because im working on painting it

 

Going by the pic it looks like it sits where it is supposed to.

 

It seems level to me also.

 

I agree that Airshocks on the rear is an easy way to raise the rear stance. I have used them on my cars.

I am installing meatier taller tires on my 68 cutlass on all 4 corners. I want to give it an aggressive stance that will also require raising the front 1-2" to get the look I want. Has any had experience raising the front? Would airshocks also do the trick on the front? Has anyone done this?

Projectheaven, where did you find the 4 wheel lift kit for the cutlass.
Thanks.

 

I bought my lift kit locally off of craigslist.You can find them all day on ebay.Good luck.

 

i have airshocks on mine, i run about 60lbs pressure most of the time, i also run p295 50r15 tires on back.

 

for height adjustment you should use air bags inside the springs. i don't think air shocks should be used this way. in the 80s i seen many cars that used air shocks this way and would crack upper shock mounts. the shock mounts were not mad to handle load just damping. people do it all the time but not the right thing to do. except for the vehicles that were made for it (like auto leveling)

 

Good point however I think it depends upon the degree of weight you put on those mount locations i.e., how high you run them and how much you put in the trunk and expect the shocks to compensate for. I have used air adjustable shocks on quite a few cars in the past, '71 Cutlass, '78 Delta, '76 98 Regency, and perhaps some more I forgot about. In all cases I only inflated them enough to prevent bottoming when I had extra luggage in the trunk when we took trips occasionally. Otherwise they were set to standard ride height, low inflation levels. Never had any failures. I could never afford air bags.

 

The *designed* purpose of air shocks is to compensate for temporary heavy loads like Oldsguy describes. Not designed for "jacking up" a car. Same with air bags, but as jensenracing77 says, they are a "better" way to do it.
Keep in mind that (almost) anything you do to raise a body will stress certain components, and compromise handling and safety.
But I admit that sometimes it does look good!

 

I knew a guy in high school who jacked up his 56 Ferd with 2X4 blocks in the leaf springs. It was the most dangerous ride I've seen. He had to replace the splinterd up boards daily.

The long awaited point?

Suspension is not something to rig. Do it right for your own safety.

 

My `68 came with OEM option that utilized Rear Air-Adjustable shocks. Purpose was to retain ride height with temporary extra travel weight in trunk.
I ran enough pressure to lift rear to clear bigger tires back in my youth, maybe 35-45psi and 2 to 2-1/2". I don't think an inch of "lift" would harm a thing, but for the money, I'd think again about bags. Air-Lift #60844 are bag only and presently (2014) they can be had for under $95 at Summit. Add a convenience line kit and put coupled or independent valve(s) under licence plate or thru to trunk or wherever and you basically air up and leave them alone. Gabriel High Jackers are $70 at Summit with hose kit, but Bags are prefered by most according to public opinion.

 

Air Bags are the way to go. They are low pressure and don't totally screw up the ride. Just remember jack up the back, got to realign the front. I personally think springs are a better way to go, I know you have new springs but maybe use a set of wagon springs or trailer tow springs and modify them to the correct height for you.