[ko.17]

hi there, i am looking at replacing the air shocks in the rear of my 76 camaro with 3 way adjustables from comp engineering. the air shock set up currently has a spacer at the top of the shock to raise the rear even more. my problem is this ... when the air is out of the shocks the car rubs on the tire. my rear tires are wide and do stick out past the body of the car.

what is the best way to install the new shocks and get the height i need. should the original leaf springs be replaced, re-arched, add another spring, etc.??? should i lose the extensions or keep them? just looking to change the shocks and keep the car from rubbing on the tire. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks for your time.
keith

[astroracer]

What is your intent? What do you want to achieve? Adjustable shocks are going to do what for you? I have to ask these questions because the real issue with your car is the wide tires and wheels. What size are they? What size rim and what is the back spacing?
I think you would be much better off to investigate going to a better tire/rim set-up then spending a lot of money on shocks that are not going to work for you. Getting a wheel/tire combo that will fit and let the car sit at normal ride height will do more for the looks and handling then jury-rigging an adjustable shock.
Mark

[classic keith]

Originally Posted by astroracer

What is your intent? What do you want to achieve? Adjustable shocks are going to do what for you? I have to ask these questions because the real issue with your car is the wide tires and wheels. What size are they? What size rim and what is the back spacing?
I think you would be much better off to investigate going to a better tire/rim set-up then spending a lot of money on shocks that are not going to work for you. Getting a wheel/tire combo that will fit and let the car sit at normal ride height will do more for the looks and handling then jury-rigging an adjustable shock.
Mark

this is a street/strip car. the air shocks leak, have a sh#$$y ride, and the car sits pretty high in the rear. i want to bring the rear back down closer to its original height, put in the shocks that i got dirt cheap, set at 50-50 or 60-40. i have the adjustable shocks for the front as well which i will be using at 90-10 or 80-20. i want the car to pick up quick on launch and transfer the weight to the back and hold it alittle longer. the nose sits low, not sure if its because of the rear being so high or if the springs need to be replaced. the rear tires are 15" 275, i think 60 series. when all is said and done i would like the car to sit more level, more original.
thanks for your time
keith

[astroracer]

A 275 series tire should tuck into the fender well with no problem IF the wheel offset is correct. A reversed offset wheel will make the tire stick out to far so you need to determine what back spacing will bring the tire inside the fenderwell to let the car sit down... Installing the new shocks should be a no brainer once you get the tires out of the way.
If you need some help determining the correct offset look at this:
http://www.cachassisworks.com/worksh...structions.pdf
This is a work sheet for determining axle width but you can use it to establish wheel offset also. Just plug in the numbers as directed and you will be able to figue out the back spacing you need.
Mark

[classic keith]

Originally Posted by astroracer

A 275 series tire should tuck into the fender well with no problem IF the wheel offset is correct. A reversed offset wheel will make the tire stick out to far so you need to determine what back spacing will bring the tire inside the fenderwell to let the car sit down... Installing the new shocks should be a no brainer once you get the tires out of the way.
If you need some help determining the correct offset look at this:
http://www.cachassisworks.com/worksh...structions.pdf
This is a work sheet for determining axle width but you can use it to establish wheel offset also. Just plug in the numbers as directed and you will be able to figue out the back spacing you need.
Mark

thanks for the tips
keith