It's low, but I have problems..................

[OG lil E]

Well, after months and months of saving money and parts collecting, I finally got my '79 Chevy lowered. I ended up replacing everything. The upper and lower A-arms were rusted and had holes in them, so I had some junkyard A-arms powder coated. I also had Bell Tech 3 inch spindles and Summit 3 inch drop springs powder coated as well. All the bushings, tie rods, bearings, rotors, calipers, etc, etc were replaced. We decided to cut and re-weld the A-arms so it would align correctly, and while we were at it, we eliminated the bumpstops and their brackets. Out back we did a flip kit and C notches. It lowered the back quite a bit, but it still isn't low enough. I'll probably end up bagging the rear, but that is another story. A friend of mine did the install, and he did a great job. It drives beautifully, and rides pretty good considering how low it is. The problem I'm having is when I turn. If I turn too sharply, the lower A-arm rubs the wheel lip and almost makes the truck come to a stop, and the noise is terrible! I know you may say don't turn so sharply, but making turns is a pain. Even negotiating the aisles in the parking lot at the super market is rough. I've been taking the corners wide, but I'm afraid if a cop sees me I'll get a ticket. I've tried grinding on the A-arm, but I don't want to go too far. I've also hammered on them a little bit, but it still hits. I also tried some wheel spacers, but they didn't help either. One guy I talked to suggested going with a deeper reversed wheel. Anyone tried this? I just want to make sure it will work before I buy more rims. Oh, I almost forgot--I'm running stock 15 inch wheels. I know that going up in wheel size would eliminate the problem, but I like the 15s. I've hardly driven the truck since all the work was done because it is hard to drive this way. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance! E

[ocbaud]

you gotta grind about and inch?? off of the lip of the lca and that should fix it.

[bigblock73]

Eric is right, but it sure as heck isn't an inch! Grind the lower portion of LCA until the wheel spins freely, IIRC it is around 1/4" - 3/8" or so that you have to remove.

Welcome to the board.

[Slonaker]

That is why I went with Western Chassis 2.5 inch spindles. I like the factory 15" wheels, and was not comfortable with grinding part of the control arm. Mine do not rub.

Slonaker

[Jonboy]

a little bit lower tech, but would longer wheel studs and a spacer on the front fix it?

[corn]

My 15X8 rallies were a no go with 3" spindles so I went with 15X7" van rallies in the front & its all good so far...corn

[ocbaud]

time to get some tubular control arms ????

[beaterC10]

I ground on the LCA a fair amount and went with van ralleys also when I used 3" spindles. I ended up taking enough off that the lower ball joint is exposed instead of shrouded by the lip on the bottom of the LCA. It has worked with no problems since February. I drive the truck everyday and don't baby it.

Isn't it great how one change leads to another?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by OG lil E

.... Oh, I almost forgot--I'm running stock 15 inch wheels. I know that going up in wheel size would eliminate the problem, but I like the 15s..... E

Actually, even w/larger diameter wheels, you'll have the same problem but the wheel will just hit in a different spot.

I trim my arms all the way back to the shock mount. Drill a 7/16" hole in the lip of the arm near the shock mount & trim the lip off. Grind everything nice & smooth. Using the drill method eliminates most chances of 'stress/crack' related failures. You can stick w/the stock truck ralleys if thats what you want. Just switch to the thinner 'van' ralleys. They look just like the others but are only 6.5" wide (7.5" lip-to-lip) & have less backspace so they won't rub, even when using 3" spindles. I used 3" BellTechs on my 74 & it doesn't rub w/the van ralleys. It does rub w/my 18's though @ close to full lock turns . . .....

[OG lil E]

Thanks for all the input guys. Lots of things I hadn't thought of. I'll figure something out I'm sure. One question though---are the stock steel wheels more likely to rub than a van ralley wheel? What are the offsets on both wheels? Thanks again.

[SCOTI]

Stock solid steelies probably are about the same width as van ralleys but I'm not 100% on the backspacing. I might have one sitting @ the house & can verify when I get home.

[loblazer]

I have 3" dropped DJM spindles, 2.5 dropped coils and running 8" Suburban rallies on my 2wd, 1980 Blazer. Had to grind a small amount off the spindle. No problems with lca.

Doug

[bigblock73]

Van Rally wheels are 7" wide IIRC.

[low 84]

Originally Posted by bigblock73

Van Rally wheels are 7" wide IIRC.

i've always heard that van rallies are 6.5 wide. and 7 and 8's were available on trucks. i know i've seen 6.5 rallies so they had to come on something

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by bigblock73

Van Rally wheels are 7" wide IIRC.

6.5".

[lolife99]

6.5" is correct for "van' rallys. AND,.. there were also 7" and 8" truck rallys.

[OG lil E]

Someone mentioned tubular A-arms. I've seen them advertised a few places here and there, but I don't know anything about them. Are they good quality? Do they use stock bushings and mount with the factory hardware? Advantages? Disadvantages? Who is the best company to buy them from?Lots of questions................very curious. E