rear end lift.
 

well I have decided I want to go with shckle kits(I think thats what they are called) to lift my rear end on my 66 stang. so first of all lets hope I got the right name for it. but if not hopefully some one will know what I am talking about and be able to correct me. and second does any one know where I can get them at. and what hights do they come in. I am looking for like two to three inches of lift in the rear.


thanks
ford kid

Shackle kits are a poor way to get lift. Although they space the leaf spring, they also cause it to flatten with time. Any benefit you start with will soon disappear. Its much better to get a set of new springs with the characteristics you want. You can get shackle kits at Mustang vendors but for the large part these are stock replacement kits. If you want a specialty kit, see your local spring rebuilder/restorer. You'll find one of these shops in most larger cities.

Ford Kid,
Do yourself a favor and purchase a new set of springs, they are not that hard to install and you will not regret it, like you will do with the shackles. I know $150 vs $30 sounds like alot but the ride will be so much better.

well it seems that almost every one is telling me top lift the rear end with new springs. so I gues I will. I was just looking for shackles cuz I got some new stock leaf springs for free but I gues I will just give them back to my friend and buy new springs with lift.


thanks
ford kid

If the stock springs are new, then take them to a spring shop and have them add another leaf to each. They can also make you a set of new, correctly fitting U-Bolts.

I have stock GT leafs (Eaton-Detroit) in back of my '65 and ProMotorsport (Eibach) coils in front. This gives the car good attitude without any other changes. Heres a picture.

Jeff65 thanks yea from what I see in the pic it gives it A much better stance.



thanks
ford kid

If the front is lower than what you see in the picture, then tire rub will occur at the fender flares...its very close now but I've not had any fender/tire bumps yet and I've crossed some fairly good bumps in the roadway. Also have not hit the long tube headers on the ground even tho they are fairly close (about 4" from the pavement). The Eibach variable rate coils up front is what makes it workable. Even tho they are twice the price of other coils, they're worth every penny.

yea I am planning on going to low profile tires on ther any ways so clearence shouldn't be A problem. so you satisfied with your Eibach coils up front cuz I am also looking for some good cails along with shocks for the front. well shocks all around but coils for the front.


thanks
ford kid

Yes, I use the ProMotorsports 350-480 variable rate Eibach springs. These are GT replacements but they are about 1" lower than stock. They are also firmer than stock GT by quite a bit.

Before these I used to have 620 lb rate springs. They were hard as a rock. Not particularly well suited to unibody construction but very good for weight transfer for drag racing. The ones I have now are great in comparison. ProMotorsports also sells 480-680 variable rate springs for vintage road racing.

See their web site at http://www.drgas.com/promotor and browse their catalog.

hey thanks. thats A great site. I am sure I will be using it alot.


thanks again for all the help.

ford kid

I have a 65' coupe with gabbrial lifters. I raised the rear up 2 inchs. Somtimes I have too put more air in them, but they doin't leak bad...maybe one refill a year. the ride is good to, I love them.

Air Shocks are fine as long as not overly inflated. About 1" lift is about all you should try on a routine basis. You'll also need to keep track of the sheet metal around the upper shock mount. The metal is quite thin there and if you pump up the shocks to lift 2", you'll likely split the sheet metal over time. If this happens and you don't notice the cracking, you can push a shock into the interior...not easy to fix.

yea I allready know about the air shocks and I dont think there for me. I am just going to get A leaf added to the springs I got now.


thanks
ford kid