ladder bar help needed

[plymouthman]

Hello all
Well, I installed the leaf spring relocation kit on my 73 roadrunner.
The rear is a 67 belvedere 8.75 posi with 4:11 read gears.
Installed ladder bars and also the axle floater kit.
The leaf springs are as follows ;
6 leafs passenger side
5 leafs drivers side
Also installed is a set of double adjustable strange coilovers with 14” 90 lbs. Springs.
The problem I'm having is the rear is sitting to high.
I have tried all options to get it to sit lower but only to fail.
I know that I could ditch the leafs and floaters and install a panhard bar. But that isn't what I'm going for.
I think I have 2 other options.
Have the springs de arched a couple inches
OR
remove all but a couple leafs out of each leaf pack. Either way it would put more of the weight on the coilovers and lower the stance
I am going for the old school ladder bar look.
Basically only using the leafs as a locator.
I know I'm not the only one that has done or is doing this.
And no , I am not interested in a cal tracks or 4 links
Any help would be appreciated
Thanks in advance
Car will be a street car and will be raced

 

[silversedan]

you've got two suspensions there, if you want the look of the leaf springs take the coil over's off and use just the shocks, then take out leaf springs till you get the ride height your looking for.

 

[plymouthman]

I was actually thinking of that. Maybe dropping down to just a single leaf.

 

[dvw]

You're only running the leaf spring to act as the track locator. Remove all the leafs except the main leaf. These cars usually like about a 130# coil so with the single main leaf and the 90# spring it may get you there. If not adjust the coil pressure as necessary. Or as stated you could also just remove the coil spring entirely from the shock. My bet is the first way will work better. Lighter spring rates will work better with the ladder bar. No need for the stiff leaf packs.
Doug

 

[Cranky]

I would assume you have welded in a shock mount for the coil overs? A diagonal brace would be better than a panhard rod especially for the street if you were to remove the leaf system entirely. They work ok on the track IF you do not have a lot of suspension movement but like dvw said, ladders work better with lighter spring rates. When a panhard rod moves through it's arc of travel, it makes the rear of the body move side to side. If you've ever rode in the back seat of an early GM product, you'll know what I mean.

 

[plymouthman]

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[plymouthman]

My idea at this point is to take apart the leaf packs and re install the single main leaf , using the 90 lbs. Springs on my coilovers. I have a set of QA1 130s but figured they were to stiff so I got a set of 90lbs. Eibachs .
And I was wrong in my one post. I have 6 leafs on one and 7 on the other. Pretty stiff springs

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Yes I have for in an early gm car. So I get what your saying their cranky. I'm not real find out the feal of the shimmy on a hard launch

 

[plymouthman]

Well, I've gotten it down to a single leaf on each side and the more I look at it the more I am realizing that I don't like the leafs. So looks like I'm getting rid of them. Gonna get a track locator. Wasted $ on the axle floater kit and time installing it. Oh well , live and learn.

 

[hangn0ut]

Well I will tell you what. That shock crossmember was never meant to support the weight of the car. It may hold for a while. It may hold for a long time. Or it may let go on the first big bump you drive over. Braced to the frame rails will help. Tieing it to a roll bar from right over where the shocks mount with 1 5/8 tubing would work well. And put that upper mount bolts in double shear. And the correct shanks on the bolts.

 

[66Satellite47]

hangOut makes an important point, bracing and/or boxing the stock shock mount or replacing it with a good tubing mount is probably required.

 

[dvw]

I agree on reinforcing or adding the shock cross member. I would not ditch the leaf springs on the street. Track locator on the street isn't a good idea. Thin cross section and the ladders have no give for body roll. Track locators are easily bent or worse broken in street use. Here's a pic my upper shock mount.
Doug

 

[plymouthman]

Thanks for the pics dvw, I cut out the original upper shock mount and welded in the same coilover shock mount as you did.
I am down to 2 long leafs on each side. That got my rear down a good bit and put more weight on my coilovers. I'd like to get it down just a little more so I'm thinking of cutting out 1 more leaf , that would leaf one leaf left. I wanted to get rid of the leafs all together but everyone keeps telling me to leave them for street use. It just looks like over kill with 2 suspensions.

 

[dvw]

The leafs will do a good job of keeping the housing located. You could use a lighter coil spring to lower the rear. How far is the shock compressed with the weight on the rear?
Doug

 

[plymouthman]

I have roughly 3/4 an inch between coils with full weight at ride height. Wheel well lip is roughly 1 inch above tire. Thinking about cutting one more leaf out, leaving one leaf per side . That should drop it a little more

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[Bruace]

73 RR with same setup, i left leafs in but added 1 1/2" lowering blocks. Stance is perfect and tires tuck under wells niceley. Ladder bars w/ leafs track perfectly straight under full power.

 

[plymouthman]

I can't put in lowering blocks , I have the axle floater kit installed. I have 2 leafs on each side at the moment but am going to be cutting one more on each side and see how is gonna sit.
But the more I look at it the more out bugs me to see two suspensions. So I am considering putting in a track locator and ditching the leafs altogether.