I found this place that sells the entire kit to drop all Rivs 1-3 inches!!!!:grin: Springs,shocks and stops included $400!! http://www.jamcosuspension.com/products/sfID1/31/sfID2/42
Jamco is suppose to have good stuff. One member lowered his '62 LeSabre using a Riv kit. Turned out pretty good :TU: .
I don't care for those rims , butt looks sweet! Ther has to be a cheaper way than to spend $100 on ea. parto No: I wondewr what his drop was????o No:
I never measured my drop, but if I think of it after the engine is back in I'll do it. Buicks always had what looks like a "nose up" stance, which I dislike. I dropped my nose more than the rear to give it a raked "crouching" stance. 3" is a lot though.
From one who did it ''back in the day'' ,,,, :laugh: There aint no cheap way to lower a car... they look cool,,, but then the steering geometry is all out of whack,,, to lower one right the whole pkg has to be engineered to fit each part to each part...and has to be carefully thought out.... and.... then when you get to operating it on the street, it hangs up on curbs, railroad tracks, humps in the road that come at you way fast,,, leading to torn up exhaust parts, shock brackets, ect.... it is fine for trailer queens, and show cars but doesnt really work out on the streets....
Mine sat up high in the front. I discovered at some point 5/8" spacers were installed. I assume it was done by a GM dealer since the spacers were made by Kent-Moore. Maybe an owner had a steep driveway to pull into, I don't know. I took those out, still thought it looked high so I cut 1/2 a coil off the top of the springs using a cut off wheel. That dropped it about an inch. Rivs look best low to the ground IMO. :bglasses: Praise the L'wrd.
Man, I was all excited! I thought "Finally! Someone made an aftermarket lowering kit for the Rivi!!" I had some springs custom made for my Rivi back in the day. It was under $300 if I remember correctly, but that was about 17 years ago. I had the guy make it ride at the same (sagging spring, bad shock) height as when I drove it in the shop; and I had him make them 40% (or was it 50%) stiffer than the stock springs. Holy Moly! What a difference that made! Corners never felt so good. Now I've got the new, thicker front stabilizer bar on there and that was fantastic too! Can't wait to get the rear bar on there...and fix the burnt parts...and install the rear posi...and The moral is: Try to find a local spring shop and have them make some lowered, stiffer springs for your ride. Your sidewalls will thank you later. :TU:
OK I'm thinking 3in front, 2 in rear. I don't think I have any "spring shops near me. Or maybe airbagged without all the pumps and crap. Like old air shocks.o No:
It was back when I had it done. Plus I got the added benefit of having the guy make them stiffer than stock; which made an immediate, tremendous difference in the driveability. I'm pretty sure this was the place I went to: http://www.bettsspring.com/coil.php Although it was located in a different town at the time.
Has anyone figured out the make/model part # yet for the drop? I was going to cut my springs, but it turns out that one is a good 1 1/2 in lower than the other side. My guy is trying to find out what will work, but time is short.
Moog and a few other places sell springs based on height, diameter, and stiffness. I'd say get the specs from a stock set and then compare to what they have to find what you need in an off the shelf package.
Moog lists this as the stock front setup. http://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=MOOG-5032 <table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="table1" border="1" borderColor="#d3d3d3" width="450"><tbody><tr><td align="center">End 1 Type</td><td align="center">End 2 Type</td><td align="center">Inside Diameter</td><td align="center">Bar Diameter</td><td align="center">Install Height</td><td align="center">Load</td><td align="center">Spring Rate</td><td align="center">Free Height</td></tr><tr vAlign="top" bgColor=""><td align="center">Square</td><td align="center">Tangential</td><td align="center">4.080</td><td align="center">0.750</td><td align="center">10.00</td><td align="center">3125</td><td align="center">460</td><td align="center">16.44 </td></tr></tbody></table> or this one http://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=MOOG-5030 <table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="table1" border="1" borderColor="#d3d3d3" width="450"><tbody><tr><td align="center">End 1 Type</td><td align="center">End 2 Type</td><td align="center">Inside Diameter</td><td align="center">Bar Diameter</td><td align="center">Install Height</td><td align="center">Load</td><td align="center">Spring Rate</td><td align="center">Free Height</td></tr><tr vAlign="top" bgColor=""><td align="center">Square</td><td align="center">Tangential</td><td align="center">4.080</td><td align="center">0.718</td><td align="center">10.00</td><td align="center">2900</td><td align="center">419</td><td align="center">17.05</td></tr></tbody></table>
You may be able to use the Hotchkis 1922 springs. They drop the Impala SS about 1.5" and it's the same dimension spring in the same weight car. May not be enough drop for you though.
