'66 Caprice (Lift Help)

I'm trying to lift my '66 Caprice as high as possible without shedding hundreds of dollars! Today I installed 2 2" Polyurethane Coil Spacers with shock extenders and achieved about a 2" lift in all. Then nothing lined up so I had to torque and force a lot of stuff into place so it would bolt back together! Once that was done I got it all back together and put the tire back on and noticed that the tire is slanted now, riding on the inner part rather than being flat (kinda like lowriders).

What did I do wrong if anything???

What would be a better way to get a nice lift? I am also installing the Gabriel Hijackers in the rear, so.....

straight axle?:LOL: :3dSMILE:

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Originally posted by gassersrule_196
straight axle?:LOL: :3dSMILE:

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yes... coils front and rear too

I'm really in a bind here so if anyone could help me I'd really appreciate it...

you could put a straight axle under the front end for a really good lift like a gasser hehehe

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Originally posted by gassersrule_196
you could put a straight axle under the front end for a really good lift like a gasser hehehe

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How much would this cost, how big of lift, and how hard is it to do???

it'll drive like a truck and be a bit rough...








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hey i like trucks :LOL:

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Originally posted by gassersrule_196
it'll drive like a truck and be a bit rough...




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hey i like trucks :LOL:

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Not a concern, haha!

How much would this cost, how big of lift, and how hard is it to do???

well as an example go to www.gassermadness.com click visitors rides and gas f/x members rides and table of contents also here http://www.radirwheels.com/contents.htm click pictures. see what i mean now? it depends on how u install it also... can be moderate or sky high.......scooter

its definatley a week or 2 job id say depends on how much time you have too. get a couple friends one thats knows how to weld life trusting welds and some good frame and suspension people to help you out. chassis guys to........... its hard unless u know what your doing luckily ive got friends helping me who have built and have gassers......the lift can be anywhere from 4 inches to im saying 13 inches? is about right i mean some guys go pretty high........................... cost isnt that bad go to a local junkyard find a 60's ford econoline van and torch out the <i-beam> straight axle be sure to get the leaf springs also. u can torch out the mounts for later use or just un bolt it all.

http://www.radirwheels.com/Andywagon.jpg

here's an example of high......


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its awesome!

I like the lifts on those, but maybe thats a little too "indepth" for me. I've only got myslef and a couple brothers doing the work. Today we installed two of the 2" Polyurethane coil spring spacers and it gave us a little over a 2" lift but nothing wanted to line up afterwards. So after a lot of fighting and "modifying" it all came together, but then it left my tire at a slight angle, kinda like the lowriders tires look, you know, bowed or whatever.... riding on the inner more than the outer? Is this ok?

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Originally posted by gassersrule_196
http://www.radirwheels.com/Andywagon.jpg

here's an example of high......


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its awesome!

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Way too high for what I'm doing, haha! I just need like 3-6 inches tops... preferably closer to the 6 but will settle for less, lol!

not really it'll eat your tire up.......

http://www.radirwheels.com/NewPics/camino.jpg

how about more of a mild lift like this one. you could put in big block springs in the front of your car and it'd raise it up a little more.....

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Originally posted by gassersrule_196
http://www.radirwheels.com/NewPics/camino.jpg

how about more of a mild lift like this one. you could put in big block springs in the front of your car and it'd raise it up a little more.....

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Thats about what I'm trying to achieve too! But how do I know what springs will be compatible??? And why didn't anything line up after a minor 2" lift I did with the coil spacers???

either the kit was cheesy or u messed up lol. and just go to year one or a parts store and order 66 caprice big block front springs...........

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Originally posted by gassersrule_196
either the kit was cheesy or u messed up lol. and just go to year one or a parts store and order 66 caprice big block front springs...........

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At JC Whitney they sell some Lift Springs, supposed to give a 3-4" lift just by replacing the springs... My question is, the upper and lower control arms will never line up let alone anything else cause thats twice what I got now...

take that kit back off and get the big block springs they will go right in........

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Originally posted by gassersrule_196
take that kit back off and get the big block springs they will go right in........

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Is there any way to tell how long the big block springs are when out of the car??? The ones I had out today were 16" long so I'd say I'd need a 18-20" atleast.

measure them when your at the parts counter or ask how long they are. big block springs are ALOT beefier to.

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Originally posted by gassersrule_196
measure them when your at the parts counter or ask how long they are. big block springs are ALOT beefier to.

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LOL, did that today before I installed the kit. The guy said they've got hundreds of springs in the back and he needs a number to go by or I'm out of luck.... gotta love the help these days!

stupid moronic new parts people have to go by numbers and books what ever happened to THE GOOD parts people. what number does he freaking want big block springs are big block springs tell him for a 396 caprice lol.........

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Originally posted by gassersrule_196
stupid moronic new parts people have to go by numbers and books what ever happened to THE GOOD parts people. what number does he freaking want big block springs are big block springs tell him for a 396 caprice lol.........

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You know what.... He did have them but they were the same lenght as the ones I had. And not very much thicker at all... maybe a 1/16 of a inch or so!

well u can trust me when i say that big block springs are beefier thats why they put em in big block cars! like if u put big block springs in a car with 6 cyl. springs it'd raise it up quite a bit lol.

Posted by unkut:

"Once that was done I got it all back together and put the tire back on and noticed that the tire is slanted now, riding on the inner part rather than being flat (kinda like lowriders)."

You've placed the wheel/tire into extreme negative camber because now the upper and lower control arms are angled down at the spindle end rather than being more or less level as they were with the stock spring. The upper arm is shorter than the lower, so it has more of an influence on the camber of the wheel than the lower arm. I'm thinking that car uses shims to adjust the camber like most other Chevys. Look at where the upper arm attaches to the frame. You'll see some steel shims between the shaft and the frame. You need to take the car to a front-end alignment shop and have the technician add shims to push the top of the tire/wheel back out toward the outside of the car. I'm not sure how much adjustment there is on your car, it's limited by the length of the studs that hold the shaft to the frame. Your toe-in is gonna be screwed up too, the tech can adjust that. The bulletproof way to do what you're trying to do would be to reverse "Z" the frame rails, a far too complex job for you to tackle.

Call these guys and tell 'em what you are trying to do. They're the best in the spring business and can help you choose the optimal spring for your application.

http://www.eatonsprings.com/