Show your stance (round 2)

[FormTA]

So the old version of the thread was really helpful for me so I thought we should get it going again.  Please post a picture with your suspension upgrades, rim and tire info. Any fitment or ride issues too.

Not the best picture but the only semi side shot I have on my phone.





Pro touring F body G rear leaf springs set at lowest shackle setting ( I need to raise the rear about an inch).
Solid body mounts
PTFB subframe connectors
Hotkis front 2" drop springs.
17 x 9 new version snowflakes
Basic KYB shocks
Tires, front BFGoodrich g-force Sport Comp 255/45/17
Tires, rear " " 275/40/17

Only ride issue is the rear end seams to be bouncy over woops (hard to explain). I have been told that it could be from the rear shackles set at the lowering hole (top hole). So we'll see how it rides when I move to the lowered hole (which raises the car).

[b_hill_86]

Nothing special with mine. Car always sat high since I bought it ten years ago. Last year I finally replaced control arm bushings and decided to cut the springs that were in there. No idea what they are. Just lowered the rear with 1” blocks. Could use a tad more maybe. Poor mans way to lower lol. First pic is before, second two after. Just 255/60/15 tires.

[b_hill_86]

Mines always been a little bouncy in the rear too. Better with the new shocks I put on but still there. I always thought that was just a product of a leaf spring setup.

Are you planning on changing your tires? They look good. The whole setup looks good.

[FormTA]

No, I just couldn't remember what they were.  Updated now.

I still have to get my wheel flairs on.

[Gene-73]

I just recently got my springs sorted out. The car sat way too high when I bought it and wanted it lower since day one. One of the first things I did was swap out the rear leafs with a set of stock height from Classic Industries. https://www.classicindustries.com/product/*rl12.html
I was under the impression that stock height would be lower than what was on the car but they weren't much of an improvement. This is the challenge in picking out springs, what really is stock height?

When I redid the front suspension I bought UMI lowering coil springs from Summit. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/upi-3050f
I believe the spring rate is 600 lbs on these vs the stock 300 lbs and put the passenger side right where I wanted it. For some reason the driver side ended up 3/4" lower than the passenger side which was too low, and yes they were both seated properly. I ended up putting in a 1/2" spacer on the driver side which evened things out nicely.

To deal with the rear, I had my stock height springs re-arched. I originally measured out a 2" drop for the rear to get the body line perfectly parallel with the ground, but was concerned about clearance. The spring shop and I settled on 1 1/2" drop to be safe but when I got them back it was actually closer to a 2" drop. The downside to re-arching is I'm stuck with the stock spring rate of 126 lbs. Just this last week was the first real road test so I'll find out soon if I will have any travel clearance issues.

One faux pas was that my measurements were done on an almost completely empty fuel tank. My first road test was to the gas station where I filled up the tank and lost about 1/2" of clearance. It turns out that 1 1/2" drop would have been a good target. But for the most part, I'm happy with the current height.

Photo below of the current stance. Wheels are 17x8 in front and 17x9 in rear. Tires are 245/45/17 front and 275/40/17 rear. I also need to put my wheel flares on along with the front bumper.
Also including photos of before and after the re-arching.

[roadking77]

2017-11-09_12-06-24 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

1977 Close to stock. Original leaf springs, original style shocks, 255r6015 tires on 8 in snowflakes (non original). Poly body bushings. Original front end components and springs as far as I know.

Car rides nice, a bit bumpy but no handling problems. No tire rub with the oversized tires. Tires are a generic brand which is the only set of 15" tires the shop had in stock. Would I use them again? Yes have had no problems and the price was ok. I go to shows but none that care if I am running original brand name tires.

[Jack]

One of my favorite posts, keep the pics coming.

[FormTA]

Car looks beautiful Kerry!

[roadking77]

Thanks, likewise!

[djustice]

Never did upload a photo in the old thread because i have 80's wheels    but ill upload one mostly for future reference if i go to another 17-18" setup.
I am currently looking for a setup, but i am particular about what wheels, and it will most likely not be a traditional hot rod type wheel.

Current suspention Ridetech dualrate front springs, bilstein shocks all round, rear leafspring i dont know too much about but guessing an aftermarket variation with drop.

Front tire rim 7x15 ET -7 with 225/60-15  Rear tire rim 15x8 ET -30 with 245/60-15

[darrylta]

Is everyone else having problems with tires not being in stock?
I decided to go with 17" rims to allow for 13" (6) piston calipers and
was looking to buy Nitto tires to complete the package.
I've called Nitto several times to no avail, there using the CCP virus
as an excuse. Not a lot of options out there.
Darryl

[Gene-73]

Is everyone else having problems with tires not being in stock?
I decided to go with 17" rims to allow for 13" (6) piston calipers and
was looking to buy Nitto tires to complete the package.
I've called Nitto several times to no avail, there using the CCP virus
as an excuse. Not a lot of options out there.
Darryl

I went with these ultra high performance from Tire Rack - https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=HTR+A%2FS+P03&frontTire=445WR7HTRASP03XL&rearTire=74WR7HTRASP03&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

They appear to be in stock (for my sizes) but with Tire Rack you have to put in your zip code because they ship them to you so don't know how much location factors into the availability.

[darrylta]

Gene,
I was thinking about Nitto tires, 285/40ZR17 REAR TIRES AND 255/45ZR17 FRONT TIRES. Both being around 26" tall
Similar to what Tom has on his TA.
The builder is waiting on tires to make measurements on the DSE 9" diff I'm putting in.
Thanks for the input.
Darryl

[darrylta]

Has anyone here had their aluminum mags widened? Have you had any problems with them?
I have some 17"x 9 1/2" TA mags  that I'd like to open up to run 315 rear tires.
I've been looking at a company, Weldcraft in MI. Haven't got a quote yet.
I'm thinking about 11" wide rims.
Thanks,
Darryl

[FormTA]

Let's try to keep this just a post of a picture of your car and what suspension and tires you have. It was nice to look at the old thread and find what stance I wanted and what suspension parts to purchase to get the look I wanted. If you have questions, start a new topic.

Thanks!

[Formula8]

Has anyone here had their aluminum mags widened? Have you had any problems with them?
I have some 17"x 9 1/2" TA mags  that I'd like to open up to run 315 rear tires.
I've been looking at a company, Weldcraft in MI. Haven't got a quote yet.
I'm thinking about 11" wide rims.
Thanks,
Darryl

I got a quote from Weldcraft about 5 years ago to widen my 17X8's to 17X10 and they quoted $250/per + shipping.  I ended up selling my 8" wheels and going with Year One wheels so I could run a 275F/285R combo.

[darrylta]

Weldcraft's current price is $300 per wheel with a 5 week backlog.
I have them doing 2 wheels from 9.5" x 17 to 11.5" x 17.

[glenn911]

Stock springs, PTFB connectors, solid bushings, 255 50 17 on 17x9 wheels at all four corners.

[Jack]

Those wheels work well with a white car. Very nice.

[rkellerjr]

Pro Touring GT suspension minus the rear leaf springs which are stock with 60's on rally II's 15x7, rockin it on Tail of the Dragon...

[restlessgypsy]

PTFB Gt leafs and shackles, rear sway bar and drop links.
PTFB subframe connectors. PTFB solid body mounts ( wedged ) Swaybar and wonder bar.
PTFB tubular upper and lower control arms with Viking coilovers and Viking multi adjustable shocks out back.
Yearone 17X9 Rally II's on all four corners wrapped in Nitto 555's , 255/45/17 up front & 285/40/17 out back. No rubbing issues.

[Jack]

Nice, I like the wheels almost stock look but better.

[restlessgypsy]

Nice, I like the wheels almost stock look but better.

Yeah, i think Year One knocked it out of the park with all their Repro Firebired / T/A wheels!

[TATurbo]

I'm happy to see someone restarted this thread.  I found it helpful when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my build.  Hopefully someone finds this info useful in the future.
 
For reference, the original equipment wheels and tires for my 1981 Turbo Trans-Am:
 Tires: 225/70R15 (27.4" Diameter) Rims:  8.9" x 15" Snowflakes

My initial setup:
 Pro Touring F-Body (PTFB) 'Super Duty 1LE' kit for 'small block' application (Circa 2015)
        Kit included: Front 'SB' springs, Rear Leafs w/adj. shackles & Doestch Tech 1000 3-way adj. shocks
 PFTB Solid body mounts
     -  Rear leaf springs installed at taller ride height (lower shackle hole)
     -  Solid body bushings installed in 'lowered' position

 I did not have a good experience with the Doetsch shocks.  I found them to be very harsh/jarring over bumps while still managing to feel loose and 'floaty' in the highway.  That said, I'm pretty certain my bad experience was caused by user error.  I quickly replaced those with 'stock' replacement shocks front and rear:
   Front: GM PN 88945177 (ACDelco 5309)
   Rear : GM PN 88945173 (ACDelco 5305)

OER Snowflake wheels:
  Wheel size: 17" X 9"
  Lug pattern: 5 X 4-3/4"
  Backspacing: 5-1/8"
 
Tires:
 Front - NITTO NT555 G2 255/50ZR-17  (27" Dia. x 10" wide)
 Rear  - NITTO NT555 G2 275/50ZR-17  (27.8" Dia. x 11" Wide)

10-IMG_3640 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

05-IMG_3354 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

5-IMG_2493 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

 Fitment Issues:
   Front: Front tire will rub the wheel lip -very- occasionally on severe dips @ higher speeds.
             There is also evidence of a rub @ the front swaybar.  Presumably when the steering is at full lock.
             I've never felt or heard this inside rub...But marks are there.
             Both of these conditions are so rare that I haven't taken any corrective action.
   Rear: 1) Inside edge rubbed the 2.5" exhaust pipe while under high lateral load. 
             I suspect this condition would not have occurred if I had this size tire on the car when
             the exhaust system was installed.
             - Corrected by dimpling the exhaust tubes via a hammer
            2) Outside edge would rub the wheel well inner lip on significant dips in the road.
            Mostly an issue with a full tank and/or carrying extra weight in the trunk.
             -  Corrected by installing rear air shocks -  Gabriel PN 49135
                 The Hijackers seem to offer more control over the body movement.  I didn't need to increase
                 the ride height much at all to get rid of the outer edge tire clearance problem.

Below are more recent pics with the HiJackers installed:

IMG_7840 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

IMG_7834 by Tom Sherer, on Flickr

Unfortunately, the HiJackers no longer come with the cool jack rabbit stickers. 

Hope this helps!

PS.  Although this combo got me pretty close to what I had pictured in my head, the whole shebang is just a little higher/taller than I'd like. The current height is mostly dictated by the front-end springs.  I intend to install a set of coil overs (hopefully this winter) so that I can further dial in the ride and ride height.  The front needs to be softened up a little while bringing the whole thing down maybe 3/4".   

[Jack]

Very nice especially the rear end shot

[JJ 109]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/neUZGBUeMN4VU7nP9

[plckidd]

So the old version of the thread was really helpful for me so I thought we should get it going again.  Please post a picture with your suspension upgrades, rim and tire info. Any fitment or ride issues too.

Not the best picture but the only semi side shot I have on my phone.





Pro touring F body G rear leaf springs set at lowest shackle setting ( I need to raise the rear about an inch).
Solid body mounts
PTFB subframe connectors
Hotkis front 2" drop springs.
17 x 9 new version snowflakes
Basic KYB shocks
Tires, front BFGoodrich g-force Sport Comp 255/45/17
Tires, rear " " 275/40/17

Only ride issue is the rear end seams to be bouncy over woops (hard to explain). I have been told that it could be from the rear shackles set at the lowering hole (top hole). So we'll see how it rides when I move to the lowered hole (which raises the car).

Thanks for starting this thread! Do you have any pics to show after you raised the rear 1 inch?
I am thinking about the same wheel/tire setup for my 77 TA. Except I may run a 245/45/17 on the front.

[Wallington]

No sticky yet.

[FormTA]

No, I'll grab one today for you. It really could go up another 1/2 inch but I am switching to a pair of air shocks to hopefully soften the rude a little bit. Don't get me wrong it rides great but I want to try to make it better.

[kentucky yeti]

No sticky yet.

 

[Wallington]

No sticky yet.

My mistake, it totally is!
 

[scarebird]

Sits 1" lower than stock, including front being higher than rear by 1" as per GM

[scarebird]

not mine sadly.

[FormTA]

Here you go. Thus was this morning.  Drove her to work. Like I said, still a little low in the rear for me but not by much.  Probably close to stockish.

[stros]

Like Luke I’m a little too low in the rear with the LS and the PTFB GT springs.  However the fender gap is a good half inch higher on the rear already.  The slightly smaller diameter 285/40/17 rear tire vs the 255/45/17 on the front doesn’t help.

I don’t think I’m going to bother messing with it though.

[FormTA]

Darrell, are you using the hole in the rear shackle that raises the car? You seem lower than me. Just curious.

[stros]

Darrell, are you using the hole in the rear shackle that raises the car? You seem lower than me. Just curious.

Oh geez you’re right.  It’s on the lower hole.  I totally forgot about that as I assumed it was due to the engine change.  I’ll try changing it to the upper hole.  Thanks Luke!

[stros]

Quick safety question as I’m always a bit paranoid working with springs.  Anything I should be aware of when pulling out the shackle bolt, and raising the spring up to the higher hole on the shackle?  Where should I jack the rear of the car up?  It seems simple but just wanted to double check.

[FormTA]

First of you don't want to raise the spring, it needs to move towards the ground, so the hole closest to the ground.

I jacked the car up and supported the rear right at the front spring mounts and let the axel droop. I used a small jack to move the tear end up and down to help realign the holes.

I just loosened the bolt on one side and used a prybar to move the spring down. I don't remember if I had to move the axle up or down at all with my jack.

To be honest I actually removed the shackles completely as I had cut the other holes off for esthetic reasons and I had to make new ones myself.  I also had to drop my fuel tank because those bolts won't come out. You should be able to do it quickly without all that.

[stros]

Oh in that case I’m already on the lowest hole.  I guess I’ll leave it be then.  Thanks Luke.