Hi guys. I am thinking about raising the rear of the car maybe an inch. Just wondering which is the best way to go about it. The car is a 1965 Skylark post car that originally came with a V6 and auto trans. I have installed and L92/6L80 engine/transmission. I have reused the factory springs front and rear and stayed with stock style shocks. Thinking of maybe just replacing the springs? If so which ones would do the trick? Here is a picture of the car but the driveway is on a slope and may distort things somewhat.
New springs can be hit-or-miss when shooting for a specific height. A low-buck method is to install a steel or aluminum spacer between the spring and spring seat on the rear..... basically some huge washers. There are even some on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-1966-B...Parts_Accessories&hash=item5656a9f7ae&vxp=mtr ....but for a little more, you could buy new springs.
First let me say that is a sweet looking car!! I replaced the rear springs on my 64 Skylark in February. I used the stock replacements from Moog, part #5231. I ordered them from Summit. They had the best price at the time and they always get parts out pretty fast. These along with new shocks, and it raised the rear at the wheel wells 1-1/2" measured from floor to wheel well lip in line with center of wheel. After 3-1/2 months and around 250 miles of driving, they have settled about 3/8" giving me around 1-1/8" lift. I am pretty sure the old springs were the original ones and had sagged quite a bit. I also got a better ride out of the swap.
I would get the newer springs and do what mike64 did,,run them for a bit,,if they sit a little high after a while,,you can always trim them down to the height you need,,,or trim them to get the height same from side to side!!! Like mike mentioned,,,the ride would likely improve,,,add a set of bilstein shocks and you'll be set!!!
I did what Mike did. I put in the spacers between the spring seat and the spring. Installed Bilstein shocks too. Now the Front and Rear Trim points are the same height off the ground. The lift kits come with a long bolt that lets you use the original spring retainer. Go For It. I sure like how the car looks afterwords. It has sagged a bit since this pic was taken. Now it's just right. PONCH
Thanks guys for the good ideas. Just brought it home from the shop yesterday after doing the conversion. I left off the front Skylark fender emblems and the hood ornament until after the car gets painted. Going to have it painted a Lexus Starfire Pearl. That is the whitest pearl white I can find. Also it will get a dark blue carpet. I have been looking for quite awhile for a decent dash pad but it looks like I will have to take the old one over to "Just Dashes" to have it redone. Just money. Hahaha.
Replace your 26" tires with 28" tires and get exactly 1" forever. It will still look low, with a lot of tire up in the well.
Only in one place. Here is the link. http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/1574678-my-1965-buick-skylark-l92-6l80-swap.html
Wow-what a nice ride! I too think her stance is perfect the way she sits. However, my opinion might change if I saw her sitting level.
I will evaluate it some more before I do anything. To the other posters, here I thought this was a car web site. :laugh:
Fantastic job! I love how it looks stock but is modern under the hood. Surprise a few people for sure, must haul a** too!! :TU:
I sure hope so. I have been doing some odds and ends on the car since I brought it home and it needs a tune to be drivable at this point. It is running too lean and throws a lean code on both banks. I may have to have it towed to a local tuner unless he makes house calls. The motor/trans setup is virtually identical to a modded 2010+ L99 Camaro. They have been putting down around 475rwhp with the same modifications. Hoping for 10.99 in the quarter mile and 25mpg on the highway at around 70mph.
Makes sense with cam and big exhaust, thought you sent pcm away for cal already (sorry, kinda skimmed the thread, it is 10 pages long!)? Regardless, once you get it sorted out let us know how it goes...again, fantastic job on the car!
I installed air bags inside the new rear coils in my 71 Skylark when I want just a little more height without stiffing the ride too much. Besides allowing me to vary the height and ride feel handling was greatly improved even though I already had a sway bar.
I understand with the long thread. I did send the E38 ECM off to Texas Speed and Performance for calibration and have some things deleted such as the rear O2 sensors and their VVT-3 camshaft control tables added. The deletion part worked and I assume the VVT control tables will work. I thought they would download the fuel and spark tables from a modded 2010+ Camaro with the same mods or close to it. What ever, the motor is running to lean and not getting enough fuel. I will keep you guys informed as there appears to be quite a bit of interest in the car. I see the Moog springs are only $45 for the pair at Summit Racing. I might just go that route if I decide to raise the rear about an inch. The other reasons besides looks is to give the exhaust and transmission pan some extra ground clearance. They are a little lower than I would like for a daily driver type vehicle.
1989GTA I forgot to mention I replaced the coil spring insulators when I replaced the springs. Most likely you will need them. Here's the link to where I got mine. They fit perfect, and were shipped pretty fast. $45 is a great price, I was happy paying $59 last Dec. :laugh: http://www.ebay.com/itm/200721528921?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
