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Springs/shocks for LX with 9"


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#1 RedTaxi

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Posted 25 April 2021 - 01:49 PM

Probably been discussed before by you learned (Torana obsessed) folk. But search functions don't work well for mechanical me. 

Tried King lowered LX springs. They raised the car 10mm, back they went. Obviously the 9" is bigger everywhere. Was told I could get the original springs annealed/squashed/re-heat treated at our pro spring shop. Hey presto I got the 30mm of tyre profile under the guards I was hoping for. Then got some (LJ I think) shocks that were the right length to keep the springs captive. Jacked the body up and the wheels only sagged down 30mm. Is that cool? Or am I going to be super cool and have my rear wheels off the ground over bumps or under hard braking. Car is street cruiser and drag strip use. Thanks in advance.



#2 76lxhatch

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Posted 25 April 2021 - 04:46 PM

Ideally the shock should only reach its limit just before full extension of the spring; 30mm seems a bit low, I would have expected at least 50mm. The worst reaction would be topping out one side when the body rolls, could give you some strange results.

 

Sounds like whoever did the diff conversion welded the mounts on in a slightly odd spot? It shouldn't be that much different in size to cause those issues.



#3 RedTaxi

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Posted 26 April 2021 - 07:42 AM

Thanks. The spring pads are directly on top of the axle tubes which I think is where they have to go. I think the shocks I have have the springs compressed about 15mm at fully open. So with perfect length shocks I could get up to 45mm travel down. I guess shortening the spring has caused this. A fancy progressive spring would allow a longer shock. But finding it off the shelf to get the ride height right...dunno.



#4 Heath

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Posted 26 April 2021 - 11:13 AM

I can't figure out why "low" springs wouldn't lower your car from standard... I've not seen much variance in the spring seats that get welded to LH/LX/UC axle tubes before... that's weird but not sure without seeing a photo. 

 

I'm of the opinion that you don't want a whole lot of droop for making a fast road car (particularly if it's got a good locking LSD) but 30mm of droop is bloody short.
I'd probably prefer my springs to get a bit loose than be limited so much with droop.

HQ sedan rear shocks are approximately 2" shorter than Torana rear shocks... they seem like a bit of a no-brainer for something off-the-shelf that's probably close enough for most people, but not sure how they compare to LC/LJ.



#5 76lxhatch

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Posted 26 April 2021 - 02:33 PM

The angle (rotation around the axle tube) can make a big difference in the height, you'd also normally take any height out of the sides to cater for increased diameter axle tubes.

 

Even if 45mm is all you can do its going to be a heck of a lot better than 30mm, thats a 50% increase. Unfortunately the standard Torana suspension does like to roll a lot, a big bar will help but of course the front needs to match.



#6 RedTaxi

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Posted 26 April 2021 - 06:44 PM

Spring pads are about 5mm above axle tubes. Also I have adjustable upper arms which rotate the diff around which will affect the pad heights somewhat. I'll get the longest shocks I can get away with. I am also getting a decent rear bar. So when it's finished we'll see how she drives. Only really interested in going fast in a straight line in this one.






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