C3 dropped spindle options?

Get in touch with Global West Suspensions, they did the parts on my '70 Lemans/GTO front end, I did a junkyard source for '80 Caddy front spindles to drop it some distance....

this is all about '89 or so when it took place, so my mammory is a bit hazy on just what, but I think they did something on the sharks too....

IMO..no one tools up to make spindles, they are a spindle off another car, trouble is, to find the right one....the old sharks maybe a problem because it's the only car I have seen with that weird upside down lower BJ....

:surrender:
 
What about making custom offset inner arm pivots that move the pivot center up 1"?
 
I spoke to Hot Rod USA about their dropped spindles...if I remember rightly they are from an Impala, require the use of a different hub/bearings and brake rotor and will mess up the offset of any current wheels you may have....didn't take it any further.

Nick
 
Nick,

The Impala spindles pictured at Hotrod USA are the same picture as the Corvette spindles but they have different part numbers. I guess they could be the same but who knows. The 2 inch drop is a little more than I am looking for.

I am speculating here, but I think raising the inner pivot for the lower control arm could be done and has some benefits as well (camber gain similar to a raised upper ball joint). I don't know, just started thinking this through.
 
Was it Norval that cut and welded his spindles?
I think he cut and made them longer to raise the upper ball joint , not sure

YUP, sure was, not that I understand the theory, but it sounded cool....

about all I can do to understand SLA theory, but when adding in another card to the trick pile....I start short circuiting....

:surrender:
 
He cut them to raise the upper BJ, this won't drop the spindle. Moving the axle shaft upward in respect to the lower BJ will
 
Hmmmm........

Just looked and I don't see any clearance issues with the control arm and the frame. I think I could make a new cross shaft for the lower control arm with the pivot center moved up 1 inch.
 
Hmmmm........

Just looked and I don't see any clearance issues with the control arm and the frame. I think I could make a new cross shaft for the lower control arm with the pivot center moved up 1 inch.

I think you have to lower the upper/inner shaft axis....same affect as raising the upper BJ pivot center....but there is no room to do that and have the control arm clear the frame with car off the ground....

:thumbs:
 
Moving the upper joint and/or pivot positions does not really "solve" the geometry problems caused by lowereing the front. Raising the inner pivot of the lower arm does.
 
When you lower a car with shorter springs the LCA angle changes but it changes to an unfavorable angle when you lower it a lot. That's where the drop spindle comes in, geometry is unchanged. Now, if you don't have a drop spindle, raising the lca inner mount and using a shorter spring achieves a similar thing, it moves the suspension up. It also achieves a better UCA angle on a corvette without messing with the spindle height. The only issue is, how do you do it, the cross shaft is tight against the crossmember so it's either notching them or fabricating a sleeve with threaded ends, weld that somewhere mid plane of the crossmember and use bolts to secure the a arm without a cross shaft, the bolts will go through the bushings. This is how many unibody cars have it and it. I don't see a stepped cross shaft working there.
 
I know it didnt drop the car, but not sure about the reason, I know he tried to explain it.

I fixed it for you...

I once asked norval how he knew something he was doing would work...his response "because it looked strong"...my opinion for the 2 cents it may or may not be worth...the guy was a hack, every weld got ground down, his dash wiring job looked like a colored bowl of spaghetti, everything got covered (hidden) under that thick black paint and he had more excuses than carters got little pills. my favorite was the 'bolt in" cage, he said he might have to remove it to pass a Canadian auto inspection...but the big blower sticking out of the hood blocking his vision passed inspection? ..........hack.
 
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