66 replies to this topic

[Torryhead]

So i have totally rebuilt my front end and i'm running a set of 35mm lowered kings springs (like most torry owners). the car was sitting miles in the air but i figured when the donk was dropped in, she would level out. well heres a pic of the car with the engine in. i have a 383 chev with a T700 box. so why is the front of my car so high??? will the springs settle in or something wierd???

oh and excuse the cut front gaurds. the D@#K head before me did the lovely cut job. i couldnt tell when i bought the car with flairs on....

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[76lxhatch]

There's nothing wrong with the cut job on the guard, that's good work compared to some butchers.

Is that pic with the engine in? Did you buy A9X style springs and put them in a front end with Torana stubs (A9X / HQ stubs are effectively drop stubs)

[MRLXSS]

The springs might not be seated properly in the lower control arm.

Did you make sure the tail of the spring was located in the recession at the rear of the base?

[GML-31]

silly question but are springs in the right way up and seated all the way and have you dropped the car and rolled it forward for them to settle

[Torryhead]

Thanks for the replies guys. righto as far as i know everything under the front end is standard LH. the car used to be a 6 cly auto S or SL. i will attach come pis for you to check out. The motor and box is deff in the car. took me 5 bloody hours to get it in there. the King springs are KHFL 14........................... HAHAHAHAHA ok so i decided before i wrote on and attached a thousand pics, to look at weather or not i set the springs up inside the top part of the cross member and alas i didnt and both sides too. they are however properly located in the lower control arm with the spring end in the notch where the (drain??) hole is. i'll attach a pic for you all anyway of the new front end. i did start to worry if all bits were standard cos i have a uc steering rack. thank heaps guys, i never would have considered the springs not being seated. might explain why, when i tried to get the king pins in i needed my 95kg mate and 4 x 30 kg bags of morter in the engine bay Ah good times.

Thanks again

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Edited by Torryhead, 25 February 2010 - 11:15 AM.

[Potta]

Do you have a pic of how the car sits now?

[Heath]

lol at least you found the problem. That cut job on the guard looks fine to me, and the car looks awesome!

[Torryhead]

Righto the springs have been reset and put in the right spot and the car looks great. was getting worried there for a bit. the front wheels are 15 inch commodore spares as i'm waiting to pick up my mage from the states next month and the rears are the original torry 14 inch mags. i have taken some measurements and are as follows

front of the car measurement from the body sill behind front wheel to the ground is 245mm
from the centre of the front hub to the ground is 295mm

back of the car measurement from the body sill in front of the back wheel to the ground is 238mm
from the centre of the back hub to the ground is 285mm

So if the front wheel is 10mm higher than the rear but the body is only 7mm higher then when i have equal wheel on, the front should be 3mm lower. how does that sound, bout right?? i did buy the 35mm lowered springs. i figure with 2 people in the car and all the engine bits in she might sit a little lower. heres a pic

Thanks again guys, saved my arse

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[Torryhead]

also i will have 18x7 up front and 18x9 on the back. hmmm maybe i should go 10's on the back. i just looked at the pic again and it still looks a little high. deceiving!!!

just a quick question. do any of you blokes have a torry with 18's all round, want to shoot you some questions with regard to clearance. i did read ruts epic on mounting flares correctly and cutting the seam out behind the front wheel. the man is a genius. i'm about to tackle mine. advive would be great.

cheers,
Dan

[76lxhatch]

i did read ruts epic on mounting flares correctly and cutting the seam out behind the front wheel. the man is a genius. i'm about to tackle mine. advive(sic) would be great.

One thing I would say is don't half-ass it. If you're going to cut, cut as much as you can behind the flares - you'll need all the clearance you can get.

[Torryhead]

Ok this would be the time where you all reassure me that 18 inch rims look good on the Torry!!! I am about to spend about $3000 US on some Mags so in a last dash effort at around 2am i grabbed me mates 18 mag of his VS Grange to check clearances etc. in all honesty what do you think? This obviously isnt the mag i'm buying, mine are much more old school street looking. but it looks like the car is still too high. i was hoping that the top lip of the tyre would hide under front flare. I have checked all the clearances and the 18's fit fine, but there bloody big!!! the bloke cut the guards out enough and the rear has actually been cut very nicely.

So whats with the car still sitting too high??? will it sink a bit more with radiator, brake bits and all the rest in the engine bay???? ARGHHHHH

Oh and my rear shortened 9 inch comes in at 1500mm wide disc to disc. have no idea what happened there....... supposed to be 1440 right???

[Heath]

...Won't get any reassurance from me

[76lxhatch]

Ok this would be the time where you all reassure me that 18 inch rims look good on the Torry!!! <snip> in all honesty what do you think?

Sorry mate but I'm with Heath, 18s are too big - mainly because you have to put such low profile tyres on the front to get small enough rolling diameter. Either that or they end up tucked in so far that the flares are pointless.

[Torryhead]

well S#&T guys now i dont know what to do. i have been told that to get the clearance i need for my brakes (330mm Rotors with VE calipers) i need 18 inch rims, because they will be 3 peice and are thicker than cast. but if you look at the pic (i was supposed to attach earlier) you can see i have heaps of clearance...... i would ideally love to put 16's on but maybe i can get away with 17's. i wont know till the guys at ID wheels (intro) get back to me based on my tech sheet i sent through on the car clearances. etc. oh and the other thing is they only do the mag i want in 18 and above. suggest some mags for me i'll try attach a pic of the mag i'm getting or wanting to get.

and why is damn car still so high???



And here is the mag i want. guys i will gladly take advice on mags and suggestions so throw them at me........ any ideas you have, pics anything... i have to order these wheels tonight to have them ready for pick up when i get to Philadelphia in March so bombard me with suggestions. cheers,

Dan

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[Heath]

Be patient and wait for the wheel dimensions, i'm suprised they don't have that information instantly available online.

Those five spokes are a nice style in my opinion, but they will look truly laughable in 18" OD on the front of a Torana. The only reason you have clearance is because the car is sitting so bloody high hahaha

Seriously stand back and look at that photo with the wheel on the front. Without meaning to offend - to me, that looks completely absurd.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Edited by Heath, 26 February 2010 - 11:58 AM.

[Torryhead]

Mate i agree with you. doesnt help that the mag is of me mates VS Grange but it looks ridiculously too big. i'm going to try for 17's. a mate has some 17's on his red LH and its looks sharp.

Any ideas as to why the car is still so friggin high??

[76lxhatch]

Have you bounced the car around on the front suspension and ensured that the wheels are settled? You probably still have quite a bit of weight to go in yet too, and you will need very low suspension for it to look right with big diameter wheels.

Do those clear from lock to lock? Just because we don't like the look doesn't mean you're not allowed to, if you like them and they fit then go for it.

The main thing with front wheels is the compromise between diameter and dish, too much of either one or a combination of both will cause the tyre to rub on the firewall edge and/or front guard edge.

[MRLXSS]

Those wheels you chose are one of my favourites as well! You could go 18's on the back, but on the front i prefer the look of 17's, mainly cos you can put more tyre sidewall on and the car won't look as high!

I would personally, have all the wheels and stuff on, drive the car around etc, then work out how low i want it to sit, then go get my springs compressed or made up to suit.

[Torryhead]

Thanks guys, that mag is by far my favourite, sux they are only 18 and higher.

with my mates 18 inch grange wheel, its an 18 x 7 and it works lock to lock. the offset is wrong obviously so i took that into account and also that the wheel needs to be higher. the one thing i do need to do is remove the body seam behind the front wheel and i'll do that before the new wheels turn up. i'll do it like ruts did so there is no chance of scrub. also just need to double check the front flare. i think its ok. keep the feed back coming

i'm hoping the car does settle a bit well a lot. i did push down on the car it at went TWANG as the springs seated... in the thread further up i listed the front springs. do you know if they are the lowered ones? i might call them later and see.....

[Heath]

The number you wrote is a 'Low' V8 box spring, seems weird to me. Have you tried just rolling the car forwards and back a bit? Are you positive they are seated correctly now?

[76lxhatch]

Yep, catalogue lists KHFL-14 as standard height for 4/6, low for V8. I imagine you'll want super low with those wheels to get it looking right, but then you start getting into alignment issues...