Camaro clip on 49

[yoshi]

Got a gent here in the U.K. With this problem-
I've recently bought this 49 truck which has a Camaro front clip. As you see it sits a bit too low to be practical mainly due to lack of steering lock. Initial thoughts wee to fit taller springs but after inspection I realised that the wishbones are already within an inch or so of their maximum drop, i.e. If I jack the truck it only lifts a small amount before the tyre comes off the ground. Second thought was maybe its fitted with drop spindle hubs but looking at the photo I believe they are already standard so no easy fix there.
What I don't understand is why others running this front clip sit higher. Any thoughts? Is my only option to lift the whole body/tub off the chassis 2-3"? I haven't read about anyone else having to do this.
Thank you (before I go and start pulling it all apart).
Any suggestions? Thanks

[Indian113]

Can you take a picture of the clip itself? Sometimes the guy putting clip on sets them up as low as they will go. You may need to cut and mount it again at a higher height.

[Henry50]

It depends on where the subframe was cut at the drop, and welded to the original frame rails.
The subframe looks to be welded pretty high

[idbeast]

Yes, those are standard spindles.
Posted via Mobile Device

[MARTINSR]

You can see by the front bumper brackets that the sub frame was welded onto the truck frame very high.

Brian

[dsraven]

looks like a clip redo to me. the clip looks like it must have been welded in too high.
when sitting at ride height the lower control arms should be parallel to the ground, side to side and front to rear, for proper steering geometry and suspension travel, or at least sitting at the angle like they would in the stock vehicle. that would put the amount of suspension travel somewhere in the midrange when sitting static and give you the proper steering geometry for caster, anti dive etc. if the wheel only drops a little bit when lifting the truck then maybe the springs are from a heavier engine'd car so the suspension is sitting closer to full droop already. that would mean there is lots of room for the wheel to go into the fender but not much room for the wheel to drop as the truck is jacked up. seems like the only real fix is to place the clip at the right place on the frame to start with and get the proper set of springs for the engine combo you have.
to get it right,
-set the clip ride height for a stock vehicle it came from and lock it on. there are a couple of ways of doing this. one way says check the spring wire diameter first to find out what you have there compared to what would be available for engines in the car the clip came from. if the springs are from a big block engine car and you now have a small block then the clip suspension will sit high because of the lesser amount of weight it is carrying compared to what the spring was made to carry. also compare the weight of the truck now compared to the weight of the original vehcle the clip came from. if it was a heavy car and you now have it under a light truck then the springs may need to be swapped with a lighter spring before you start messing with the clip. get the right set of springs in there first so the ride height will be correct for the suspension to sit at regardless of how high or low it places the truck. then lock the suspension travel at the point where it sits with the weight of the truck on the correct set of springs. check the control arm angle against the stock angle to ensure it is close so you have suspension travel equal going up and down roughly, not sitting close to one suspension limit. then lock it there with a metal link from shock mount to shock mount or threaded rod or whatever. now if the truck is still sitting too low you can cut the clip out and re-install at the proper height.

ya, I know, lots of work right?
it sounds like the clip has springs that are too heavy for the load so the clip was maybe installed to high in the frame and then when it was done and set down on the ground the guy went "uh-oh" and his fix was stronger springs to get it siting where it is now.I say this because you said the wheels only drop a little bit when the truck is jacked up. does it ride harsh as well? did you get any history on what the clip came from?

[yoshi]

Passed on your comments, he says - Thank you for your time to write all that down. What you say is absolutely correct, the control arms are almost at max extension so loads of room to sit the truck lower but no higher. The ride quality is surprisingly good though. The clip has been welded in inline with the original chassis whereas I've now discovered they are normally welded to sit under the existing rails. This would give almost 4" higher ride with springs I've got now. With softer springs I'm guessing this would be around 2" higher which would certainly almost cure the steering lock/ground clearance issues. From investigation I can't see any difference with either cutting and welding it back below or just lifting the body 3" at front, 2" at cab rear then 1" for front of tub, keeping the rear of tub the same. If anything having the clip welded inline is a stronger connection. I know there's going to be a few new brackets for running boards etc to make up but that's no problem for me.
Thank you again for taking the time to find out and to write such a long explanation. I will keep updated. Cheers

[dsraven]

yup, no problem. I think you are right about the clip sitting undr the frame, it would depend on what the clip came from I suppose. just remember that you need to keep the stock geometry of the lower control arm through the whole ordeal.it usually will sit pretty much level with the ground if looking from the front or the side. the upper one will sit on an angle down towards the back for antidive geometry.
have fun and post pics

[yoshi]

Says he's gonna move it 2" at the centre point of the front wheel.

[dsraven]

you guys do what you want but I will recommend a full face shield any time you use a zip disc. I have shrapnel embedded in my hand from one blowing up. good thing I had gloves on or it would be worse. just saying, you only get one set of eyes and face shields are cheap. pull it down to contact your chest if possible. same for wire wheels and any carborundum style disc I guess. I don't know how many wire strands I have plucked out of my coveralls from a wire wheel, and I usually only buy the brand name, twisted wire style because they have less fly-away wires. whenever I start a disc like that I make sure to have it pointed in such a way that if will fly away from me if it blows up. don't ask why.
end of rant

nice to see he is getting started. prolly be driving it sooner than you get a look at this, haha. post up some pics when it is back together.

[yoshi]

Couldn't agree more, looks like no guard either!

[MARTINSR]

Yep, been doing this stuff a long time and still learning. It's been about 9 weeks since I ran a 1/4" drill through my face into my nasal cavity. I got a face shield and wear it religiously. The area around the wound is still numb, don't think I will ever get the feeling back. But when I think of how bad it could have been, I will take that numbness for the rest of my life without a whimper for sure!

Brian

[yoshi]

Ouch!

[yoshi]

He's been busy, he said a 2" lift has now given me full steering lock. Better fit of panels now too & Lots of little bits sorted along the way too.