[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by old66tiger

Nick, how did your ride quality change with the new wheels?

Iv'e got to finish my brake lines up on Friday and as long as there's no snow flying ill let you know.

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by PurplePackFan

Looks great, Nick. I like the stance and the wheels. I am running Nitto 555's on my '67 GTO but need to raise front about an inch. I have QA1 coilovers with 350# springs. That appears to be the problem. I got 550# springs to replace them with, hopefully that will get me some more height/clearance. Can you do me a favor and measure your height at the center of the front wheel wells? My height is at 24 3/4" and I need to raise it up some when I install new springs. I like the height of yours. My tires are front: 245/45/17, rear 255/50/17. The front is way too low for my taste and I have the springs adjusted all the way up.

Front wheel well height was a touch over 26". For reference the tire height is around 26.6"

[PurplePackFan]

Thanks, amazing how much 1 1/4" can make in the appearance of the stance.

[6 Grrrs]

Car looks great Nck. I really like those wheels. I agree the front could come down a little bit, but the tire fills the wheel well pretty much.

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by PurplePackFan

Thanks, amazing how much 1 1/4" can make in the appearance of the stance.

Agreed. I will double check on the front tire height tomorrow again and report back. It might be closer to 26.5" actually right now but it needs to come down. The big thing for me is engine cradle clearance. I had like 3.75ish inches with the old 225/60/15's before I raised the front up. I ended up lightly hitting the bellhousing on a nasty Iowa backroad cruise and scraping the headers hard a couple of times at that height. I raised it up about an inch and never had another issue. I think 5" of engine cradle cross member height would be enough though with quality shocks and springs. I'm at around 6.5" right now so I should be good to go even if I lower it back down. For the record....your car looks killer sitting down like that IMO.

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by 6 Grrrs

Car looks great Nck. I really like those wheels. I agree the front could come down a little bit, but the tire fills the wheel well pretty much.

Thanks! I like the full wheel well look for sure. Its probably some kind of deep seeded issue I have left over from the 90's Pro Street and Street Machine CarCraft days. Those were my impressionable Jr.High years when I got into this stuff....LOL

[PurplePackFan]

Yeah, I just measured my cross member clearance and it is at 3 1/2". Waaaay too low for a driver. I will keep in mind your 5" suggestion, I believe that is sound advice. It may look killer right now being that low, but it sure won't handle any speed bumps or other obstacles. I think in order to have something that low and functional would require an Air Ride suspension in order to change height when needed. Not into that...

[6 Grrrs]

With the discussion about cross-member height, I decided to go measure my car. My car sits on Global West lowering springs at all four corners, front spindles and control arms are stock GM, rear LCAs are Global west. It sits pretty low compared to other GM A bodies around the area. I like 'em low.

My front wheel well center is 23.75" from the ground on 225/60-15 BFGs (with moldings)
My cross-member is 4.25" from the ground
My front pipes are 4" from the ground (Magnaflow complete kit - lowest part of the car underneath)
My rear wheel well center is 24.5" from the ground on 255/60-15 BFGs (with moldings)

I drive my car like a regular car and never really worry about bottoming it out. As a matter of fact it did bottom out one time ever when I parked on the street in front of my parents house and I didn't want any of it on the street, so the curb sort of high centered and scuffed the exhaust. Never have I had the car bottom out when driving since I have upgraded to the GW springs and a good set of shocks. It used to bottom out with the Moog springs and junk shocks, but it was the tie rod hitting the sway bar and the top of the front tires rubbing the inner fenders. I have never bottomed out the front cross-member, ever.

My lowered 454SS pickup is much lower - too low to measure the front cross-member height. The front air dam is 2.75" above the asphalt. The cross-member I would guess is at about 3-3.5"" by eye in relationship with the air dam. With all the modifications I have performed to it, I have made certain all components are tucked up above the frame with the exception of the fuel tank (OEM tank in OEM spot, wrapped in OEM plastic shield). I do drive it more cautiously compared to the GTO when entering driveways/shopping plazas, etc, but out on the road I rarely have any issues with bottoming out. Sure if there is a dip in the road or a dead critter I slow down or try to avoid it. It also only has about 2" of suspension travel before it hits the bump stops - way less than the GTO. It has been this way for 15-16 years.

What I'm getting at is if you have plenty of wheel well space for the tires and correct offset for the wheels, I really don't see an issue with the crossmember at 3.5" -- if you drive it careful when entering driveways or going over speed bumps, etc. Matter of fact I'd love to get my car a little lower especially in the rear). I plan to revisit after I get my aluminum headed 455/new transmission installed and see where the front end sits before making any changes. I think my plan is a Strange S60 in the rear so I will have to see how it all fits before buying another set of springs. The S60 housing may be slightly different than the original 10 bolt.

This is probably the best shot I have of how it sits currently...



Just wanted to add my .02. (PurplePackFan) I agree you don't want the car dragging everywhere, but maybe you should drive it before making any big changes. Also make certain you have all components installed so you know the true weight and height. If your coil overs are adjusted all the way up I agree you need a heavier spring, but the 550# maybe too much. I think the stance as you show in the pics is perfect

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by 6 Grrrs

With the discussion about cross-member height, I decided to go measure my car. My car sits on Global West lowering springs at all four corners, front spindles and control arms are stock GM, rear LCAs are Global west. It sits pretty low compared to other GM A bodies around the area. I like 'em low.

My front wheel well center is 23.75" from the ground on 225/60-15 BFGs (with moldings)
My cross-member is 4.25" from the ground
My front pipes are 4" from the ground (Magnaflow complete kit - lowest part of the car underneath)
My rear wheel well center is 24.5" from the ground on 255/60-15 BFGs (with moldings)

I drive my car like a regular car and never really worry about bottoming it out. As a matter of fact it did bottom out one time ever when I parked on the street in front of my parents house and I didn't want any of it on the street, so the curb sort of high centered and scuffed the exhaust. Never have I had the car bottom out when driving since I have upgraded to the GW springs and a good set of shocks. It used to bottom out with the Moog springs and junk shocks, but it was the tie rod hitting the sway bar and the top of the front tires rubbing the inner fenders. I have never bottomed out the front cross-member, ever.

My lowered 454SS pickup is much lower - too low to measure the front cross-member height. The front air dam is 2.75" above the asphalt. The cross-member I would guess is at about 3-3.5"" by eye in relationship with the air dam. With all the modifications I have performed to it, I have made certain all components are tucked up above the frame with the exception of the fuel tank (OEM tank in OEM spot, wrapped in OEM plastic shield). I do drive it more cautiously compared to the GTO when entering driveways/shopping plazas, etc, but out on the road I rarely have any issues with bottoming out. Sure if there is a dip in the road or a dead critter I slow down or try to avoid it. It also only has about 2" of suspension travel before it hits the bump stops - way less than the GTO. It has been this way for 15-16 years.

What I'm getting at is if you have plenty of wheel well space for the tires and correct offset for the wheels, I really don't see an issue with the crossmember at 3.5" -- if you drive it careful when entering driveways or going over speed bumps, etc. Matter of fact I'd love to get my car a little lower especially in the rear). I plan to revisit after I get my aluminum headed 455/new transmission installed and see where the front end sits before making any changes. I think my plan is a Strange S60 in the rear so I will have to see how it all fits before buying another set of springs. The S60 housing may be slightly different than the original 10 bolt.

This is probably the best shot I have of how it sits currently...



Just wanted to add my .02. (PurplePackFan) I agree you don't want the car dragging everywhere, but maybe you should drive it before making any big changes. Also make certain you have all components installed so you know the true weight and height. If your coil overs are adjusted all the way up I agree you need a heavier spring, but the 550# maybe too much. I think the stance as you show in the pics is perfect

Wow your car sits low at the fenders. I think the lowest mine sat with the 225/60/15's in front was a hair over 24" with a 3.75" engine cradle height and I was destroying the headers. I had a dip in the road on the way home from work that was beating them up pretty bad.

I think my SPC springs are 575lbs in the front if I remember correctly. They ride pretty nice.

[6 Grrrs]

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

Wow your car sits low at the fenders. I think the lowest mine sat with the 225/60/15's in front was a hair over 24" with a 3.75" engine cradle height and I was destroying the headers. I had a dip in the road on the way home from work that was beating them up pretty bad.

I think my SPC springs are 575lbs in the front if I remember correctly. They ride pretty nice.

I guess I should have prefaced my post that I don't have headers - yet. That may change things.

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by 6 Grrrs

I guess I should have prefaced my post that I don't have headers - yet. That may change things.

My only header advice to you with the low stance ......DO NOT BUY HOOKER SUPERCOMPS!!! I learned this the hard way and now I have a set that are flattened out.

[6 Grrrs]

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

My only header advice to you with the low stance ......DO NOT BUY HOOKER SUPERCOMPS!!! I learned this the hard way and now I have a set that are flattened out.

I've heard that with these cars. I'll probably run Doug's headers.

I have Super Comps on my truck. When I bought them and installed they were less than .5" off the ground. Then I took a chop saw to my new $800 headers. After about 6-8 hours and alot of install/remove/install/remove, the driver's side fit great. Then it was another 2-3 hours of the same on the pass side (much easier though). They have never hit the ground since they were finished. Some of the guys over on the 454SS site chastised me for chopping up the headers so much, that it would lose too much HP from not being equal length anymore. I gained 54 whp from the cast iron manifolds I removed so I think it was a valid decision. Maybe I would have gained 60 whp if I could have left the tubes as delivered.

This is a good photo of the comparison of the Drivers side header hanging below the engine cradle (before modifying). Keep in mind that I said the cradle is about 3-3.5" from the ground. This is looking at it from the pass side LCA towards the drivers side...

[Nicks67GTO]

Wow...54 HP just from headers. That's a nice gain. Its unfortunate you had to put all that work into them but still. Sounds like it was worth it.

[6 Grrrs]

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

Wow...54 HP just from headers. That's a nice gain. Its unfortunate you had to put all that work into them but still. Sounds like it was worth it.

Headers and complete 3" mandrel bent exhaust system to roll pan, from the manifolds and home made 2.25" system with no tailpipes (just turndowns).

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by old66tiger

Nick, how did your ride quality change with the new wheels?

Well I got to drive it a bit today. About 8 blocks. No snow or ice on the ground. I dont have 300 miles on them to give a really good response but I purposely hit potholes and dips in the road to see what would happen. The ride quality seems to actually have stayed about the same to slightly better. We will see if I feel the same way after 2-300 miles next spring.

[Nicks67GTO]

Who would have thought that in Waterloo, Iowa on December 14th I would be able to go outside and drive the car? Its 53* right now and we've had a few rains since the last time they salted the roads, so I got the car out and did a little work then took it for a run.

As much as I wanted the CPP hubs to work out and save myself some coin, I just couldn't keep my mind off of them. They came with Chinese crap bearings and the studs were too short for anyone to properly use on anything and since I bought them, iv'e read about a guy having issues cracking them. The front hubs are a critical component of safety and I intend to Auto-X this car and drive a lot.... so I bit the bullet for peace of mind, called up Kore3 and just bought Tobin's hub kit like I should have in the first place. The kit isn't cheap but its American made out of 6061-T6511 billet aluminum and that makes me feel a heck of a lot better about driving hard. I put the hubs in and reassembled my brakes.

So I took it out and bedded the Hawk HPS pads in. I put about 10 miles on the car today and my final analysis of the swap from 15" wheels and 11" brakes to 18" wheels and 13.4"/12" brakes is 100% positive. I was worried I was going to sacrifice ride quality but I think I might have actually gained ride quality believe it or not. Its at least a wash, I certainly did not lose any ride quality. I'm not sure if its that the Nitto555 tires are just superior in tech to the BFG TA's or that I have a little extra sidewall compared to the typical 40 series tires a lot of guys run with the car but i'm pretty impressed. I just wish it was completely dry out so I could have driven it really hard.

I also ordered up some flat caps on EbAY to replace the bubble caps on the wheels. they should be here tomorrow or Tuesday. I think i'm going to run the open lug's/flat caps for a while to give it a bit of the vintage trans am series look with the gray wheels.....

[6 Grrrs]

Looks great!

[Nicks67GTO]

Well I got my flat caps in the mail yesterday. They are very nice quality and fit perfect. I got them from a guy on ebay. His business sticker will be pictured below. I got a chance to put them on and snap a few shots and drive for one last time this year. The car is filthy but oh well.....i drive it, so that happens. I think the nose needs to come down just a 1/2" for a touch of rake. Right now its about level.

In reflection it's been a heck of a year for progress.....The entire new boxed frame and SC&C chassis, Ram clutch, Kore3 Z51 braking system, Mag G wheels and tires, rebuilt 5 speed, 06' GTO seats. All in and working. I'm glad my wife is cool and likes my hobby. On that note this winter I'll be taking a bit of a break from the car. I have my second child ...a baby boy, due today so in the next week he will be here. My only winter project will probably be my dash and steering column and those will probably take me all winter.....so here's a few shots of the car with the flat caps and open lugs....

[67GTONUT]

Love this car......... I know I have said it before....

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by 67GTONUT

Love this car......... I know I have said it before....

Thanks Troy! It's always nice to hear. So have you decided what you're doing with your dash yet?