Camaro lifting in general

[mrb1962]

Dont know much about raising cars. Can the camaro be raised 3-8" or so and still handle good? Just found out today the leaf springs go under the axle, so truck type lifting is out....

[REACT]

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by mrb1962:
Can the camaro be raised 3-8" or so and still handle good?</font>

Can I ask why you would want to raise your Camaro 3-8"?

And in short, no. Raising the center of gravity will only decrease the handling capabilities of the car.

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Judgment comes from experience; experience comes from poor judgment.

[mrb1962]

Want to raise it cuz to me it sits too low.
Trucks get lift kits, are their handling capabilites lessened too?
I understand about a higher C.O.G. but how high is too high for the camaro?

[REACT]

I guess it's all relative. My opinion is that anything over stock height would be too high depending on the height of the tires and condition of the suspension.

You could raise the vehicle and do everything else to improve the handling like sub-frame connectors, aluminum body bushing, good shocks, etc... It's up to you really.

Also, even though the springs ride under the axle, any good shop should be able to either re-arch your old springs or rebuild them to your liking. Good luck with it.

[mrb1962]

Guess I cant raise it as high as i would like, driveshaft angle......might have to play with it, see what i can get away with...would like better exhaust clearance at best....thanks

[HCKY23]

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by mrb1962:
...Trucks get lift kits, are their handling capabilites lessened too?...
</font>

There's a reason the trucks and SUV's now come with a warning label on the interior (usually on the sun visor). It's a picture of the vehicle at a 45* angle and 2 wheels off the ground. I think that's the international symbol for 'handling sucks'.
I would think weight distribution is a lot different in a truck than our camaros. So you can't really apply the same logic of for handling geometry. But good luck. There was a 3rd gen at a service station near me that was built on a 4x4 truck frame, so anything is possible.


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Steve. 74 orig owner
383, Comp 280, Sportsman II, HD TH350, 3:42 posi, 4wdisc, 12:1 box, IAS, headers, true-dual w/H-pipe. All new susp/bushings.
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Long Island Phantom Hockey -23-

[Tyler]

Do you relize how high 3"-8" is in terms of suspension? The slammed cars you see around town are only lowered about 3" at most. The only reason i see to raise a camaro that much is to go off-roading.

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My 1974 camaro now smog exempt!
400hp 383, 2004r, 4.11 rear, 450lb/inch springs, Del-a-lum, 12:1 steering, Trac-bite springs, big sway bars, need I say more?

13" C5 brakes mounted on spindals ready to be installed, however, I don't have enough money for the big wheels and tires! D'OH!

[reinhardt79]

bad news! i put lifting shackles on mine once. ended up in some womans yard. makes back slide around. if ur back end is too low, put in new leafsprings. get some with a higher arch to them. that should lift it to hieght u want. u probably have the original worn out springs on it. replace em and u should like.

[WildBillyT]

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by HCKY23:

There's a reason the trucks and SUV's now come with a warning label on the interior (usually on the sun visor). It's a picture of the vehicle at a 45* angle and 2 wheels off the ground. I think that's the international symbol for 'handling sucks'.

ROFLMAO!!!

[infbp22]

I'd say get your leaf springs arched about 2 inches at most. 3-8inch is a very wide range in suspension! You're still gonna feel low unless you lift the front, but then it will look like &*^% . Replace all teh bushings and weak suspension compoments, and maybe you'll feel a little taller.

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-'72 nova
-350/???? HP (its a camaro engine, thats my excuse)
-midnight sapphire/black interior
-***new upgrades** brand new 625 road demon jr., e-brock RPM intake manifold, 268H cam, hyperwhatever pistons, lots of good stuff.

rebuild this summer....

[mrb1962]

Thanks for the info on this. Will check level of car after V8 goes in it. (has a 6 in it now) Maybe just rearch rear springs 2-3" and front coils to "match"

[Mousehouse]

I didn't know you could get a Camaro to low?

I guess it is up to each individual how they want their car to look. I like mine to be evenly balanced front and back. The stance of the car says a lot about how it looks in the over all picture.

[dobone]

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by WildBillyT:
ROFLMAO!!!</font>

If someone lifts a camaro 3-8" that is someing i would love to see. You can do it, and from the rear it would be comparitively easy to what it would take in the front. In the rear: pull the solid axle out from the car, turn it around so that the spring perches would then be on top. use lifted springs or blocks (whatever) and use 4 degree shims for 3" to 6" lift and 8 degree shims for 7"+. That was easy. Now the front, you might as well say screw it, rip out the upper and lower control arms, throw a solid axle under the front with front leaf springs custom fabricated. (Can we say custom drag link). If you 4WD it you will need to also fabricate a torque arm and add shims in the front. As far as handling is concerned, if you keep the stock tires on you will roll the car. If you put big tires on, you had better find the stiffest springs and shocks possible. I built an 1985 toyota pickup a few years back with a chevy small block. lifted 5 inches and super swamper 33's. I put the stiffest springs i could find under it. The truck cornered like a corvette but I might as well have had a solid weld between frame and axle because it was the roughest ride ever. Hope that helps!