3: Has anybody tried using coilover shocks in the rear? Any pros/cons?
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That depends on what you mean by "tried using coilover shocks" - there are a
few different ways you could install coilovers:
1) Use them in conjunction with your existing leaf springs
2) Ditch the leaf springs and use them with something like
a four-link plus Watts linkage on the live axle rear end
3) Ditch the leaf springs and the live axle and go with a
complete independent rear suspension like out of a Jag
or a Vette
1) Might make sense if the car is sagging because the springs are fatigued,
or if you want to increase the spring rate. New or additional leaf springs
would probably make more sense, though.
I don't think there would be any gain using coilovers in this way (as
opposed to replacing the leaf springs).
2) Would give you a better-positioned rear end, and more adjustability for
ride height & launch characteristics, but if that adjustability isn't that
important to you, you'd get most of the benefit of this setup by just adding
the Watts linkage to your existing leaf spring setup.
3) Is a big commitment. ;) The only real benefit to using coilovers in this
way is that they're compact, so there's lots of room for big wheels & tires
back there. But the exact spring/shock combo would be far down on your list
of concerns if you were doing a mod this extensive. Believe me, I'm just
wrapping this up now on my car.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to report how the car handles for quite some
time. :(
--
Phil Martin pmartin@surgnav.com
"I'm a Charger, charging through the night,
Like an orange bolt of lightning passing everything in sight"
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