72 Duster build - Pro touring slant six
Beautiful car!
Not sure how I missed this build thread, you've done some great work!
As for the ride height discussion, I don't think 24.5" is realistically achievable with the factory suspension geometry. . I run my Duster at around the 24 7/8" mark to the fender opening in the front. I also run QA1 LCA's, the early style that didn't have the bump stops built in. That adds almost a full inch of suspension travel the factory arms don't have. I run a little 3/8" bump stop for the lower, and a taller 2.5" bumpstop on top (to re-center the travel around the new ride height). Even with that set up and 1.12" bars with Hotchkis fox shocks I will occasionally bottom the suspension out on the street. It's infrequent, so it's not like the car needs to be raised but I know that it's as low as it should be with the 1.12" bars because I'm using all of the available travel.
The other issue that comes up is just running out of room other places. On my car I have 13" from the center of the spindle to the lowest part of the inner fender well at full suspension compression. Now, that's a smaller number because of the QA1 LCA's, but, it means that a 26" tall front tire would be touching the lowest part of the inner fender at full compression. 72BBSwinger had to address this on his car. With mine I'm leaving the inner fender wells alone, I just won't run anything taller than 26" for tires up front and I'm already running the smallest bump stop I should be anyway.
Have you upgraded the torsion bars yet? Honestly, at your current height you may already be sitting on the factory lower bump stops if you haven't swapped them out already.
Beautiful car!
Not sure how I missed this build thread, you've done some great work!
As for the ride height discussion, I don't think 24.5" is realistically achievable with the factory suspension geometry. . I run my Duster at around the 24 7/8" mark to the fender opening in the front. I also run QA1 LCA's, the early style that didn't have the bump stops built in. That adds almost a full inch of suspension travel the factory arms don't have. I run a little 3/8" bump stop for the lower, and a taller 2.5" bumpstop on top (to re-center the travel around the new ride height). Even with that set up and 1.12" bars with Hotchkis fox shocks I will occasionally bottom the suspension out on the street. It's infrequent, so it's not like the car needs to be raised but I know that it's as low as it should be with the 1.12" bars because I'm using all of the available travel.
The other issue that comes up is just running out of room other places. On my car I have 13" from the center of the spindle to the lowest part of the inner fender well at full suspension compression. Now, that's a smaller number because of the QA1 LCA's, but, it means that a 26" tall front tire would be touching the lowest part of the inner fender at full compression. 72BBSwinger had to address this on his car. With mine I'm leaving the inner fender wells alone, I just won't run anything taller than 26" for tires up front and I'm already running the smallest bump stop I should be anyway.
Have you upgraded the torsion bars yet? Honestly, at your current height you may already be sitting on the factory lower bump stops if you haven't swapped them out already.