My car looks lowered, how do I tell how? ---

[alwayscode390]

My car looks SLAMMED in the front, and a little lower in the rear than some of the stock ZR-1's I have seen in pics.

When I look at the suspension, I don't see anything screaming at me that its a "newer" part, or not OEM.

How are these cars usually lowered?

Point me where to look to see how they did this.

Thanks! :) ---

MINE:

http://i42.tinypic.com/2s78fvo.jpg

STOCK:

http://i44.tinypic.com/9pvwvb.jpg

Its not a TON of difference now that I look , but I do see 1-2" front and rear. Could that be caused by worn shocks? LOL ---

[WVZR-1]

The front spring is removed and the top portion of the cushion is trimmed away to near nothing and then a "strip" of a desired thickness is "glued" to it. Here's a spring cut before adding the "strip"!

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1043/55rz6.jpg

This kit might have been used:

http://content.mamotorworks.com/img300/fr1088.jpg

OR it could have had an after-market spring added to the front to accomplish the lowering. Reversing it would likely be more easily done by purchasing a "take-out" from someone that did coil overs. You could compare to yours and then modify the thickness perhaps between the height of "stock" pad to what you have presently to get the height you might want.

Looks just about right now!

[We Gone]

What size tires and wheels you running?

[alwayscode390]

275/40/17 fronts and 335/35/17 rears.

Here is what my front tire looks like turned :

http://i42.tinypic.com/2djq4gk.jpg

Are coil-overs the only option for the rear? Im not really familiar with the independent rear suspensions quite yet.

Thanks WVZR-1 :) ---

[Kevin]

looks lowered to me too

[WVZR-1]

275/40/17 fronts and 335/35/17 rears.



Are coil-overs the only option for the rear? Im not really familiar with the independent rear suspensions quite yet.

Thanks WVZR-1 :) ---

You can change the "stack" of the shims that mount the spring to the rear axle cover. I don't recall the "stack" in the ZR-1 but there's 6.1mm, 5.2mm, 4.3mm and 1.72 available. They're done in combinations on some applications. Maybe yours has already been done that way. A couple/few less mm on the top of the spring could effect it maybe more than one thinks. Measure what is there.

On the spring bolts at each end of your spring are there castellated nuts that are cotter keyed? If they're cotter keyed and 192mm long they're original to the '90, if they're 225mm they're later ones and if there's no cotter keyed nuts then they're after-market. Changing the stack and using the longer later bolts with cotter keyed nuts would maintain the "stock" appearance or just use still longer bolts but use castellated nuts and cotter keys.

[Bob Eyres]

Sometimes pix are deceptive, but your car doesn't look lowered to me. Certainly the front is no lower than my 91', and it's stock.

BTW, nice wheels

[icarus-54]

Matt,
looks the same as mine

[Schrade]

Doesn't FSM have specs for this?


Duh. FSM has everything. Except number for Domino's :rolleyes: (but my '94 FSM had GORDON KILLIBREW'S # inside the back cover :thumbsup: )

sorry about snappic quality here; new scanner / printer / copier / SD/MMC card reader / has me licked so far :confused: - thing does everything except windows, I think (actually is easier to navigate in Windows too, than Linux :mad:). I swear Microsoft is in cahoots with other hardware manufacturers, even after they got busted with FoxConn

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n1XNrEjyHII/Ujy0QK8WnzI/AAAAAAAAByY/Y7sL9-NYoyY/s1680/HPIM7133.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZH_2zguOD2M/Ujy1PvFu_JI/AAAAAAAAByk/-ShcGO1MH-k/s1280/HPIM7134.JPG

[alwayscode390]

Thank you Schrade!

So I am looking for a measurement of "J" from the bottom of the door hinge to the ground?

Sorry but I don't understand the model number (07 or 67), or what suspension I am looking for (1 or 7) .

This is the reason I think mine is lowered, I have seen MANY pics of stock 90z's that look like this:

http://i44.tinypic.com/9pvwvb.jpg

[WVZR-1]

Thank you Schrade!

So I am looking for a measurement of "J" from the bottom of the door hinge to the ground?

Sorry but I don't understand the model number (07 or 67), or what suspension I am looking for (1 or 7) .

This is the reason I think mine is lowered, I have seen MANY pics of stock 90z's that look like this:



There's not much that you can actually measure "except" to compare the cars present stance to what "WAS" delivered. 07 is a coupe, 67 is a 'vert. You can use the points j and k to a level floor to compare side to side the present stance of your car. Everyone of us are dealing with suspension components (springs) that are 17 to 23 years old, the published figures for j and k are for "prime" vehicles which were "near new" or put back to that condition, they're also in a very controlled state, tire pressures, sizes, fuel load and accessories. The FSM "numbers" would be "reference" only.

The j and k references are from the floor to the bottom of the rocker (not the molding) at that particular point of the car. J is from the center of the front axle and k is from the center of the rear axle. j is just rearward of the hinge pillar.

The hood wheel openings and the quarter wheel openings are often used for reference and that's actually a mistake that is made. There's considerable differences possible car to car - many reasons.

All ZR-1 packages are FE1* and the reference to FE7 would be for the Z07 cars etc.

*This is actually an error on my part '90 & '91 are FE7 cars and '92+ are FE1 cars. The rear spring remained the same code.

The FSM also mentions I believe two FE1 springs, yellow and green - the rear shim stack is different for each. I've never seen a color code on a ZR-1 spring and never seen a reference for the codes that corresponded to the color codes. I've never looked at great length either. You or I are pretty much dealing with "what's there"!! No reason to do all that research - none what so ever!

I mentioned measuring the shim stack that is in your particular car - it's where I'd start if I were interested.

[alwayscode390]

Awesome points WVZR-1 ... I appreciate that advice, and will take it for what its worth :)

I'll get the car on a level ground and make sure all the pressures are equal ... then take a couple measurements, and post them later. I cant get under the car right now, but I will measure the shim stack the next time I am under it ---

[mike100]

I'd be interested in somebody milling poly shims to mirror image match the triangular lowering wedges so one doesn't have to scrap a spring with a cut bushing to raise the car back up to near stock height. That way one could add say about 3/8" to the bushing height and get the spring tensioned properly to hold the car up where I'd like it.

[Schrade]

Thanks there Dave...

Looks like they're measuring where the rocker panels 'end', and the horizontal portion starts - seems like the jacking rails BEHIND the jack pointers would have been more reliable tho'...

http://www.zr1.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2738&stc=1&d=1379760204

I couldn't make heads or tails of the chart either (OR the diagram), except wheel hub centers.

Now I'm seeing that '1', and 'G' are dropped off of 'models', and only the last is for Z car ???

AND, it doesn't say anything about the jackpoints either - they're just proximal to 'J' and 'K' in the snappic...

[alwayscode390]

At point J (at the bottom of the curve where the door starts) my car is 5"

At point K ( where the door window goes horizontal at the a-frame ) my car is 5.5"

Looks like I am about 1/2 lower than Schrades car ( looks like his pic is at point K w/ 6").

Is your car stock height Schrade?

Sorry this took so long to do , LOL ... I went for a cruise today and stopped on level ground , then happened to have a tape measure with me :) ---