Hotchkis leaf springs with Dr Diff 1" spring relocation kit

[Beck]

I laid my Hotchkis springs next to the ones out of my car (xhd springs I think, with asymmetrical leafs left to right).
They were pretty much exactly the same dimensions as each other, and the same as your stock numbers (22" front 35" rear, 57" overall  -laying the tape along the curve of the springs).

I took a couple of photos of the springs installed with the offset kit, I'll post them soon.

[Beck]

[brads70]

Thanks Aaron! I'm assuming it hits on the outside of the frame rail. Would you have a picture of the area you had to grind?

[kielbasa]

the picture above already shows the rear shackle pretty much vertical.....now put the weight of the car on it and the shackle bottom will be rearward. if it's not offset, no big deal, but if it is, you can see where it will interfere with the valance, and on my car, the angled portion of the offset shackle rammed right into the framerail before running into the trunk extension.

[Beck]

Here's some additional photos of the setup.


This image shows the offset hangers and where I have ground stuff for clearance.
The green line is roughly the original edge of the cross member, and the orange line highlights
the area that the offset hangers hit when swung right back.


The other side. This side required more grinding of the chassis rail to clear the hanger.


I bent a thin piece of timber to match the leaf spring and cut it to length, then used it to see how far back the spring
would push the shackles when fully flat. This image roughly shows that. The offset shackles have plenty
of room, I don't see how they would foul anything even without the clearancing I did. They wouldn't swing back far enough,
at least on my car.


This image shows the Hotchkis springs next to the XHD springs (3 years old) off my car .
There's a socket underneath to get the two springs to sit level (the XHD springs are thicker vertically, due to the extra leafs).
I had bolts going through either end to line them up.

Cheers!

[brads70]

Thanks Aaron! That sure clears things up! Do you figure it will hit the rear valance?

[kielbasa]

Thanks for the pics - the areas you have highlighted are pretty much the interference points I remember - But I think i see you have rubber bushings, I had poly's (thinner flanges which magnify the interference issues).....and I had no intentions of grinding clearance into portions of the unibody of an unmolested AAR.
Keep us posted how it ends up working out!

[sparkie.485]

just wondering if there is any way to do the spring relocation on the cudas without the spring coming in contact with the rear valance? also was wondering if there is I would be able to do this to smooth the rear valance?
Thanks

[Road_Runner]

just wondering if there is any way to do the spring relocation on the cudas without the spring coming in contact with the rear valance? also was wondering if there is I would be able to do this to smooth the rear valance?
Thanks

I believe the issue is only with Hotchkis (or similar) springs that are basiscally flat with the weight of the car on them and relocating the springs.  If you only do one & not the other I don't believe there are clearance issues.  When I've asked here about relocating the springs with XHD or ESPO springs I've been told there are no clearance issues.  I'm considering all these options myself, that's why I've been gathering the facts myself.

Later, Jim

[diyhemi.com]

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