Options to raise rear of '71 Challenger.......

[Plum Crazy 71]

Hey guys,

What are my options to get the rear of my Challenger up about an inch.

I have a split leaf now with Cal Tracs.

Air shocks?  Blahhhkkkkk.

[dfrazz]

I would avoid air shocks at all costs since they hammer your shock mount and it will eventually crack.  For an inch, I would buy Hemi springs from www.espo.com.  SS springs may raise it too much, as well as Hemi springs +1" will be more like 2" or so.

[Topcat]

I added one leaf each side and it sits perfect and isn't too harsh.

[dodj]

Lower the front and it will give the effect of the rear being raised.

[YellowThumper]

Lower the front and it will give the effect of the rear being raised.

I like how you think...

[CUDA JAS]

Hey guys,

What are my options to get the rear of my Challenger up about an inch.

I have a split leaf now with Cal Tracs.

Air shocks?  Blahhhkkkkk.

Do you want to keep the split leafs and Cal Tracks???

And pics..we need pics!!

[HP2]

With the Cal-Trac system, I think your only option is a different 1/2 leaf set up from them.

[Plum Crazy 71]

Prefer to keep the Cal Tracs on for now. 

The car now sits a tad higher in front (low Milodon pan) and a tad lower in rear.

[HP2]

Maybe a different front hanger will get you 1/2-3/4" overall increase, but then you are messing with the Cal-Trac geometry and could negate some of their effectiveness.

Other option- Swap your deep sump pan for a Milodon Road race unit. Lower sump, greater oil control, significantly improved clearance which would allow you to drop the nose the inch you want.

[Plum Crazy 71]

Maybe a different front hanger will get you 1/2-3/4" overall increase, but then you are messing with the Cal-Trac geometry and could negate some of their effectiveness.

Other option- Swap your deep sump pan for a Milodon Road race unit. Lower sump, greater oil control, significantly improved clearance which would allow you to drop the nose the inch you want.

I am already knocking holes in  my pan, so when I raise the pan an inch (next week), and lower the front, I'm back to banging the pan on the road.

All I really wanna know is what my options are for raising the rear.

[dave73chally]

Prefer to keep the Cal Tracs on for now. 

The car now sits a tad higher in front (low Milodon pan) and a tad lower in rear.

off topic...I don't normally like cowl hoods on mopars but that is mean looking. What's under the hood 


As for raising the car, I say espos also. That's what I did about a year ago. I went with 1.5" over stock and they were too high imho. I ended up ditching them for hotchkis so I went the reverse route

[Plum Crazy 71]

off topic...I don't normally like cowl hoods on mopars but that is mean looking. What's under the hood 


As for raising the car, I say espos also. That's what I did about a year ago. I went with 1.5" over stock and they were too high imho. I ended up ditching them for hotchkis so I went the reverse route

472 HEMI

[HP2]

I am already knocking holes in  my pan, so when I raise the pan an inch (next week), and lower the front, I'm back to banging the pan on the road.

All I really wanna know is what my options are for raising the rear.

The road race pan is designed to sit above the K frame level, so no risk of bashing it unless you are also nailing the  K. Add the Hemi skid plate and you  should have a positive difference of half an inch at least. It has multiple trap doors for improved oil control and flared sides for added capacity over stock. The only thing it lacks over your current Milodon unit is depth. Of course, this is a $450 update that requires a fair amount of work to exchange.

Right now the only option I see for raising the rear is a change of the front hanger, provided you have not already done so. Even the fabrication of a taller hanger with a lower mounting point could provide a slight lift, but it is not a 1:1 gain because of the asymetrical leaf arrangement on a mopar.

Or call Cal-Trac and ask them for an alternative front leaf. Of course they do design these for performance and not appearance, so they may not be able to help you or may recommend against it.

[burdar]

I am already knocking holes in  my pan, so when I raise the pan an inch (next week), and lower the front, I'm back to banging the pan on the road.

Looking at your profile picture, the rear looks perfect to me.  The front looks little too high for my liking though.  What torsion bars are you running?  If you are running a factory sized bar, you can upgrade to a 1" + bar.(multiple bars over 1" that you can choose from)  That will help with the bottoming out problem.  Less suspension travel with a larger bar means you can lower the front without fear of hitting the oil pan. 

[HP2]

Agreed, the front is too high for my taste, but its not my car and no doubt that huge oil pan is driving that height. I'm guessing 3", no more than 4" of clearance with that deep sump under there and the t-bars turned up.

In this were my car, I'd focus on better oil control and engine safety, then drop the nose. It would sure suck to trash a $20,000 engine because of oil pan damage.