raised spindels, what has been done before? Options

[metalmorphosis]

So I think I want to raise the spindle on the strut tube and I know I've seen some threads about doing this. I did a little searching and didn't find anything useful so I'm hoping you guys can give me some advice or share any links with me. The reason I think I would like to do this is to regain a little suspension travel in the front end. My car is pretty low and currently has no travel to speak of in the front. So I think if I lower the car more by raising the spindles I can lift the car back up using the torsion bars to gain some suspension travel back. Ultimately I want my cars ride height to be about the same as it is now. I'm thinking of raising the spindle 1 inch, is there another standard amount of raise that has been done before? Is there any reason not to do this modification? I assume the tie rods would be fine and all the geometry would be almost the same, right? So what do y'all know about this one?

[Dave_Darling]

Raising the spindles is a relatively-common mod in the racing world. The limit is when the ball joint starts rubbing on the wheel. Or wheel weights, should those be put on the inside. I even know of people who have shaved part of the ball joint retaining nut and lock plate to fit their wheels.

Check how much room you have now. Leave a bit of extra room just in case of any errors. That's how far you can go.

The steering geometry is set by the position of the lever on the knuckle to the position of the steering rack. So if you raise the spindle by 1" and then lower the car by 1", the lever on the steering knuckle will be in the same place as it was before. (If you're that low, you probably have bump-steer effects that you need to deal with anyway.)

If you do the mod carefully and don't damage the strut tube, you should be fine. It's just some cutting and welding, after all...

If you want to raise the car up again, you will encounter more bump-steer issues. I think that's about the only downside.

--DD