Project L99

R7F- control, sales item #31

R8T- control, sales item #69

1AY- stock orders processing, dealer ordered

1SD- option package 04

thanks Indy, I guess i really do have a pretty bone stock car. lol. but at least I now know whats in there. kinda dissapoints at 2.73 gears. can I swap em in this axle or do i need a bigger axle.

mega wrote:

thanks Indy, I guess i really do have a pretty bone stock car. lol. but at least I now know whats in there. kinda dissapoints at 2.73 gears. can I swap em in this axle or do i need a bigger axle.

As far as I know all the L99's have the 7.5" rear diff (ka-ka). Mine still does, and it's not worth doing a gear swap, 7.5's break behind lighter cars with less power

so if i were to upgrade the axle nothing special just a little beefier roughly, ballpark figure what would a ss axle run? or something as wide with say 2.93's or 3.11's ive never done a axle so im a bit lost here.

mega wrote:

so if i were to upgrade the axle nothing special just a little beefier roughly, ballpark figure what would a ss axle run? or something as wide with say 2.93's or 3.11's ive never done a axle so im a bit lost here.

The Impala and 9C1 came with a 10 bolt 8.5" rear end, where as yours came with a smaller 7.5" I believe. It may not be worth updrading yours where as you'd spend just as much time/money to swap one over. The Impala SS and 9C1 came stock with 3.08 gears, but there's the common ones for other 's like 3.42, 3.73, and if you want to go nuts and not drive anywhere, 4.10.

Beware that if you buy a 9C1 rear end, it is shorter on each side by 5/8" to allow for the usage of snow chains, but 5'8" spacers work. I used 1" spacers with 17x8.5 wheels, rubbed slightly, but with stock 15x7" N97's they dont rub, but look pretty good. My .02

what kinda off difference if i put a imala ss rear end in with the 3.08 gear will there be. also are all ss rear ends disk brakes. I know my car aint a race car but want a little bit more beef to it.

V8Killer wrote:

mega wrote:

thanks Indy, I guess i really do have a pretty bone stock car. lol. but at least I now know whats in there. kinda dissapoints at 2.73 gears. can I swap em in this axle or do i need a bigger axle.

As far as I know all the L99's have the 7.5" rear diff (ka-ka). Mine still does, and it's not worth doing a gear swap, 7.5's break behind lighter cars with less power

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Many 9C1s came with the L99 engine, and ALL were 8.5" disc, but only (1566mm) 61.65" wide, as compared to WX3s that were (1598mm) 62.91" wide.

I rather doubt that any civi L99 cars had an 8.5" diameter ring gear in them from the factory though.
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Did B4U's come with 8.5 rears or even discs? I think they were drums, but I don't see why they'd use a smaller rear end.

mega wrote:

what kinda off difference if i put a imala ss rear end in with the 3.08 gear will there be. also are all ss rear ends disk brakes. I know my car aint a race car but want a little bit more beef to it.

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I strongly recommend that you know what wheels AND tires you want to run - - BEFORE deciding on which rear axle style, gear ratio and axle width you want.

Tire diameter (roll-out), overall tire width, backspace & offset:
These are best figured out before you end up needing to order special wheels and/or spacers and/or adaptors.

It may sound backwards, but by doing so, it WILL save you grief, time and money having those issues "pre-decided".
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stock steel wheels and my next set of tires will be 235 75 15 i know there taller but will look good with wide whites.

if a B4U car came with a 8.5 with drums would the drums be the larger ones or the standard 9x 2.5 if so id prolly go that route just replaced everything in rear brakes couple weeks ago.

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Did B4U's come with 8.5 rears or even discs? I think they were drums, but I don't see why they'd use a smaller rear end.

Both b4u's i had were LT1 cars with 8.5 drums.

mega wrote:

so if i were to upgrade the axle nothing special just a little beefier roughly, ballpark figure what would a ss axle run? or something as wide with say 2.93's or 3.11's ive never done a axle so im a bit lost here.

I've got a 95 L99 9C1 rearend with non posi 323 gears and it did have discs if your looking for a rearend. Its narrower, but the L99 9C1 cars came with a 323 gear ratio factory.

thats a possibility how will those gears differ from mt 2.73, i.e accel, highway driving etc. i can alway get spacers.

Quicker hole shot, more RPMs at highway speed, less fuel economy. She'll be peppy.

My 95 B4U is an LT1 car, 8.5 ring gear 11 in. drums & posi 3.08 gears

mega wrote:

stock steel wheels and my next set of tires will be 235 75 15 i know there taller but will look good with wide whites.

Why are you going to use such a big tire? My snows in the rear are that big and they're a HUGE tire.

price lol. they wont be to much bigger.

mega wrote:

price lol. they wont be to much bigger.

Huh? 235's would be more expensive than a stock size. And yeah, they'll be a lot bigger than stock. Seriously, they're huge even on my wagon which is 225/75.

Right this minute he needs that to fill his wheelwell.
(have you seen that gap??? )
Once its dropped he'll need to re-think the tires.

yes i know its riding high, But I can touch the sky lol. well see if I lower it first or tires.

For what its worth, my civilian Caprice came from the factory with an L99 and 8.5” 3.23 posi rear. Drum brakes. Along with other ”9c1” type options.

mega wrote:

yes i know its riding high, But I can touch the sky lol. well see if I lower it first or tires.

Thats your call of course, just have a plan so you dont waste your $

this is true been looking at springs on ebay for around 150 all four. there the Canuck ones. idk if i want 1.5 drop all around or 1.8 in front and 2.8 in rear.

GasTT wrote:

For what its worth, my civilian Caprice came from the factory with an L99 and 8.5” 3.23 posi rear. Drum brakes. Along with other ”9c1” type options.

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Do you know if your chassis has a small "punch-out" on the side of the frame that can be viewed just behind the rear wheel?

Specifically, I am talking about one of two possible shapes: A "triangle" (pyramid) or a "cross", like the "Swiss Army" cross shape.

There have been a few exceptions, but usually the 9C1s have the cross, and the civilian cars have the triangle.
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mega wrote:

this is true been looking at springs on ebay for around 150 all four. there the Canuck ones. idk if i want 1.5 drop all around or 1.8 in front and 2.8 in rear.

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I don't think the Canucks can reach your door step for less than $200.

Shipping from Canada costs a little extra.
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If you drive this year round, dont get crazy.

yeah after shipping would be 200
are they good? or is there better for around the same money?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CM-Lowering-Springs-CHEVY-CAPRICE-90-96-95-94-93-92-91-/350215972028?_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D5%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D6331186231665871532#ht_2696wt_1037

mega wrote:

yeah after shipping would be 200
are they good? or is there better for around the same money?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CM-Lowering-Springs-CHEVY-CAPRICE-90-96-95-94-93-92-91-/350215972028?_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D5%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D6331186231665871532#ht_2696wt_1037

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Spring selection is a very personal choice.
It can also be a moving target, due to several unavoidably slight variations that can "stack up" toward or away from your expectations in ride height.
Also manufacturers of springs don't all seem to be so clear on how many inches springs are intended to be lower than exactly which version of a particular vehicle's stock ride height.
Is it WX3, 9C1, Taxi, FE1, FE2, FE4, FE7, FU2!, etc,
Bent frame and/or suspension parts, worn BJs, distorted control arm bushings, the list goes on, be prepared for some variation from what is promised, , , by anyone.
One thing I look for is knowing that the spring material is of a high quality,
and that the manufacturer understands that the front and rear bounce frequency is something you can not disregard.

The spring rate is "built into" the spring, and the ride height is based on how accurately that piece of wire is wound to it's standing free height.
Iv'e spoken with the owner/engineer at Canuck (Ray) & and he is "hands on", so I feel if I DO have a question or problem, he will be there for me.
I think that if you know in advance, that you will be scraping driveway inclines, tailpipes, front air dams, and then drive accordingly, you will be ok.
Your steering will be ok as well, if the spring rate is sufficient to prevent you from bottoming out with your driving habits.
Just remember, you must be a bit more careful with tire sizing with a lower sprung car.

Take your time, get everyone's experience posted first to guide you through your decision making process.
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well i can say its a daily driver, i dont beat the hell outta it but i dont baby it either. I drive it and would like it to be stiffer for one, cornering not a problem since i dont drive like a formula one drive, and for hight i dont wanna slam it but a nice drop that wont affect drivability most of my suspention and steering is new as well. Honestly I dont know if im asking it right or not since ive never lowered a car. I know how to thats not a problem just as you said I know jack about spring rates and such. I am welcome to any and all input.

heres the basic hight i want.

thats mikes caprice. we put intrax springs in it.. and cut a half coil off the front springs for alittle extra drop

here it is with the half coil off and sitting on my stock wheels

any scraping issues? it has a really nice stance.

no he used to drive to work in the city everyday. mines a full inch lower all around and i dont have issues either..

That looks nice
Remember tho
Those tires (assuming 255/50-17) Overall Diameter: 27.03 in
Those you talked about (235/75-15) Overall Diameter: 28.87 in
Thats approx 1-1/2closer to everything you DON'T want to rub
Might not be the best tire choice
235/70's get drops 1-1/2 to 1/2" better choice IMO
If you drop 1st its easy, just borrow a couple & try them on the front

Damn my car looks sexy under that tent!

thanks steve Now I know One more thing today . lol yeas maybe smaller tires would be better. so 235 70 15 will work well or a 60 series tire?

If you want cheap, go for 225/75 like you have now. I'll look at work tomorrow see what I can come up with for a cheap 235/70.

Ive got 235's on the LDM and they look too big, but fill the wheel wells nicely. I would go 225 maybe.

cheap is better i honestly dont need alot of tire. what i got now works.

mega wrote:

cheap is better i honestly dont need alot of tire. what i got now works.

On a sedan, I would say 225/75 is more than enough.

^^^x2

When I got my tires last year, 225 and 235 were both $98/piece.

MASShole9C1 wrote:

Ive got 235's on the LDM and they look too big, but fill the wheel wells nicely. I would go 225 maybe.

225/75 and 235/70 are the same height, 235 is even slightly shorter.

If you want Ted, I'll sell you my 225's that are already cut down that I had on my Caddy. Still lots of tread left and evenly worn.

pm'd

Yea, I snapped off those #'s without really looking at them
75 series would be 7/8 inch closer to rubbing then stock impala tires (1.75/2).

went to my shop to wash the car today and ended up doing wide whites.

You did those yourself? Looks damn good.

They need to be wider lol

yep myself, was that bored. ther as wide as they go. wont go lower than that. unless hmm white letter tires can go whole tire. lol