I can't drive my nova up on the trailer anymore

I tried to take my car to town today to get new collectors put on my exhaust.
When I got the car partially up on the trailer the new headers caught the edge and I couldn't drive up on it.

I thought it was just the headers so I pulled the trailer into a ditch and loaded the car up and grabbed some boards to lift the front of the car up.

No dice my subframe connectors hit as well.

Got home and measured the front because I knew my new front springs had dropped the front a little.

Well apparently now that I've moved the car around a little the front has dropped more. About a 2" drop to be exact.

Before the tip of the front wheel well was 24 1/2".
Now it is 22 1/2"

Looks kinda cool, but at the same time is going to be a pain in the ***.

Look at the fender above my front tire before the moroso spring install:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/monk75/HPIM0884.jpg

After:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/monk75/HPIM0964.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/monk75/HPIM0965.jpg

Dam, thats low lol

This might sound dumb but....can you back it on the trailer??? :D


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http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/car_087/bottom6.jpg

Get longer ramps.;)

drive it uncapped:cool: ...............looks real K@@L

Get longer ramps.;)

That also might work. It will change the approach angle and that should give you a bit more clearence.

I'm thinking you should be able to back it on though. I swapped in some new mufflers on my car last year, and I didnt have to use a jack or anything. I just crawled under and had plenty of room to work :D

True story...I kid you not!


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http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/car_087/bottom6.jpg

Light'er off and drive'er in...

Back the truck's rear tires onto work ramps and that will cure the approach angle problem when you load/unload.

And get the 5th lug nut on there you lugnut!!!! :D

pretty sure it's illegal to trailer a car backwards. Cop buddy of mine told me. thanks for the pics im thinking twice about dropping mine 2" now :)

Backing on a trailer might be a disaster... If you aren't perfect you ruin sheetmetal and then once it is on the trailer all your weight is at the rear which might cause the rig to wiggle real bad or jackknife. You might raise the front end with a pair of spring rubbers in the bottom of the a-arms. I think they might bring it up about an inch.

Tommy :)

Jack the front of the trailer up. That car has to be low in the front...It's very front heavy and needs to snap up to get up on the tire. Suspension travel is key.


Joe

I have the same problem. After I get the front wheels on the trailer,we set a 4x6 block under the each ramp then drive up.

Back the truck's rear tires onto work ramps and that will cure the approach angle problem when you load/unload.

And get the 5th lug nut on there you lugnut!!!! :D

I'm telling you. I just replaced all of my rear studs because they were galling up.
I pulled my front wheels while doing the spring swap and that one seized.

I think the guy that had this car before me drove it off in the Rio Grande. (car came out of el-paso) I found plenty of Mexican change and black widows in the ductwork.:eek:

Ok, I think I'm ok. If I dip the rear wheels in a ditch I can get off and on easily. And my dragstrip has dips all along the pits for that very reason.

Don't know what I'll do if I take her to a show though?

Like they said earlier get the rear of the truck up (keep some ramps with you)that will lower the rear of the trailer and set it on a bit of a better angle to clear the bottom of the car.:)

Don't back the car onto a trailer and then tow it that way. That can cause the trailer to sway and whip. I know somebody who wrapped the trailer so it was sitting backwards along side his tow pickup! I once towed a trailer that had something majorly wrong with it. It would start whipping and I had my hands full a bunch of times. Needless to say that was the last time I used that guys trailer!

I also heard of somebody using an enclosed trailer with the car backwards. I guess he totaled everything... truck, trailer, and car in the trailer. Everything rolled when it went into the ditch.

get a new toy hauler..lol i have one that the back door drops down real low and i dont have any issues...

i caint believe just those trick springs dropped them that much..even if you were to race it wouldnt the collectors hit bad on the track??

just order a qa1 setup and be done with it

Definitely do not tow it with the car backed on the trailer. That puts all the weight on the rear of the trailer instead of on the rear of the truck where it needs to be for stability.
I would suggest jacking up the front of the trailer or getting longer ramps. I have seen people who add another length of ramp to the original with a hinge, then they put a large block about 2/3 of the trailer height under each side just forward of the hinges to ease the transition onto the trailer....

I usually just crank the trailer jack down enough to raise the front of the trailer a little bit..........always worked for me.

I usually just crank the trailer jack down enough to raise the front of the trailer a little bit I do the same thing. I use a block under the jack and raise the front of the trailer a couple of inches. It also help stabilize the trailer from bouncing up and down and shifting around.

Keep in mind that if you use the trailer jack to raise the front of the trailer you are also taking weight off the rear tires of the truck. The rear tires is where you get the parking feature of the truck, raise them up and your truck can roll forward.
I missed buying a Nova buy ten minutes one time and watched as the new owner jacked the front of the trailer, then hit the Nova brakes when the car was on. This sent the truck, trailer and car skidding forward, down a hill into a tree. The trailer jack base was like a ski.
Having someone press the brakes of the truck while loading will prevent this.

your car looks good slammed in the front but would be great if it was an inch higher, looks like a lot of hassle to drive up trailers and drive ways, my car sits nice with full iron 454 and small block springs, any lower on mine and i have trouble getting my floor jack under it, i had jumbo spring expanders in the pic that i just took out. now its 1" lower. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/marydoright/Dieters%20Nova/DietersNovaAug2006003.jpg

your car looks good slammed in the front but would be great if it was an inch higher, looks like a lot of hassle to drive up trailers and drive ways, my car sits nice with full iron 454 and small block springs, any lower on mine and i have trouble getting my floor jack under it, i had jumbo spring expanders in the pic that i just took out. now its 1" lower.

I honestly don't know how long its going to stay this way. The headers dragged driving onto the lift at the muffler shop today. Then when I got home my headers caught on this little lip driving into my garage. My subframe connectors rub sometimes as well on angles.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/monk75/HPIM0877.jpg

To get a floor jack under the car I have to lift up on the front now.

I am honestly wondering if I got took on those moroso springs? They came in a moroso box and had a moroso warranty card though. Yet every person I've talked to that used them said it raised their cars not lowered them.

I'm planning on running the thing this weekend. I guess I'll see how well the front end lifts now before I decide to pull them off of not.

I really like the look of the car now as well, but it is really a pain in the rear so far.

Could they be SB springs?:confused:

I tried to take my car to town today to get new collectors put on my exhaust.
When I got the car partially up on the trailer the new headers caught the edge and I couldn't drive up on it.

I thought it was just the headers so I pulled the trailer into a ditch and loaded the car up and grabbed some boards to lift the front of the car up.

No dice my subframe connectors hit as well.

Got home and measured the front because I knew my new front springs had dropped the front a little.

Well apparently now that I've moved the car around a little the front has dropped more. About a 2" drop to be exact.

Before the tip of the front wheel well was 24 1/2".
Now it is 22 1/2"

Looks kinda cool, but at the same time is going to be a pain in the ***.

Look at the fender above my front tire before the moroso spring install:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/monk75/HPIM0884.jpg

After:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/monk75/HPIM0964.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/monk75/HPIM0965.jpg

Wait till you going about 70 and hit a dip in the road and drag your headers off. That will be kinda cool to :(

Keep in mind that if you use the trailer jack to raise the front of the trailer you are also taking weight off the rear tires of the truck. The rear tires is where you get the parking feature of the truck, raise them up and your truck can roll forward.

I forgot to mention that I also block the wheels on the truck..........always do when loading a trailer. I dont trust the parking feature...........especially if its an automatic trans.

That one thing I am trying to avoid with mine lowering it for looks but the dragging crap really annoys me. I would feel like i was back in high school modding my POS buick skyhawk again.

If I were you, I would install new front springs and be done with the problem.

I honestly don't know how long its going to stay this way. The headers dragged driving onto the lift at the muffler shop today. Then when I got home my headers caught on this little lip driving into my garage. My subframe connectors rub sometimes as well on angles.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/monk75/HPIM0877.jpg

To get a floor jack under the car I have to lift up on the front now.

I am honestly wondering if I got took on those moroso springs? They came in a moroso box and had a moroso warranty card though. Yet every person I've talked to that used them said it raised their cars not lowered them.

I'm planning on running the thing this weekend. I guess I'll see how well the front end lifts now before I decide to pull them off of not.

I really like the look of the car now as well, but it is really a pain in the rear so far.

If I were you, I would install new front springs and be done with the problem.

This is the set I have (I think) MOR-47165

Minimum Front End Weight (lbs): 1,700 lbs.
Maximum Front End Weight (lbs): 1,750 lbs.
Spring Rate (lbs/in): 241 lbs./in.

When I sniped them off ebay it didn't list the part number. I think my front end is too heavy for these.


I think I'm going to pull them as soon as I get the money and replace them with the stiffer moroso springs

These MOR-47195

Minimum Front End Weight (lbs): 1,750 lbs.
Maximum Front End Weight (lbs): 1,810 lbs.
Spring Rate (lbs/in): 250 lbs./in.

I just installed the heaviest Moroso springs, and without the hood and accessories, my car was hitting the top bump stops. Once I get the car together it should settle down an inch or two.

I'd be interested in buying the springs you have now, if you want to get rid of them.

I'd be interested in buying the springs you have now, if you want to get rid of them.

I'll keep you posted. I'll definately be getting rid of them as soon as I can afford some new ones.

I love the look....but definitely understand the aggravation that goes along with a lowered vehicle. I use to have a lowered 4 banger back in the day. It's a real pain... Good luck

muscle, I have the exact same springs on my car. Now granted, my front end is heavier than yours, but here is the end result:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b33/blown69rat/photoshootMarch2007046.jpg

here's my next question for you, what control arms are you running?? if you are running stock, are you riding on the bump stop now?? if aftermarket, whos arms?? Answer that, and I will have some answers for you.

muscle, I have the exact same springs on my car. Now granted, my front end is heavier than yours, but here is the end result:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b33/blown69rat/photoshootMarch2007046.jpg

here's my next question for you, what control arms are you running?? if you are running stock, are you riding on the bump stop now?? if aftermarket, whos arms?? Answer that, and I will have some answers for you.

It has factory control arms. The bump stops were gone when I got the car.:rolleyes: Also the sway bar is disconnected if that matters.
It has koni spa-1 drag shocks.

Your front ride height looks about the same. Are those 26" tall tires?

ok, here we go......

I originally had Moroso's on my car with stock arms and 1 coil cut out. The car sat on the bump stops. I now have full length coils with Fatman arms, THE CAR SITS THE SAME!!!! (go figure). My front tires are 215/65r15. I have comp engineering front shocks set (i believe) at 70/30. With my old set up, I actually had to "trim" the inner lip so the tire wouldn't rub as bad. I currently only have bout 3-4 inches of clearance from the lowest header tube to the ground. The ONLY fix to this is to run a stock type spring or convert to a coilover set up. I know the latter is the most expensive (considering you may as well put tubular arms on also), but it is the best way to go due to the adjustability. If you want to keep the factory arms, a stock type spring is the only thing you can do. I have talked in length to Moroso, Fatman,S&W race cars, and a few others, and this is the only solution. I am planning on converting to coilover this coming winter to get the front of mine up a little higher.