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Hey, all. I own a 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass S, and the plans I have for it are for it to become one of those "jacked up" / "street machine" type builds many see only in photographs from the late 70's and early eighties now. I am reaching out to ask for photos of your or someone you know's jacked up Cutlass / F-85 / 442 cars and/or how you achieved that kind of stance. Wheels+tires and suspension tips would be helpful as well. Please help this newbie young mechanic understand just what it takes. Thanks in advance. Examples below.
Gabriel HiJackers adjustable air shocks. That's how I raised the rear of my 70 Nova and my 67 GTO. The go to in those days. Try to avoid those twist on spring spacers. They always found a way to pop out and the ride was horrible.
Odd thing about that look, back when I was 17, we all wanted this "jack-rabbit" appearance. These days my 79 H/O has rear springs installed that raise the rear end of the car up slightly and I really don't care for that look anymore all that much. Must be an age thing, I don't know.
Last edited by BlueCalais79; December 3rd, 2023 at 04:42 AM.
If you're going to do it right, do it with springs. Cargo coils in the rear and extra heavy wire in the front. Note, depending on how far you rais the suspension, you may need longer shocks.
These sites will help in your choices:
First start here to find the stock part numbers Coil Springs & Suspension Springs | MOOG Parts
Hey, all. I own a 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass S, and the plans I have for it are for it to become one of those "jacked up" / "street machine" type builds many see only in photographs from the late 70's and early eighties now. I am reaching out to ask for photos of your or someone you know's jacked up Cutlass / F-85 / 442 cars and/or how you achieved that kind of stance. Wheels+tires and suspension tips would be helpful as well. Please help this newbie young mechanic understand just what it takes. Thanks in advance. Examples below.
Almost 50 years down the road I'm still trying to understand that "look" and, more to point, why I thought it was cool. Hell yeah my 66 442 Sport Coupe had a coil cut out of each front spring and a pair of Sears "Cargo-Coil" springs in back. Augmented by a pair of Gabriel Hi-Jackers set at 75 psi. 14" Cragars with G78 on the front, 15x8 Cragars with J60 Jetzon Swingers on the back.
Car rode like ****. But it would launch nicely and those Jetzons were sticky! Cheap too, no point paying Goodyear prices when all you were gonna do was burn the tread off...
Local cops were tough on what they termed "altered suspension". It was the most lucrative revenue scam that podunk town had until window tint became common. Every cop had a stainless steel yardstick in the cruiser, so it was blatantly obvious what they were doing.
After a few "altered suspension" tickets some of us got tired of it. We went junkyarding one Saturday morning and found a Cadillac with an underdash air controller dial for its level control. Hmm- this looks promising!
Before we left we'd scarfed four of those controllers and compressors, and by the next weekend we had them plumbed in and doing the job.
We'd get pulled over, and while the cop was getting out of his car we'd dial the shock air pressure down a few PSI to get the bumper height legal. We kept the controller to right of the steering column where it looked like part of a hang-on tape deck.
The standard greeting was "Son, 'iss cah's a liddle high in the back ainnit?" No sir, don't think so.
Cop would measure pavement to bumper with his steel yardstick and the car would be legal, which pissed them off but they couldn't ticket us. "Ah-ont know how y'all doing it but Ah know 'at cah's too high! Ah know it!"
Soon as the cop pulled off, set the dial for desired height and go on about our business. They never did catch on.
But I repeat: with 75+ psi in those Hi-Jackers the 442 rode like ****.😄
In our ignorance we called it "the Dago rake" even though none of us had a dropped Stewart "Dago" front axle. That was a straight axle thing anyway. Dropped spindles hadn't appeared in the 70s.
One cop was worse on "altered suspension" than most, to point he got scolded in the courtroom by one of the local judges (who still owns 64 and 85 Corvettes). Judge said "Officer ____, you're in my courtroom every week with a dozen or more of these suspension tickets. How do you get any real police work done?" The cop babbled and the judge said "I'm recommending to your captain that you be moved to weekday day shifts for 6 months" and then dismissed the rest of that session's suspension tickets.
That worked out good for one kid who hadn't found a junkyard air shock controller yet.🙂
Last edited by rocketraider; December 3rd, 2023 at 10:22 AM.
My '67 achieved that stance using 3" spacers under the rear coils and Gabrial High Jacker shocks. In the front it was 2 horse shoe spacers 3/4" thick per side under the coils, plus one twist in spacer. Rode and handled like s**t and wheel hopped badly but we thought it looked cool. I'll find a pic and post it. Me and my high riding W30 back in '77 !
Last edited by aqua67w30; December 3rd, 2023 at 04:51 PM.
If you're going to do it right, do it with springs.
Too true! Some of my friends learned that the Hi-Jackers worked fine for a while, but they put extra load on the upper shock mount, which is just surrounded by sheet metal. The sheet metal eventually fatigued and broke. We did find a good sheet metal welder to reinforce the area after a few of those experiences, though.
I lived thru the jacked up era, to me it was because everyone wanted wide tires, too wide for the wheel wells and the solution for it was to jack up the rear for tire clearance. Wheels were off the shelf with deep dish being the thing pushing the wheel and tire combo even further out. Air shocks were the easiest way to jack.
When I got my '66 442 convertible it was jacked up with station wagon springs in back. This had fatigued the front springs so it rode even lower in front. I was 19 and had no money so I used clamps on the rear springs and twist in spacers in the front. The result was the car rode level and firm possibly raised slightly. It had Monroe shock absorbers all around, not air shocks. I loved it. Even with five people in the car it rode level and the cornering was still remarked on by passengers.
Back in the days when Billy Carter was the President’s brother, all of the cool kids ran chrome Cragar wheels with 14 inch / 60 series tires on the rear. Air shocks were the most common way to jack up the rear but they had the unfortunate tendency to punch a hole through the trunk of rustier cars, leaving you stranded. Uncool, and to make matters worse, the chicks would notice.
Another way to jack up the rear was to use “Air Lift” air bags stuffed into the coil springs. Running Airlifts made you cooler-er, at least in the eyes of the motorheads.
Back in the days when Billy Carter was the President’s brother, all of the cool kids ran chrome Cragar wheels with 14 inch / 60 series tires on the rear. Air shocks were the most common way to jack up the rear but they had the unfortunate tendency to punch a hole through the trunk of rustier cars, leaving you stranded. Uncool, and to make matters worse, the chicks would notice.
Another way to jack up the rear was to use “Air Lift” air bags stuffed into the coil springs. Running Airlifts made you cooler-er, at least in the eyes of the motorheads.
I also lived when the jacked up rear end was thought by some to be "Cool". Air shocks were the most popular solution. They contributed to "wheel hop" that was hard on U-joints and rear ends. It also shifted weight from the rear to the front wheels that decreased traction.
I am sure these guys with jacked up in the rear cars thought they had mountains of power because they could spin the tires easy. What played out was when the stoplight turned green, they were spinning tires and going nowhere. It was a quick one to two car lengths off the line by a car sitting level or a bit "Nose high". After being embarrassed when the light turned green a few times, they just drove around slower than everyone else "so people could see how cool they were".
The guys who had fast cars didn't jack up the rear higher than the front. Airlift air bags have been around for a long time and they work for load leveling or starting line performance. They can also firm up the ride without being harsh and improve handling.
......Just my two cents worth.
Back in 72 my 69 Judge RA lll 4 speed - I installed rear air shocks that had ONE air filler for both rear shocks by the rear license plate - if I parked on very uneven ground all the air would go into the high side shock and the low side would be completely down - would look crazy lopsided until I moved the car ...
I never liked the jacked up look, but I had tolerance if trying to fit a huge tire under the car & only the bare minimum needed to clear the tire.
I used air shocks to stiffen my Nova, to prevent tire contact, but I made sure the car was drivable without air in the shocks.
Air bags are great, I run them in my '66 to help it launch straight. Approx 6 in the left & 8 in the right with no real added lift.
What I hated the most was guys running stock tires with the rear an extra foot in the air.
Skinny tires & more PSI in the shocks than HP in the engine.
I own a 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass S, and the plans I have for it are for it to become one of those "jacked up" / "street machine" type builds many see only in photographs from the late 70's and early eighties now.
It's all about the look. And the look implies mean, aggressive, and quick. Our cars, 68/69 Cutlass have a rear that appears to sit low from birth. So in that regard we have added motivation... I don't like the natural stance. Car always looks like it has a spare engine in the trunk. Here is my ride after raising the rear 2 inches with oversized springs ... keep in mind I have short tires. 235 60 15s which are about 1 inch less in diameter than stock. So you are seeing that much more wheel well.
Agree with that ^^^ to an extent. These cars always seemed to sit low as they came from the factory -- check out any ad from the era.
However, raising the *** end to nosebleed heights with blocks or airshocks isn't the answer. It just turns your car into a cartoon. Instead, do it with springs selected for your purpose. All it should take is a couple of inches all around to get rid of that "low-rider" stance. And that, combined with the generous wheelwell capacity of the '68-9, should provide enough room for any wheel/tire combo you might reasonably hope to use.
I'll agree there also... I never liked the rear lower than the front, which was somewhat common in the 60's-70's.
I typically like the rocker panel to be around 1-2" higher at the rear, but anytime the gap above the tire exceeds the front-to-rear fender to tire gap, it is too tall, or the tire is too small in diameter... unless it is a 4WD truck.
I REALLY despise the “slammed” look. If a car or truck can’t go over a speed bump without dragging the frame, it’s not a street car.
In my opinion, stock suspension height in the front (maybe a LITTLE higher in the front on certain cars) with a little attitude in the back is perfect.
In my opinion, stock suspension height in the front (maybe a LITTLE higher in the front on certain cars) with a little attitude in the back is perfect.
My 1972 442 will be set-up just like I would have had back in the 1970's. Jacked up in the rear with Hi-Jackers, a Craig 8-track tape player under the dash, Super Sun Tach on the column. If I can get them from the CRAGAR Custom Shop, there'll be CRAGAR SS wheels all around a lot of the time. 10 inch wide on the rear and 7 or 8 inch on the front. Hoping I make it long enough until I get it done! LOL!
I succumbed to this 70s trend circa 1978, a buddy had a pair of HUGE Mickey Thompson’s on Cragars and I had to have them, they were comically massive and probably stuck out three or 4 inches outside each quite large wheel well. With pep boys air shocks pumped up, it truly was a quite laughable look on my first car, a beautiful bamboo 71 cutlass supreme.
The foolishness of youth, 15 years of age on a learners permit in Pennsylvania.
I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Last edited by vCode442; December 9th, 2023 at 09:48 PM.
I ran my '68 Cutlass high in the rear with Gabriel Hi-Jackers because it was cool to run BIG tires in the rear, back in high school in '77-'81. I ran some L50-14's on 14X10 American Racing CP200's ("Tulip," or "Coke Bottle") that stuck out to just under the wheel well lip. To fit them in, I put in the Hi-Jackers. That prevented the dreaded rub of rubber on steel when cornering and traversing speed bumps. I also ran headers that drooped an inch or so below the frame that could/would rub on speed bumps, especially those installed in the HS parking lot to prevent the rat racing down the exit lane, LOL! Those speedbumps were extra high for a reason! Hi-Jackers is what most us ran at Gateway HS in that era.
In the first two pics, the front still has the stock springs, with the Hi-Jackers out back.
This pic was just after HS, Spring of '82 after the body work was completed. It still has the Hi-Jackers in the rear, but I raised the front with springs spec'd for a 455, under my 350, in addition to running G60x14s all the way 'round, still mounted to the CP200 wheels.
I much prefer the higher, and level look now. I always thought the '68s were way too low from the factory, especially with the rear end that looked lower.
This is my current '68 4-4-2, with 1.5" taller springs all the way around, with 245/60-15's on OEM 15x8 wheels.
Glad to see I am not alone on this.
1968 442, Motor Trend, December 1967
If the rear on 68/69s is raised within reason it looks far better than original.
That's what I'm talking about. Every '68-9 glamor shot shows the car in a low rider stance, and I don't remember this being the case with the other divisions' A-bodies. Its as if somebody at Olds thought they looked cool that way.
My buddy's girlfriend took this picture of my Rallye in '87. It only had 275/60's on it, but the American Racing wheels were 10" wide and stuck out of the wheel well. This is the way I bought the car and later I put some 14" SS bolt on center caps. My Rallye Nov '88, with the stock SS wheels. I liked it much better this way. It rode like a 1ton truck with the air shocks pumped up to fit the American Racing wheels. My '69 with some air in the shocks.
This posting just popped up for me and talk about a trip down memory lane. It was quite common to see a car on the side of the road after an air shock burst and the car body was sitting on the tire. While in the Navy I had air shocks on the rear with 35 to 40 psig in the shocks on a 65 Cutlass post running baby moons rims. The air shocks gave me the ability to basically level the look of the car. I was never in danger of the body resting on the tire as the tires and rims were even all the way around.
While overseas my brother put a 455 out of a 71 442 in it. After putting the 455 in it the car was put on the scale and came in at 3000 lbs with me sitting in the driver seat. After installing Gabriel Striders (the 1st adjustable shocks) with the setting on firm. The handling of the car seemed the same as it was with the original 330. It was my 1st car and the 1 I regret selling. Thank You for the memory trip.
I ran my '68 Cutlass high in the rear with Gabriel Hi-Jackers because it was cool to run BIG tires in the rear, back in high school in '77-'81.... That prevented the dreaded rub of rubber on steel when cornering and traversing speed bumps. I also ran headers that drooped an inch or so below the frame that could/would rub on speed bumps, especially those installed in the HS parking lot to prevent the rat racing down the exit lane, LOL! Those speedbumps were extra high for a reason!
I flattened my headers on speed bumps too many times. I hate the things to this day, but for a far different reason. Going over one rattles my bones bad no matter how slow I go over it!
Older post, but I wanted to add my .02....
I love that 70's/80's 'high school' muscle car look!
I went a little more conservative than I really wanted to with mine, but I'm still happy with it.
295/50-15 tires on 15x10 Cragars (I can't recall the backspacing, but I know I didn't custom order the wheels, so it's whatever BS Cragar has...).
I used 'heavy duty' cargo springs and 2 inch spacers from McBay Performance. Still debating on side pipes to complete the look....
December 2nd, 2023, 10:31 PM
