I'm happy to see someone restarted this thread. I found it helpful when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my build. Hopefully someone finds this info useful in the future.
For reference, the original equipment wheels and tires for my 1981 Turbo Trans-Am:
Tires: 225/70R15 (27.4" Diameter) Rims: 8.9" x 15" Snowflakes
My initial setup:
Pro Touring F-Body (PTFB) 'Super Duty 1LE' kit for 'small block' application (Circa 2015)
Kit included: Front 'SB' springs, Rear Leafs w/adj. shackles & Doestch Tech 1000 3-way adj. shocks
PFTB Solid body mounts
- Rear leaf springs installed at taller ride height (lower shackle hole)
- Solid body bushings installed in 'lowered' position
I did not have a good experience with the Doetsch shocks. I found them to be very harsh/jarring over bumps while still managing to feel loose and 'floaty' in the highway. That said, I'm pretty certain my bad experience was caused by user error. I quickly replaced those with 'stock' replacement shocks front and rear:
Front: GM PN 88945177 (ACDelco 5309)
Rear : GM PN 88945173 (ACDelco 5305)
OER Snowflake wheels:
Wheel size: 17" X 9"
Lug pattern: 5 X 4-3/4"
Backspacing: 5-1/8"
Tires:
Front - NITTO NT555 G2 255/50ZR-17 (27" Dia. x 10" wide)
Rear - NITTO NT555 G2 275/50ZR-17 (27.8" Dia. x 11" Wide)
10-IMG_3640 by
Tom Sherer, on Flickr
05-IMG_3354 by
Tom Sherer, on Flickr
5-IMG_2493 by
Tom Sherer, on Flickr
Fitment Issues:
Front: Front tire will rub the wheel lip -very- occasionally on severe dips @ higher speeds.
There is also evidence of a rub @ the front swaybar. Presumably when the steering is at full lock.
I've never felt or heard this inside rub...But marks are there.
Both of these conditions are so rare that I haven't taken any corrective action.
Rear: 1) Inside edge rubbed the 2.5" exhaust pipe while under high lateral load.
I suspect this condition would not have occurred if I had this size tire on the car when
the exhaust system was installed.
- Corrected by dimpling the exhaust tubes via a hammer
2) Outside edge would rub the wheel well inner lip on significant dips in the road.
Mostly an issue with a full tank and/or carrying extra weight in the trunk.
- Corrected by installing rear air shocks - Gabriel PN 49135
The Hijackers seem to offer more control over the body movement. I didn't need to increase
the ride height much at all to get rid of the outer edge tire clearance problem.
Below are more recent pics with the HiJackers installed:
IMG_7840 by
Tom Sherer, on Flickr
IMG_7834 by
Tom Sherer, on Flickr
Unfortunately, the HiJackers no longer come with the cool jack rabbit stickers.
![Sad :-(](http://transamcountry.com/community/Smileys/default/icon_sad.gif)
Hope this helps!
PS. Although this combo got me pretty close to what I had pictured in my head, the whole shebang is just a little higher/taller than I'd like. The current height is mostly dictated by the front-end springs. I intend to install a set of coil overs (hopefully this winter) so that I can further dial in the ride and ride height. The front needs to be softened up a little while bringing the whole thing down maybe 3/4".