HA Viva lowering - few questions.

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HA Viva lowering - few questions.

Postby zep » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:19 am

Hi everyone,

I've just bought an HA Viva that I am looking to lower about 3" and stiffen up the ride A LOT. I have a few questions in terms of the front and back (have read other threads too).

Rear:
My plan is to pull out the leaves and take them into a local spring manufacturer, have extra thicker leaves added and also have them reset to get the height I want. Am I going to run into trouble using the standard u-bracket with a thicker leaf spring? I don't really want to use lowering blocks as if the car is going to be 3" lower it most definitely needs to have a stiffer spring - I'm sure you all know just how bouncy the standard suspension is - it'll hit the ground!

Front:
The plan is to do essentially the same as the rear. Pull out the leaf and have it stiffened and reset to my desired height. Are they any problems I'm going to run into here? The idea seems very simple and straight forward.

I read that there is a special technique for removing the front spring, can anyone advise me on the process I need to follow so it doesn't bounce out and smack me in the face?

This is my first car with leaf springs (my other/s have always been Isuzu Geminis, the brother of the Kadett C).

Cheers
zep
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Re: HA Viva lowering - few questions.

Postby pbottomley » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:10 pm

You should look on ebay for the old HA technical guides, they come up all the time, they are full of the special tools required and technigues for making sure your face stays attached to your skull when removing the fornt spring.

With a 3 inch drop, prey tell how you intent to turn the front wheels? and I might add lowering a car doesnt natural lead to better handling, in fact in most cases it makes it worse, as the camber and caster angles are all wrong. Is this more a case of lowering it so the fashion police look at you admiringly?
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Re: HA Viva lowering - few questions.

Postby zep » Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:08 pm

Yeah, will look into grabbing a Haynes or similar when I can. Hopefully something comes up here in NZ.

3" was a rough statement - need to check it out properly. Might have to reduce the steering lock (which is ridiculous anyway) if I don't want the wheels to hit the guards but I'm not planning to tuck the rims so it shouldn't be a huge problem.

I have talked to my engineer (who has been building racecars for 40 years) and he says that he's working on an HA now - fitting discs to the front, said it was very easy using Chevette hubs and Mazda 323 rotors and calipers. Good to know he has built several of these into race cars and fast road cars over the years and will be able to advise me on how to get the best handling out of it.
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Re: HA Viva lowering - few questions.

Postby pbottomley » Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:38 pm

yes getting handling is always a good thing, but its doesn't have to come at the price of going lower, they are not the same thing.

Not lowering it means you can get better wheels and tyres under the wings without damaging the body work and devaluing the car because you were addicted to some in fashion look. Good luck which ever way you go about it.

:goodluck:
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Re: HA Viva lowering - few questions.

Postby pbottomley » Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:49 pm

Just seen its not the HAYNES book you want its the technical service guides from Vauxhall themselves you need.

here is a ebay advert of someone selling said items (even if they are 10 times the price i would pay) its gives you an idea of what you are looking for.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall-Viva-HA-5-Vols-1964-Workshop-Manual-Supps-/230658803743?pt=UK_CarParts_Vehicles_Manuals_Litterature_ET&hash=item35b456081f

specifically you want the following two books.

TS 634 Suspension, Steering, Brakes
TS 633 Transmission, Propshaft, Rear Axle
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Re: HA Viva lowering - few questions.

Postby hbpeter » Tue Apr 17, 2012 7:11 pm

Any photos of the cars your engineer is building and details on the brake converstion.

Peter
Reading between the lines, dangerous if your waiting for a train.
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Re: HA Viva lowering - few questions.

Postby zep » Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:01 pm

I've found the Viva workshop manuals here in NZ for the equivelent of 15 pounds, will probably grab them.

Peter: I'll be heading up to his place on Sunday and will try to remember to take some pictures. I'll call him later in the week so I can head out to Pick-a-Part on Saturday to try acquire the parts I need. My assumption is that the discs and calipers are from a Mazda BG Familia 89-94 - very easy to find these parts here. He will have the hubs as he has about 1000 Chevettes in parts.


I have another questions, this time concerning a front coil over conversion - I saw some people saying that Mini struts might fit. Obviously the upper and lower mounts will need strengthening, as well as box sectioning the lower arms. Two questions:

1/ What would be the best way to go about strengthening the upper mount? Could I weld a thick steel plate to the sheet metal on the engine bay side and consider that enough to hold it, or am I going to have to connect this mount to the chassis somehow?

2/ I assume I can leave the front leaf spring in. Would the best idea be to have all but the longest leaf removed so the coil over springs are taking the majority of the weight?

Cheers
zep
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Re: HA Viva lowering - few questions.

Postby pbottomley » Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:47 pm

The coil-over conversion to my mind has not been done to a Viva per-say, its been done to subframe units that have been removed and fitted to other cars (kit car etc) .

Good luck with the work, but you really have picked the worst design to make better ( a transverse leaf spring ) :lol: :lol:
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Re: HA Viva lowering - few questions.

Postby zep » Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:03 pm

Yeah, I might be picking off more than I can chew with a coil over conversion. I will talk to the race car engineer on Sunday and see if he thinks what I have in my mind is feasible and report back.
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