
The gap between the two brackets,...

The gap between the two brackets, which I planned to weld to the inside of the stamped steel A-arms, was exactly 3 inches, and with the ShockWave eye measuring 1 inch, I turned up a couple of 1-inch spacers from 1/8-inch wall seamless steel tube. With everything tack-welded in place, I installed the ShockWave for a trial fit.

Viewed from the side, you...

Viewed from the side, you can see how the lower mount is fitted, Grade 8 hardware used once again. The spacers will be welded to the brackets, though I'll weld nothing until I'm certain everything will work as it should.

I fabricated new lower mounts...

I fabricated new lower mounts from 3/16-inch steel plate, the mounting hole 1 3/4 inches below the shock mounting hole on the A-arm. Here I'm using a transfer punch to accurately transfer the center of the hole to be drilled in the second bracket.

I like to use Roto-broach...

I like to use Roto-broach hole cutters when tackling jobs like this, as they produce a perfectly round hole, unlike a drill bit, especially when drilling by hand, rather than using a drill press.

The ShockWave now passes neatly...

The ShockWave now passes neatly through the hole in the lower A-arm originally intended for the shock absorber, while the arm looks neater without the coil spring mount attached.
Off the rack and sitting on its wheels with the ShockWaves fully deflated, it's obvious the car sits slightly nose-high, though the dropped spindles will rectify this. Apart from a psychological boost, there's a reason for this step. I wanted to ensure nothing could touch the ground at full drop, and also check that none of the suspension parts hit the body either. In the event of catastrophic failure I want to be able to steer the car to the side of the road, not be sliding along the blacktop with sparks flying. The rearend differential yoke does hit the driveshaft tunnel, so that will need rectifying despite me having raised the tunnel once already. However, this was a closed driveline car previously, and I wasn't too concerned if the torque tube kissed the tunnel every once in a while. In all seriousness, low cars look cool, but safety has to be considered foremost. Ask me sometime of my personal experiences of a modified car I bought whose builder ignored scrublines and why I like to fit front driveshaft loops!