Thanks again. Dave and Richard-Tech1 say 4" is enough and Streets says he can get by with 3" of clearance assuming the driver can steer! Well this morning I looked up shackle mounts for short shocks in the Speedway catalog and that is a possible solution, so I went out to the garage to measure again. This time I put a straight edge across the bottom of the shock mounts and extended it to the wheel and to my amazement it comes in above the edge of the rim about where the bead of the tire is, so this passes the "scrub line test" (not by much allowing for the slight arch of the axle and the canted angle on the lower shock mount). Since I had a helluva time getting the spring on, I do not want to change the shackles if I don't have to so I will take your words as comfort for 4" of clearance as adequate. Still the round part of the bottom of the shocks will be right at or only about 1/8" above the edge of the rim. Thanks for the reassurance, particularly that clearance for Corvettes is 4" so I guess if I learn how to steer away from road bumps I should be able to go wherever a Corvette goes.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder