I am building a chopped and channeled 34 Ford truck. It's traditional- no fenders, no hood. I want it low all the time, no air bags. I plan on driving it as much as possible, and I was wondering what you guys consider the minimum ground clearance I should have. I may have to drive over speed bumps, dead possums, etc. I am talking about the bottom of the frame, which will be the the lowest point of the vehicle. Thanks for your opinions.
Run a string from the bottom of the rear wheel to the bottom of the front wheel,nothing should be below that.It's called a scrub line,in case you have flat going down the road you won't be sliding on the frame or sheet metal or whatever.
In a channeled truck, you don't have much legroom, and if you try to mount the engine and transmission high enough that the frame is the lowest thing on the vehicle, you will wind up with a huge transmission hump. Most likely you'll wind up with the transmission or oil pan as the lowest thing. If you channel the grill to match the body, the grill will actually be the lowest thing. My grill on my channeled '32 is about 2-1/2" off the ground. I can get over speed bumps because the grill goes up when the wheels go up. Generally it's best to have nothing on the car lower than the rim of the wheels -- so that if you get a flat, you won't be just dragging something on the ground in a shower of sparks. That's the law in most states I think -- nothing can be lower than the rim of the wheel.
i like to go an inch or so above rim heigth to compensate for any inconsistencies in te road surface in the event of a flat tire.
Here in Texas we had a law that nothing could hang below the bottom of the wheel. I only saw it used as probable cause for a traffic stop. In NSRA we look for that doing the yearly inspections.
On my ol truck I can make a fist and put it between the ground and the bottom of the front fender(just Barely). In some extreme washboard sitations I hit the cross member on the ground but have had no problems and I do drive my truck. Ther are no bags on my truck.I had to c-notch the rear frame 7 inches and raise the floor of the bed 4 1/2 inches to clear the rear axle. What works on one ride doesn't mean that it will work on the next. Later, Dick
Same in California. I got pulled over once and the Cop tried to say my car was too low.(Of course I'm thinking of that scene in AG!) I told him that "According to the DMV Vehicle Code,No part of the vehicle can extend below the lowest point of the rim". His look was priceless! It pays to know the Vehicle Code!
I've got maybe 3" between the frame and Mother Earth. Speed bumps are OK as long as I take slow and I'm not carrying a full load of people....
4" from the lowest point of the car - usually the oil pan. Makes sense.... I try to use the tire diameter and wheels to create the illusion of a radically lowered car while maintaining a 4" ground clearance. Works for me Rat
Rule of thumb i use...beer can height off the floorfor the lowest part. My 31 is that way and I have never hit anything....yet!
Back in the minitruckin days, I could slide 3 fingers under the engine crossmember, with no adjustable suspension. Yeah, I would spark it regularly, and could pop reflectors off the road with 2 guys and a quick stab of the brake pedal.
As long as your not scraping the white lines you'll be fine Seriously though if the tires are deflated there should still be clearance between oil drain plugs,the pitman arm and crossmembers.
Minimum safe is 4" to the lowest part of the car, either the engine sump or trans. I am using a flat Morroso Sump to keep thing stucked up inside the frame. Also what are yo using for front end? Four bar sticks lower on the frame than hair pins.
If I can't reach under it to reach the oil drain plug, it's too low.......... Practical for daily street driving, a couple of inches more than the scrub line.
Everyones pretty much nailed it. Follow the scrub line rule, maybe give your self an extra inch or two and you should be fine. My daily Valiant has been lowered roughly 3-4 inches and the front cross member is the lowest point on the car. Haven't actually measured, but eyeball says it's probably just that, 3-4 inches off the ground. Big enough dip in the road with enough speed will ding it every once in a great while if I'm not paying attention.
i got 1 inch and the cars a weekend driver.... i know its not traditional for a car to sit that low but its different so we slammed it down...
I was just about to write "where are the guys running an inch or two and claiming it works fine" and bradslowmodela beat me to it! Welcome, Brad. Are there no bumps, humps, potholes, or speed bumps in Texas?
oh yeah we have city buget cut potholes just like everyone else, theres also speed bumps and trail tracks.... the model a will clear all of them. but rest assured the car dose have 1/8 inch scrub plates along the outside of the body, the body is also reinforced with 18 gauge sheet metal that is panel bonded to the inside of the cowling, lower doors, and quarters... if your ever in my neck of the woods stop by and we'll take her our and jump a few curbs....
5 1/2" at the bottom of the lowest collector which is the lowest point on the car. 6" to both engine oil pan and trans oil pan. No probs on speed bumps and steep driveways. Car looks low from the front, but not so low from the side and that's ok. I drive it a lot of places.
Dude, skid plates might protect the body or floor pan from the road when you hit, but they don't help you steer when the weight is off of the wheels, right? If you get a flat tire or loose a wheel bearing or break a spring you will be traveling in a big, heavy skate that will plow right into something or someone and could kill you or them or both! (I've lost wheel bearings, had tires blow out, and had springs break while driving over the years so it's not like those things never happen in the real world.) And when it does happen ALL rodders and customizers will be painted with the same "unsafe death traps" brush and the next thing you know they'll pass a law saying all cars have to sit at least 8 inches off the ground or something. This isn't just a matter of personal freedom or personal choice - there are other drivers and pedestrians using the road, too. Notice how many people already said "stay above the skid line"? That's not a coincidence - it's experience talking.
I measured the yellow parking lot berm thingy's and set my front bumper a quarter inch above them. Then the springs settled, so I just took the front bumper off. I think I'm at about 4" at the front, 2.5" at the bottom of the bellhousing. It kicks up rocks in my driveway, but clears speed bumps if I don't let it bounce.
I vote with staying at or slightly above the scrub line. That's not saying that the 48 didn't go many miles at below the scrub line. Bent running boards from hitting a pothole while going past Salt Lake City on the freeway. Getting hung up leaving a grocery store parking lot and screwing up fresh chrome on the front bumper, bending the cross member under the bell housing while hitting something. Oh yea it's fun being real low. The Model A pictured above couldn't make it from my garage to up on the highway in front of the house on a bet. While not being a real tank trap my 400 ft driveway has too many dips in it plus the lip that the guys who paved the road at the end of the driveway. I love low rigs and won't run bags on any of mine but I still have to be practical enough to have the car/truck sit at a ride height that won't get it hung up during normal driving and won't be a constant threat to get me a ticket. As a local State Patrol man told me. If that truck has a flat on the road I have to be able to push you off the road with the patrol car. Meaning I had better not have anything below the scrub line to get hung up on.
6" is my minimum for touring, on any part of the car. Then push the button and drop the bags another 2" for posing at car shows. Gary
Not knocking the low cars, but it seems there are many other ways to gain the 'wowee' factor than laying it on the ground. Take a look at some of the famous roadsters from the past. The McGee 32, Ivo's T etc. They're not very low, but they have the look....
I have my DeSoto about 2 inches above the scrub line, but I did bag the rear. I drive it on vacations a lot, carrying an over weight Golden Retriever, and luggage, so I use the bags to compensate for the extra weight. Jack
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