Register now to get rid of these ads!

lower a 1950 Ford

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by tedster, Mar 20, 2005.

  1. tedster
    Joined: Mar 20, 2005
    Posts: 519

    tedster
    Member

    I want to lower the front of my 50 Ford coupe. Would I regret cutting cutting the coils? Just how bad will the ride get? Also does anyone know about how much drop 1 coil would be. Any better ideas. Thanks Tedster
     
  2. merc-o-madness
    Joined: Aug 23, 2004
    Posts: 1,544

    merc-o-madness
    Member

    all i know is dont heat ur coils to lower ur car, its like driving a rock
     
  3. Ragtop
    Joined: Nov 17, 2001
    Posts: 1,259

    Ragtop
    Member Emeritus

    Don't you just flip the spindles on a '50 Ford? Trying to remember my youth.
     
  4. Yes, you can, but there is some work to do on the bushings. My geezer friend knows how and I'll do a tech post here when we do it to my '52.
     

  5. fuel pump
    Joined: Nov 4, 2001
    Posts: 3,620

    fuel pump
    Member Emeritus
    from Caro,MI

    There are a lot of bolt on parts from Fatman and Jamco to lower your shoebox and still get a nice ride but they cost $$$$. To me it depends on how much money you can afford to spend.
     
  6. After buying the Fatman dropped uprights I looked at them and compared them to the stockies. They look close enough that you could probably get away with flipping your stock uprights, replace the kingpins and put the spindles on upside down from stock and and then switch them from one side of the car to the other. I think your wheels may end up a little forward or back in the wheelwell but the change will be minimal like 1/2" or something like that. Also heat and bend your steering arms down to get the tie rods to be ccloser to factory alignment. Look at the Fatman stuff and you will be able to visualize it. I also cut a coil or maybe it was a half a coil out for good measure. I also put on the front lowering blocks but I would not do this again. They were a major PITA and I would rather just cut more coils because they are pretty floaty as is and cutting the coils will increase your springrate and take care of that. I then hacked the factory bumpstops down. It rides well but the tires rub on inner fender of driver's side and outer on both while turning sharp in a parking lot but I will cut some of the inner out cause I like it low and the outer isn't much of a problem.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  7. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    In the fifties, a shoebox ford was a cheap used car, and very popular with teenagers. Lowering them improves their looks massively, especially if it's not too expensive. In the day, cutting coils was the standard method and the penalties (in ride) are tolerable. One coil will drop the car about 2" and the ride won't suffer much. 1 1/2 coils is much more noticeable but the ride starts to suffer. 2 coils is the practical limit; now you're down around 4+" and are on the bump stops. Listen to the advice about heat; don't torch the coils, cut them with a cutoff wheel or a hacksaw.

    In my opinion the secret to a tolerable ride with cut coils is: don't remove, or cut, the bump stops -- let the car ride on them full time and use the rubber as the suspension medium for the tiny bit of travel you have left.

    Dropped spindles are more sanitary, but expensive. Flipping the spindles gives a huge drop for free, but you have a lot of heating and bending to do to get close to correct geometry. Front lowering blocks are a hassle to install, and the result is pretty much like cut coils.

    Have fun!
     
  8. Oh, and do you have a picture of your car? I hope the intro Nazis don't see this.
     
  9. Spoon
    Joined: Sep 18, 2004
    Posts: 273

    Spoon
    Member



    You know they don't miss a thing...
     
  10. FiddyFour
    Joined: Dec 31, 2004
    Posts: 9,024

    FiddyFour
    Member

    it'd be nice to see your car...*hint hint* pictures are nice

    there is a VERY easy and non permanant way to drop your car.
    use shims between the lower control arms and the spring buckets

    this is a picture of a '54 lower, but yours is pretty much the same thing IIRC
     
  11. UNCLECHET
    Joined: Dec 3, 2002
    Posts: 1,209

    UNCLECHET
    Member

    Here's my ol piece. Fatman spindles, 3 inch blocks in the back, stock size tires. Also heated the passenger side coil just a little to even it out. It's about an even 3 inch drop all around. Not any problems with anything doing it like this. I do kind of wish it was lower. I like the look of Fordicators. You'd better do an intro if you haven't already. Pix are nice too!
     
  12. Those are basically the front lowering blocks that I used. Not worth it at all. Just cut more out of the coils. Those are hard as #$@! to install. Popping the stock rivets out is no fun at all and takes a while. And then you have the added problem of your lower control arms hanging lower. Mine hit stuff that they wouldn't otherwise hit. Also you can see them hanging down and they look cheezy. I am taking mine out and cutting the springs more.
     
  13. FiddyFour
    Joined: Dec 31, 2004
    Posts: 9,024

    FiddyFour
    Member

    unclechet...love the stance on yours,,, lower is better, but i like the way yours sits.
     
  14. FiddyFour
    Joined: Dec 31, 2004
    Posts: 9,024

    FiddyFour
    Member


    like i said, they can be permanant or not... its easy and most of all cheap.

    drilling the rivits out is not all that hard, and the arms only sit an inch lower than they normally would. its not the perfect drop for everyone for sure, but its fast and cheap. best of all you dont mess with much else and if you dont like it, you dont need to go looking for new coils
     
  15. UNCLECHET
    Joined: Dec 3, 2002
    Posts: 1,209

    UNCLECHET
    Member

    Thank ya FiddyFour! I appreciate that. I agree lower is better but when I did the work I really didn't know anything about the old box. It's on the list to cut 1 coil and try some 4" blocks but it drives and rides so good now I hate to mess it up. It's real livable right now.
     
  16. I hear what you are saying they do work and you still retain the stock ride and they are reversable. Pretty ingenious for whoever thought of it, but I don't think you could pay me enough to install those damn things again. Cheap yes, non permanent yes, fast no, easy no. My rivets were really in there. I tried drilling which actually broke drill bits. I tried grinding the heads off and pushing them out with an air hammer. I tried various combinations of things and still felt it was PITA. Cutting coils is so much easier. My car is probably a little lower than yours and the extra inch on the lower control arm would make all the difference in the world. My lower shock studs are bent to hell because they got hung up driving off my driveway. One inch higher and I don't think that would have happened. No biggie but it will make taking them off interesting to say the least. If I ever find somebody that wants to trade straight up for stock riveted lowers in good shape I am there.
     
  17. Unklechet, you should de-arch the rear springs like we were talking about and let me know how it works out.
     
  18. UNCLECHET
    Joined: Dec 3, 2002
    Posts: 1,209

    UNCLECHET
    Member

    Fordicator, I just haven't had the time to do much work on the car lately. I'll probably just drive it as is for the summer. Maybe this coming winter I'll knuckle down on doing some things.
     
  19. shoebox72
    Joined: Jan 24, 2003
    Posts: 1,489

    shoebox72
    Member

    on my old 50 I used fatman spindles & cut 1 coil. Had old 1-1/2 blocks in the rear. I should have cut another half a coil in front but someone needed this car before I had a chance. :confused:

    Billy
     
  20. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    Here's mine. It's subframed and has lowering springs and blocks in the rear. It's very low, handles and rides great, but I wouldn't do it again this way.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2014
  21. FiddyFour
    Joined: Dec 31, 2004
    Posts: 9,024

    FiddyFour
    Member


    is that the stock back glass? looks like the glass from a '52-3-4

    or am i in serious need of sleep?
     
  22. Tuck
    Joined: May 14, 2001
    Posts: 5,780

    Tuck
    Tech Editor
    from MINNESOTA
    1. Early Hemi Tech

    go to bed fiddy four your spending too much time on the hamb haha

    its a stock back window for a 51 hardtop-

    I tanked mine with dearched springs and drop blocks/ with cut springs up front...

    Tuck
     
  23. FiddyFour
    Joined: Dec 31, 2004
    Posts: 9,024

    FiddyFour
    Member

    ok,,, im goin. but i dont wanna damnit

    :D
     
  24. Tuck, did you do dropped spindles or just cut the springs?

    Does anyone have any picts of how to flip the spindles? someone mentioned heating and bending too, is this needed?

    Thanks.
     
  25. Tuck
    Joined: May 14, 2001
    Posts: 5,780

    Tuck
    Tech Editor
    from MINNESOTA
    1. Early Hemi Tech

    hey im gonna do a tech on how to flip stock spindles VERY soon... I got the step by step from Rocky-

    Tuck
     
  26. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    Tuck is correct. The back window is stock '51 Victoria, as is the rest of the top.
     
  27. Cool insight, guys. I'm definitely down for seeing a tech post about flipping spindles. Sounds like it may be a bit of a pain in the ass, but I'd like to see how it's done.

    And Fordicator, I dig the car man. I dunno why, but that one just does it for me. The stance, the rolling stock- hell, even the patina looks cool.
     
  28. Here's a shot of my Fitty,s-10 clip up fronts,lowering blocks out back. Mad man Frank Palmer did the work before I bought this off McPhail. Tires rub up front,I like it! McPhail sucks!
     
  29. jalopy43
    Joined: Jan 12, 2002
    Posts: 3,085

    jalopy43
    Member Emeritus

    Did you do a search on "flipped spindles"?? I flipped mine , with 4 " blocks in the rear. Drives good, tastes great. sparky
     
  30. Flat Broke
    Joined: Nov 1, 2004
    Posts: 109

    Flat Broke
    Member

    I would love to see the tech on flipping the spindles!!!

    I cut 2 coils off the front of mine and did the shims on the lower control arm/spring bucket, and honestly I'm not as low as would like to be. The rivets were just as easy as cutting the springs. I blocked the hell out of the back and ride quality is the last thing on my mind, but I need a way to find a way to pull a few more inched out of the front w/out putting "bags" or a Ford II front end in it. Here's a pic of mine so far....
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.