Technical Does your hot rod or custom ever bottom out?

Nope, mine has never scrubbed or bottomed out. That is, until I changed one side of the exhaust for the SBF from the SBC layout....
Going to have to reroute it higher than the wishbone in that side.

But as to the original question, no, the suspension has never bottomed out, but one exhaust pipe has drug once.

 

Only when returning to earth... Couldn't resist.

 

Yes,the 40 pickup did a lot, I added a additional leaf back to the spring pack that the previous owner removed, the truck rides a little higher but does't bottom out anymore.

 

Of course mine do! They are customs! As we say in the shop "It's the price you pay, to be cool!"

 

I think on my 39 Ford the wishbone is hitting the frame before the axle hits the bump stops. The steering box mount has been hacked away for clearance on the driver's side.

 

"DOES YOUR HOT ROD OR CUSTOM EVER BOTTOM OUT?"

...........yes.

 

I have both of my hotrods set up for minimum clearance between rear tires and fenders because I love the look of not having huge gaps above the tires. So I built a mounting bracket, and got urethane bump stops from the local Autozone for $8 a pair and mounted them to stop the axle before the tires can hit the fenders. Pretty easy, and cheap deal to avoid the horrid metal to metal sound.

 

If it did, I have big problems.

 

I was always told if they didn't they wasn't low enough

 

Every couple years I have to replace my drain plug on my oil pan. From grinding on the pavement.

 

My '59 Ford used to bottom out on big bumps with the old leaf springs. Both of my tail pipes have minor flat spots where the axle pinched them on the floor pan. New springs cured that. I was also getting contact with the wheel hop I had on the 1-2 shift, minor on the 2-3 shift. Traction bars were the answer.

 

A question you need to ask yourself.... Is it worth it?????...

 

You mean they are not supposed to bottom out or drag???? I have learned to put in bump stops... After a couple of broken shock mounts....

 

It probably will, but look at the bottom of the frame. but nothing hangs below the bottom rails

 

I see where some have problems with the front suspension is bottoming out, I haven't had that problem although I am familuar with tire scrubbing on the front. HRP

 

Oh yea, used the cheap way to lower front end torched a couple of coils off, lot of scars on crossmembers finally put new 6 cylinder coils and pair of dropped spindles been about ten years no problems now.

 

absolutely
the inportant atuff is tucked out of the way
the rest is just sheetmetal and bumpers

 

Basics have not changed from the 1950s tell now really,how good are the roads your driving.?
Lowered cars looks better then stock hight..........but if your custom or rod gets hung-up coming over the driveway lip coming into the local hot spot cool Drive-Inn=you now look stupid=your lower then 3in. at the center of car. That's what the limit was!!!!!!!!!! for south Florida in most places. Now days some one can blow a lot of $$$$$ for bags and look stuck in the mudd all the time LOL.
Ture,I think bags are fake low and looks like it ! But I was building customs n rods in the late 50s n early 60s .

 

Bottoming out on the fronr of any of mu cars was never a problem but I will confess I have owned several 40 Ford DeLuxe coupes & sedans that the lower chins suffered the indignity of the sharp inclines and curbs over the years.

I also destroyed the front splash apron on my model A pickup driving in the snow, it seems a lowered Model A's front splash apron acts like a snow plow and when it comes in contact with the frozen slush in the middle of the lane the frozen ice wins. HRP

 

I recently lowered the rear of my coupe 2.5 inches, when the rear bottomed out the body hit the rear axle severing my brake hose I quickly found out how important a proportional valve is. It worked out ok and now I have new braided brake hoses, stiffened springs and I took to the body with tin snips for extra clearence. Glen

 

my cars and trucks have suffered much for being to low for the bad things i’ve encountered. i need to pay more attention obviously. the only old cars that i never had a problem with bottoming out had a non hamb approved suspension. or my stock 23 buick.

 

when you drive in Oklahoma and drive on or off a Bridge something will bang !!

 

Drive off the bridge???
Don't drive off the bridge!

It wasn't really a custom, but I did have an open exhaust and the rear lowered quite a ways on my 51 Buick Roadmaster. My buddy was good enough to take the torch to the rear springs while I stood back and said... Okay, a little more on the left, okay, a little more on the right...
I know. LOL
And it did bottom out sometimes on the bigger bumps. Mostly due to the poor old leaky lever type shocks.
Not a big problem. Bump.

 

After 1700 miles I think my rear panhard bar is hitting something - differential case most likely. It’s all a series of adjustments!

John

 

Yup, added bump a stop. At least it stoped the horrid noise the rear u-joint made when it hit the rear torsion bar.

 

My '53 isn't very low but the last two miles of road to my house is pretty high and in almost close to 50 years of traveling it the road has taken a toll. When the mud is deep the road is even higher.

 

My car has hydraulics. For 34 years now. I can raise it up 10 inches. It was my daily driver in High School.

 

When we built my son's Studebaker around the turn of the century we fitted it with Air Ride. Not so he could drag the frame in town but so he could clear the boulders on the way home.

That's as low as it gets.

 

My 64 was low. I hardly ever drug unless driveways had a huge amount of pitch. But when it did drag it was usually the mufflers over speed bumps. Midas got to where the didnt want to replace those lifetime guarenteed turbo mufflers on it

 

It " hits the bottom" our wallets on a regular basis