To a degree, I can agree with the statement about lowered cars being a regional thing, but I don't think that it's a universal mind-set. I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. In the Southern Ohio/ Southern Indiana/Northern Kentucky region, we lowered everything we built, and they weren't just an inch or two. We slammed our stuff to the ground, and drove it in just about any weather. Yes, the roads sucked, but we changed our driving styles to account for it. Instead of looking at the end of our hoods, we looked far down the road for any upcoming issues. You see a bad stretch of road, you slow down. You see a pothole, you change lanes. Got a driveway with a radical approach, you take it at an angle. See a speedbump, slow down and crawl over it. Many people who say that a lowered car will never survive anywhere outside of California or Arizona, either have never owned one, or don't believe in slowing down for anything. I've seen lots of lowered cars all over the U.S., so I'm not sold on the notion that it's specific to certain States. Having a lowered vehicle isn't for everyone. Oftentimes, it's a pain in the ass, but for me, the look of a lowered car is worth the effort.
My '37 was built with a subtle stance that I've grown quite fond of - (3" drop in the front, 2" lowering blocks in the back with a slight rubber rake in tire sizes)
Absolutely. I had no intentions of excluding other parts of the county, but truth be known, where we live out here is where the drastically dropped stance is by far most common. And yup, despite what folks have told me, it is practical if you drive 'em correctly, and it looks wicked as hell! Handles like a damn slot car too.
And here I am fighting for a flat floor (well at least not a huge fucking Trans hump) and 6" oil pan clearance. I got everything I was after but it wasnt easy. If only I didn't care about that stuff ....
Just pullin' your chain a bit! I would consider 6" of ground clearance anywhere off road territory though.
Either you have it, or you don't.....sometimes its hard to get "the Look", but when you do its a beautiful thing.
Oh geeze !!! Lol Here's how I figure this. This is my secret that I'm about to share. When I see a car, any car any year, with busted rockers or road rashes on the undercarriage , I measure it. Seems I can't find one fucked up at around 6" unless they tried. My honeys car had the mud flaps at @ 4-1/2 with rockers at 6". Looked good. She busted all 4 mud flaps off over 6 months with zero damage to rockers at 6". Call that an experiment i guess
I grew up in an era of bootlegger cars. You built your car to blend and fly. If you slowed down for a bump you ended up in Atlanta. And, those were traditional hot rods to me. BUT, I also read the 'little magazines' and know there are those who built stuff for the dry lakes and street racing. I have a hard time understanding a car that is not built inside out with how it sits as a part of what is supposed to do. Cool is not fast. Fast is always cool.
Well put! I'll put the suspension together and take it back apart dozens of times to get it where I want it. I've had rear axle housings narrowed 2" total just so the "right" wheel and tire will fit. I've had the backsides of my wheels machined to gain 1/8" of backspace. It takes a while to hit on the right combination, but when you finally get it, it's worth every bit of the effort. There are some pictures on this thread where the builders did their homework and got it right.
"STANCE" Let's look back.......from the 40's early hot rods to the 50's, 60's, 70's, etc, etc...... If your car or any car had a "killer stance" or the "Look" - it was a car we ALL wanted to copy! Hell, hot rordders have been doing for years and Will continue for years to come. The Golden years of "HOT RODDING" is over. Guys like us are just keeping it alive.
Smokey's Boss!!!!! One of the toughest looking racecars ever! Scott Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
From the Urban Dictionary: "Yes kids, that is how you spell poseur. No, I'm not trying to spell it some "fancy french way." Don't believe me? Let's go take a look at handy old Webster's: Main Entry: po·seur Pronunciation: pO-'z&r Function: noun Etymology: French Date: 1872 : a person who pretends to be what he or she is not : an affected or insincere person And there you have it. Still don't believe me? Let's look up "poser": Main Entry: pos·er Pronunciation: 'pO-z&r Function: noun Etymology: pose Date: 1793 : a puzzling or baffling question Interesting. So, in closing, USE THE RIGHT WORD YOU IDIOTS. "
Sorry, I'll go stand in the corner. ( or "stance" in the corner like Fonzie would) Pardoan-em-wah see vou play, mon-soor! (how's that for a 8th grade edgamication.)
That's just flatly bitchin' I don't care who is tired of red wheels with wide whites on a black car. If it's trite it's cause it looks SO damn good on some cars/trucks.
Yup, Roger that! I have the only 4 3/16" inch and 3 3/4" back spaced American Salt Flats on this planet for exactly that reason... Makin' S**t fit!
UfffffDa! That '60 Cad in Gotgas's post... If ya GOTTA have a custom, that's what it's stance should look like! Not very often a custom flips my switch, but that'll do.
Low can be an element of 'the stance', but it's not a requirement. I like the look of a seriously lowered car, but after replacing oil pans and exhaust parts/mufflers because of some of the crappy roads I drive (where reduced speed really isn't an option because you'll get rear-ended), I lifted them up some... about 4.5" seems to be the lower limit (5" is better), below that I was sacrificing too many parts and time to the 'cool' gods.
The Jalopy Journal
