After 5 years of working on my Model.A getting closer to having it on the road. It sets on 32 rails and I like the low stance vs. high boy look however a bit concerned about HOW LOW CAN YOU GO and still drive without issues? Currently the bottom of the frame rail below the door is 5"above pavement. Should I increase the height to avoid hanging up on speed bumps or approach on angle and maintain the look I like?
I think 5" should be OK, but avoid places with bumps that high. I would check to make sure there's nothing below the scrub line for safety's sake, and your state may have that as a requirement as that's fairly common (although not always enforced). Haven't you asked this question once before?....
You can cheat a little by raising the cross member and, lowering the grill. I'm on my second one. lol But at least they're easy to come by. You may want to add a Raccoon catcher on the front too!
How much clearance is there under the oil pan & flywheel/flexplate cover? they're generally lower than the frame.
A friend when he builds them he puts a 2x4 on top of a 4x4 and then sets the frame on top and starts building from there. Of course they are not true to the size anymore so that gives him around 5.5". when done he pulls out the 2x4 and if it bottoms out on the 4x4 he fixes it, if it doesn't he his done. I only seen him start out this way once but he claims that is how he has done it for years. Normally when I see his builds he usually has them almost done, just wiring, interiors, etc. when he shows them to me. didn't really think about how he does it like that but I just saw it done very similar to that on tv recently building what we don't talk about here and thought of him and now I see your post with similar numbers.
5" should be fine, but be aware that there is no more straddling dead squirrels and skunks in the middle of your lane. They will get caught and go along for the ride.....
My build is going to be around 4.5" to 5" to lowest point which is the oil pan. I did some research a few months back and there are plenty of production cars with clearances that are lower. Mercedes actually tops the list with many of their models.
I think 4", I just took it off the blocks I was using during assembly to get a better look at stance and this hit me in the face "Is it too low"
Thanks everyone for feedback. When I took the coupe off the blocks I was using during the build this issue raised its head so through I would get some feedback from those who have the experience. This is not the first dummy question I have ask you know "there is a price to pay for experience "
I aim for 5" to the lowest point and try like hell to make sure that lowest point is not the oil pan. Oil pan dents happen but haven't seen them ripped off if five is the law A skid plate saves a bunch of grief
If you have new springs it is going to settle quite a bit. We're in the same boat, mine's 4" at the oil pan too and I can't raise it up any higher.
I’ve driven about a dozen cars daily that were around 4 inches at the lowest. Most of them that was the frame or the rockers, so not a single point you can kinda avoid when approaching an obstacle. I never really had issue with it unless I came across a mountain of a speed bump. Lived in an apartment complex one that has bumps so tall it would rip the running boards off a monster truck. Lol. I think your fine, just be aware that your down low
It's common in the off-road truck world to weld a plate to the bottom of the oil pan to help protect from rock damage. Might be a good idea for your car in case you ever hit a piece of debris in the road. Though that will reduce your clearance even more... Here's a nice write up: Though this guy didn't weld it http://www.offroaders.com/projects-...ep-cj7/skid-plate-protection-for-the-oil-pan/
The car in my avatar has 3" of ground clearance at the frame rails just behind the front tires. I sectioned the oil pan and pickup.
Just a follow up, consider all you scrub lines as well. A fellow I know was driving his 32 Ford tub the other day and hit a bump in the road and it clipped his oil pan drain bolt, ripping the pan open. He'd been driving the car for years without any issues and clocked up many miles, just bringing it to your attention. In addition there are mandatory rules that we need to comply with, these determine road clearances based on vehicle wheelbases:- 72" to 120" - 4:; 120" to 144" - 5"; and 144" to 168" - 6"
Forgot to add, a skid plate under the engine might be a good idea. I know its too late now, but try to keep everything you can above the bottom of the frame rails. I put cut-down wheelie bar wheels on the inside of my lower 4-bar mounts in the front of my little red truck. They are really worn now, and most of the time I don't hear or feel them hit. But the tranny pan is still in good shape - that is the lowest part of the engine assembly. Here is a car I really, really like built by Eric Eischen. I'd raise the nose a little, but that's it! Gary https://www.hotrod.com/articles/1929-ford-coupe-the-eischen-factor/
Our engineer doesn't allow any component to be lower than 4" or an upright ciggy packet. If a tyre deflates nothing but the rim contacts the road surface.
That's ugly, did you hurt the turtle LOL Man that's a nice looking coupe, wheelie wheels may be necessary.
I have been involved with cars most of my 73 years however this is my first build. I will have to say the build "so far" has been a real pleasure. Meeting and communicated with a lot of really talented folks. Hope to get this little coupe on the road by this fall. Thanks again for all the feed back looks like I will try to get it about 1" higher. The oil pan is 4" above ground [less oil pan bolt]. Most everything else is above the frame rail. In addition to oil pan I need to look at steering linkage. Just another challenge for a rookie.
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