Here is a picture of THAT truck before I sold it and people started to strip parts off of it every time they flipped it. I used 3 inch shackles in the front (SoCal Speed shop as I recall) and home made longer ones in the rear. Talk about traditional.LOL I also added tube shocks front and rear along with a rear panhard bar to keep things legit as it was a 47-48 Ford rear end which is a bit wider then the stock 41 was. The truck was also channeled 6 inches.My avitar give a good profile of how it sat. I've got a pic somewhere that show the height from the ground to the bottom of the rocker to about the height of a pop can. Dropping and axle should not affect track width. Many of the customs back in the day had some sort of rubbing issue with the front tires. You just never went lock to lock. And as has been stated, castor are noting new. The Hirohata Merc had casters on the bottom of the rear bumper as I recall. Junior Conways shoe box was low as was Larry Watsons Grapevine and both static drops. Customs were all about the look. Not always about how practical they were.LOL Torchie
Glad to see you chime in sir. And again thanks for the advice you have given me so far as how you built yours. I’m trying to finish up my honey do New Years list before I start heavy on the f1. Hopefully only a few more weekends and I’ll be done enough to get started Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
4" in front, 6" in back and then learn to drive it pretty careful on driveways, speed bumps, and dips in the road
It's funny that this thread should come up today. My 57 Ford is damn low, with a static drop. Chopped coils in the front, 3" blocks in the rear with a reversed shackle. The lake pipes are the lowest point, and they've been torn off the car more times that I can count. I too have driven the hell out of this car, easily over 100K miles in the 18+ years I've owned it, so it's not as if how low the car sits has stopped me from getting it out and enjoying it. That being said, as I've gotten older, my tolerance for the bullshit associated with driving a car this low has lessened. As mentioned, the lake pipes have been ripped off the car more times that I can count. Despite comfortably seating 5, this car is absolutely a 2-seater since the weight of an adult in the backseat makes turning without scraping an impossibility. The skirts have been dragged for miles. The driveshaft chewed a hole through the floor under the back seat. While people will alway complain about speed bumps with lowered cars, I can tell you that by far the most problematic issue I've run into are just dips in the road, such as a drainage grade in the left or right lane, which you basically never see until it's way too late and you hit it at full speed. Even a cooler with ice and beer will drastically affect ground clearance. Now that I have a 16-month old, I just won't drive her around in this disaster. So I literally haven't driven this car in about a year. But I have to say, the car looks great with that stance, and raising it to improve ride quality and driving enjoyment would come at the expense of show aesthetics. Not a good trade off. My 61 Olds drives and rides like a million bucks, but I think it sits like a 4x4. The car would have a lot more attitude if it were much lower. But I like how nice the car is to drive and enjoy piling the family in the car to go to shows. It's still a compromise. The reality is that air suspension gives you the best of both worlds. I know it's not "traditional" as it is for this board, and people dump on it as mini truck shit, but the ability to adjust ride height for both show and driving really allows you to not only look good but to log serious miles without beating you or the car to death in the process. This winter I'll be installing an Air Lift 3p system with two compressors. For the price of what air ride parts have come down to, whether it be Air Lift, Accuair, etc., or even if you put together your own system with manual controls, it's worth the expense for the overall enjoyment of the car. I've also talked to a few people who daily drive bagged O/T cars, and they have no issues with reliability with the systems. The reliability of the systems greatly depend on the quality of the install. For stuff that nobody is going to see on a custom car, I have no qualms about going to air suspension. I know some may disagree, and thats fine. I just draw my line in the traditional sand elsewhere.
Since the suspension will not be visable I'd bag it...........but stay away from the stupid "layin frame" crap. Nothing looks more idiotic than sitting on the ground. I say this having never owned a car that is "bagged". I have owned several trailers that manage to drag when I exit my driveway onto the street. It happens because of two inclines intersecting at 90 degrees. Last trailer I built I incorporated caster wheels on the back. Don't think that will look good on a lead sled. In the fifties there were far fewer speed bumps too. Noting will make you regret your choice more than hearing that grinding noise as you proceed forward even if you don't tear something up. Put bags in it and make the lowest setting be where you want it when the car is cruising or at a show. Then when you get out on the road, raise it an inch.........or two if needed. You will be glad to have the ability to gain some height for a few seconds when you need it! I see some of the morons out there actually attach blocks to their cars that they allow to scrape the road. What fun that must be. Some of low ridings inglorius moments.....I do have to admit the car skipping rope at the 3:40 mark was impressive. Then watch the lowered dually truck that comes up next and how he drags leaving the parking lot.
Ai shocks all the way. It’s traditional. And smart. And they r cheap. No special mounts. Bolt in. All u need it a compressor and some wiring. And a tank. But this cite isn’t nessecarily a bolt in cute. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Here's my '47 and it will be dropped in the rear and still drivable, may add air shocks for safety reasons...
I'm in the middle of putting a accuair system in my 64 olds. my normal ride height was aprox. 3-4 inchs. then one night with my wife and grown son in the car a piece of asphalt grabbed my crossmember and broke the lower bell housing bent the trans adapter and broke the case on my new 700r4. $3000.00 dollars damage. it's getting air ride and i don't care what anyone has to say about it.
'66 PU is low- lowest point is front crossmember- 3 inches- dropped I-Beams and flipped axle- c-notched- totally drivable-
It seems the more cool you want to look ,the more impracticle it is. Its just not fair! I am doing a tail dragger shoebox and am working on an adjustable hydrolic -coilover system for the rear. With aging infrastructure ( roads) you need to be able to set ride hight on the fly. Would not be good to rip a hole in the gas tank and have a fire. Not sure if insurance would cover that. And that's a whole different topic!
I would use a small floor jack along side of frame behind front tire to raise car enough to get regular floor jack under front did that once, hit a Armadillo while in Texas - no fire
Overhang has a lot to do with ride hight too. I only have a 1in block in my Cady and it still drags the bumper on some ramps. Imagine a continental kit.? Would look cool but may not get out of the driveway!
My 41 sits 3 1/4” off the deck from the rear of the running board. 4” drop axel upfront, flattened rear crossmember drives mint with no dramas at all. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Lots of posts that I refuse to take the time to read here. Because they are way too long and no one seems to understand the concept of punctuation or paragraphs. It’s really irritating to try reading 600 words or more that look like one never ending sentence. There is such a thing as too low when it comes to practicality or usability. Riding in a car or truck that scrapes or bangs over every little pimple on the road gets old quickly. Someone mentioned scrub line which is a valid safety concern. And don’t even start on Airbags Bags are for groceries not suspensions.
For a driver: 6" fully laden - full gas tank, two pax, perhaps some luggage? Also be careful for long overhangs front and rear (approach angles). Nothing lower than the frame rails (engine, bell housing, exhaust pipes).
Speedbumps.............Something that wasn't prevalent in the fifties. Its a reality that you have to plan for today.
Some examples of a car looking two different heights but actually the same height, pictures can fool you.
The Jalopy Journal
