Why "in da weeds"?

Recently got a job to modify one of my CCR style T bucket frames and cut the 8 inch kicks and add 14 inch kicks with 30 degrees instead of 22.5 degrees as per CCR plans. Also a four inch rise in front perch.
This kid is going to have nothing but problems with speed bumps and approaches and aprons going up into businesses. WHY? Why all the grief? Can someone tell me? The ride heighth will be lower but ground clearance is determined by his tires and rims anyways- WTF? Mikey

 

PBR Chainers. Form before function.

He saw a pic of a car one time with a really low, exaggerated camera angle and thought "I want that." And that's as far as he thought. Then he told all his buddies about it while they were standing at a car show sipping PBR and comparing the height of their rolled cuffs, and they all said "Yeah! You should do that! It'd be Kool!"

Then he called you.

-Brad

 

"Why "in da weeds"?"...if you have to ask,you wouldn't understand!!

 

I guess the next question is, "why are you going to do it?" I understand that we all need to make a living, but I don't see any enhancement to your reputation by building a chassis that you know from the get-go is screwed up. I may be seeing this too much in black and white terms, but you might want to ask yourself the question.

 

....or maybe he just wants a REALLY low car!! Who cares about speed bumps and aprons and crap like that. You should be happy that he's into old american cars and not some asian import tuner crap.

 

Mmmmm PBR....

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I just got my post deleted so let me put this to ya another way...are you going to build it?

 

ol school rods... that's why.

 

a more important question... why 30" $5,000.00 wheels on a $1500.00 80's cutlass?

 

My T Bucket wasn't low by todays standards but the oil pan was low enough to catch a speed bump when you went over them a bit too fast.

If he is wanting the frame Z'd to set the body lower and still be able to sit down in the car instead of on top of it it may work.

Otherwise it does put your reputation on the line if you build something that you think will end up being a nightmare.

I believe 49Ratfink probably nailed it. The Here's how to screw up your car bigtime magazines have probably caused more decent cars to be messed up beyond what all but the extremely skilled an talented could straighten out.

 

I don't get it either. I understand if you can bag it and then drop it where appropriate but some of these cars I see can't really be driven in everyday traffic.

I guess if one is only looking for a car to take to shows or they enjoy beating the snot out of it.

Not being able to clear roadkill makes a mess to clean up. I've been there. Something the size of a raccoon can do some nasty damage also.

 

Back in the 50's I built a 29 roadster pick up on a Zed frame. Did not know then to box the frame. Placed the bottom of the frame 6" off of the ground so the Z was very large because I used the 29 axle with 40 spindles and drums just like Hot Rod Mag said to. Used the cross steering from my 40 sedan, which was my donor car. The whole frame would move from side to side when you moved the steering wheel while sitting still. Drove the car all summer of my senior year in high school then pulled the engine and put it in a 40 coupe when it got cold. The car looked good a rest drove OK for an 18-year-old but was rather flimsy. The doors would pop open when you went into the service station because the frame twisted so much, looking back in my mature years I wonder why I made it that low when every one else had high boy cars. Two of my friends and myself built low roadsters that summer, I was the only one to use cross steering which causes a problem on flimsy framed cars.

 

I can't understand why a businessman would take a gripe with a customer's taste public. If you're that against it, don't build it.

Cause sometime in this thread's life it'll be read by potential buyer. But now he's wondering if you're gonna publicly call him an idiot if he asks for anything other than the standard flavor.

The kickup seems a little extreme to me, but everyone's got a different balance of show vs. go

And "PBR Chaining" is as traditional as hot rodding itself.

 

Two words; TRAILER QUEEN.
when they are that low thats about all you can do with them.

 

Why? because it looks cool that's why. I think its a generational thing too. I know my car isn't period correct being this low but I like it and I've got nothing but positive reviews from everyone who's seen it. The car is roughly 5" off the ground and I drive it every day its not raining on Michigan roads which are some of the worst in the country.

 

1 3/4 inches and I'm on my third season.It goes far, comes back, scrapes and then moves on,whats the problem?

 

Maybe you could school the customer on a happy median?

 

I don't think having a low hot rod is a generational thing. Another poster posted this pic awhile back (among others) taken at a dragstrip in Ohio in the late-50s.

 

I think part of it comes from our history.

For a while there - late 50's - very low got to be the rage, but when you compare some of the lowered cars of the era to todays low cars they weren't as low as some remember.

I got my 50 Ford sedan so low you couldn't roll a tennis ball under the crossmember.
It scraped crossing dips - a little deeper than the average dip, but never had a problem before - even going slow.

That was only the front end, lowered with cut coils and a dropped spindle setup along with V-Dub sized tires; 5.50/15.

The back had 8.20/15s - Caddy size - and stock height springs.
Had a helluva dago for a coil sprung car.

An illusion of lowness can be accomplished.
Note this front-view pic of my 32 that was taken a couple weeks back at the Route 66 Fun Run.


The 32s got the standard stuff, 4" dropped axle, reverse eye spring, 195/80Rx14 tires and a Model A front crossmember.
It looks low, but really isn't.


Here's pic of the rear.


It shows that the car isn't really all that low and in fact it's a little higher than I like, but it won't get changed for a while.

The car has only dragged twice, once when it was new and the trailer ramps were short the 4 bar lower mount dragged a bit.
And at Oatman during the Fun Run when we had to park of the side of the highway and go over a bit of a rise.

Interesting part in all this, the engine pan and trans pan are 6" off the ground and one header is 5 1/2" off the ground.
Almost as low as Lucky 77s good looking A, but mine is angled ground clearance-wise and his is level.

Interestingly, my 31 on 32 rails roadster sits a 1/2" or so higher in front due to the 15" wheels, but the rear end is quite a bit lower.
It will have more ground clearance than the 32 since the exhaust on it will be on the side instead of underneath.

The 32's exhaust is tucked up under the car pretty tight, but with the big ol Buick and T-400 there ain't a whole lot of room.

I do like the practical end of driving the 32 and it's never scraped on a speed bump or driveway.

Not afraid of dirt roads either.

Part of the lowering stuff is similar to the guys who chop cars radically.
Seems it's more of a, "lets chop the snot out of this thing so everyone will know it's chopped."

Chopping, like lowering can be done moderately and any experienced hot rodder will know what was done and can appreciate the overall design, flow etc. instead of seeing one major thing that in some cases was overdone.

Pays your money and takes your choice, I believe Hobson said that.

Makes sense to me but I like being able to go most places without having to worry too much....

 

Looks like a new signature line to me!

 

Usually "everyday traffic" is a foreign concept. Their idea of "driving the wheels off" means idleing around a show all day then back on the trailer before going home.

Rod

 

narrow minds, have narrow vision

 

If you can get by with it daily and like it, it's fine by me. I've seen some that no matter how much one would try and convince me they drive it everywhere, it can't be done.

I had a non HAMB friendly wagon that was dropped. Not nearly as low as some cars you see either. What a PITA in everyday driving. I did run over top the previously mentioned raccoon and bent the crap out of my shift linkage.

I couldn't keep a front lower lip on the car. Of course much of that wouldn't apply to many cars here.

If you enjoy it, I say go for it. I got tired of creeping over speed bumps and hitting everything.

 

If folks think a low car can't be driven, just shows they never tried hard enough. I put tens of thousands of HARD miles on a daily with 2 inches road clearance, gravel road dirt tracking, interstate flying, you name it. After the first few months you quit grimacing when it hits. After a year you've pretty well moved all the fragile components up out of harms way and learned how to approach common road hazards. Will the bottom of your car get all fucked up? hell yeah it will. Is it unsafe as hell to drive a car hard that's banging on the ground? Hell yeah it is. Will it generate a flurry of comments- both bad and envious? Hell yeah it will. It ain't for everyone, and it ain't for me anymore, but every car guy needs to get real low once in their life.

 

Its 2008. We bag the shit out of every car regardless of make or model.
"PBR chainers"- love it!

 

Ok I'm older ( over 50 ) and I've been drinkin PBR a long time. Now thatI've heard the " PBR Chainers " ( pretty funny shit ) I'm in a beer dilema? Now what do I drink?? BTW I've never worn the stupid cuffed jean crap.

 

i like a low car just like the next guy but i think this guy has seen too many ol skool rod magazines. like some people have already mentioned you cant drive a car like that every day and not tear something up. my car has been dropped ALOT but no where near what his is going to be. i have to be careful where i point the car for the fear of scraping the frame rails or hanging the transmission crossmember on peaked skirts/speedbumps. i made sure everything is tucked into the frame rails just so i dont knock anything loose, or poke a hole in my oil/tranny pans, but this took a lot of planning ahead. but back to the question of why.................the "R" word.

 

maybe he's going to run 36" tall tires on it

 

There is always someone who thinks "more" is cool - if a 4 inch chop looks good, then an 8 inch chop is twice as cool! If low looks good, then too low is cooler.
Give the same person 10 years and they'll be the jerk at the show with a '53 Chevy jacked up so high that the top of the rear tires clear the rear fender lip. Because if high is cool, twice as high will be twice as cool. (Remember the '70s? It's coming back. That's where the gassers are taking us. Mark my words.)

 

Are you building a car for him or you?
He's paying you right?Then who cares......he'll figure it out on his on if it's worth it or not.

It's pretty cool how you blast a customer on the Internet about his style and how you don't see it, this should do wonders for your shop......