Ride of a 50

My 1950 Chevy rides very rough. There has been no modification. Is this normal?

 

looks like it sits lower than stock. even 3" dropped coil will make it sit almost on the bump stops and that will cause a bad ride.

 

Rough? Compared to what?

 

my sedan in my profile rode rough. I broke my $400.00 exhaust and crushed a brake line, luckily I found out later, my back brakes didnt work anyway. previous owner cut 1 coil. unless I forgot and it was something different. hit the bumps up front and everything else out back. made my blocks with no studs or nuts below the spring and I believe it was 4" inches of "block".

 

I drive a GMC Sonoma. my 49 chevy sedan rode rough compared to my current TRUCK. it would make the CD skip when it hit bumps.

the old suspensions and brakes were made for a different world.

 

Exactly! Compared to what? i think most corvettes ride like log wagons but that doesn't stop people from buying them.

 

If it's all stock and in good shape it will ride decent but not as good as a new car. Most of the problems come from 50 years + of neglect.

I had a friend who wanted to have a Camaro clip put in a similar car but couldn't afford it. I told him to have a good front end man go over it, replace worn parts, do an alignment . He did this at a cost of about $300 bucks and is completely happy. He said it drives like a different car.No desire to change to a different suspension.

One of the things that get overlooked is the shock absorbers. On your car they need to be filled with oil from time to time. You can't get the old knee action fluid so use hydraulic jack oil.

How long since you greased it? No ball joints, all the joints need grease every 1000 miles. No grease and they freeze up.

And as others pointed out lowering the car too much will louse up the ride.

 

One of the things that get overlooked is the shock absorbers. On your car they need to be filled with oil from time to time. You can't get the old knee action fluid so use hydraulic jack oil.

50 chevrolets have regular tube shocks.

 

Best way to make a car ride rough is to cut the coils. Cutting coils not only makes it lower, it increases the spring rate, hense the rough ride.

 

x2 on the shocks... Too much air in the tires?

 

radial tires and high air pressure also make older cars ride rough....

 

You ' ve got it figured out by now i hope.

 

The high pressure will, but I disagree about the radials. Always made my old cars ride much better.
Tom

 

when i lowwered my 53 the front shocks were bottomed out and it rode like crap