Technical 1950 Chevy Styleline just won't drop!

OK, so what do you do when a car just won’t drop? We have tried the obvious stuff ( see below ) and the car is only slightly lower than when we started.
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Here’s the setup; 1950 Chevy Styleline Deluxe 2-D Sedan…previously customized by parties unknown.
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1. Had previously installed aftermarket multi-leaf springs 2.5” wide.
2. Previous builder had installed “extended” leaf spring perches that are about 3” tall and are welded to the axel housing. They taper outward from the axel to the spring mounting point and end up being 7 inches long where they make contact with the spring.
3. Hole for center leaf spring bolt is off-set from center, moved back, I guess to center the axel in the fender.
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Here’s what we’ve tried so far.
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1. Removed a few leafs from the spring and reinstalled with no other changes. RESULT: No change in the ride height.
2. Reversed (flipped) the rear shackle. RESULT: Ride height actually went higher.
3. Bought a set of TCI Parabolic Leaf Springs which were advertised to drop the ride height 3-4 inches.

NOTE: Spring hangers measure 48-49 inches on center…no idea if they are located in the original position since the frame has been heavily worked.

4. Leaving the extended spring perches that came with the car along, we simply installed the springs with provided shackle and put the car back on the ground. RESULT: NO CHANGE IN RIDE HEIGHT relative to the height using the original (unknown source) multi-leaf springs that came with the car. But now the axel is too far forward in the wheel-well. Measures 13 inches from the front of the fender opening to the center of the axel and 17 inches from the center of the axel to the back wheel-well opening. And now even with dropped springs and extended spring perch…car is still dagoed.

5. Installed some 3” lowering blocks and drilled new holes in the spring perch 1.5” further back to center the axel in the fender. RESULT: Car did come down a bit…but now there is a total of 5.5 inches of material between the spring and the axel housing…PLUS the supposed 3-4 inch dropped springs from TCI…Shouldn’t this thing be draggin the bumper? It’s not! Now sits level with 2.5” dropped uprights in front.
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Any ideas gang? We are thinking that we need to cut off the stupid extended spring perch and existing hangers and start fresh.
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Thanks in advance for any insights!
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Ron

 

i would try getting a stock spring and start from there. hard to tell what will work if you dont really have original stuff in it

 

That's the trouble with trying to deal with other people's "great ideas."

With a "stock" set-up there are "road maps" available. But when that doesn't exist it is pure fabrication, and I am having a difficult time finding information on things like the relationship between the unsprung length of a leaf spring and the optimum location distance between the spring hangers...or pinion angle, spring perch width, correct shackle angle, and so on. I am leaning toward cutting everything off. Locating the spring hangers on 48inch centers with the axel centered and a shackle angle of 45 degrees with the wheels on the ground. I think the sping perch should be the same width as the springs and no longer than the diameter of the axel housing. I will install everything with the perch "loose" and weld it to the axle housing when everything is satisfactorily lined up. Does this sound right?

 

I slammed an all stock 50 chevy a few months ago. I cut 3" off the front coils and stuck 3" lowering blocks in the rear. To my surprise it really didnt come down all that much. Although the ride did get alot more stiff... I really didnt wanna chance going 4" and running into problems with the torque tube.

 

PICTURE'S would help alot.

 

Are the shocks bottomed out? Dave