Any ideas on how to hide an independent front suspension on a 34 coupe

http://sites.launchrocketship.com/acmedemo/cool_products/invisible_wall_paint

Just a thought..
CC

 

Just to stir the pot a bit....didn't flaming river make a split I beam front like the Ford pick ups? It was suppose to be like a I-beam,but ride like IFS, but just didn't look right in my opinion.

 

QUOTE=Danshotrod;7251608]Any one have some ideas on how to hide an independent suspension on a 34 Ford coupe open wheel.Dan[/QUOTE]

Not much you can really do to hide it.

About all you can do is perhaps make it era correct or at least somewhat era correct.
Then its just kinda fugly but not incorrect...

I think to pull it off you'll really need to run drum brakes and even lever shocks to tone it down. Discs and tube shocks (even though the shocks WERE available and used in the era) will push it into Street Rod territory in the eyes of many.

Keep chanting to yourself that people WERE actually experimenting with IFS at the time and, while not nearly as elegant looking as a clean dropped axle, there were some quality Hot Rods running them during that time.

I'm sure there are pics on the Net of Planar(sp) setups as well as early 50's Chevy versions under open wheel Hot Rods.

Coilovers, tubular control arms and discs....you're on your own!

 

Look at a fender less car. Ask your question slowly. Answered.

 

Problem is the car is already setup with it on. And the look I'm going for is the Bonneville look 5inch chop..Dan

 

That's one of my favorite cars ever. I think there is an in-car audio clip of them running it up on the Miller site. If that is in fact an indy front suspension, I will suspend my opinionated dislike for them on a fenderless ride.

 

I would start with a new chassis. u can,t hide that ugly, no fugly.

 

It's not too late to save her. Got torch?

 

You say Bonneville style, so i guess you might be able to pull it off with a nose like this...

 

Im not an advocate for ifs on exposed front suspensions but someone has already spent money on it keep it dress it up and dont post updates here.
Later
Mike

 

If someone put it on someone else (you perhaps) can take it off. If that isn't going to happen it ought to get a set of stock fenders and run it as low as humanly possible. Even then I'd suggest it only be driven at night. Too bad that it got the independent in the first place, maybe that's why you ended up with it...................to save it.

Frank

 

Always have a couple fat chicks modeling on the front of the car. It'll be tough to figure out how to get them to stay when you're driving it, but it will work easy enough at shows.

 

The problem is not that IFS is inherently ugly. The problem is that so many guys in the 70's and beyond chose to use an ugly IFS.

You are building your car. Ask yourself if "hiding" the IFS is a compromise you want to make on this build. If not, take it off and find a work around. Otherwise, go for it.

 

Put fenders on it, or give it to me and Ill hide it for you (and eventually fix it) so you never see that front suspension....or the rest of the car either.

 

When I got my 34 it had a tube axle,4 bar and disc brakes, That was the first thing to go! Nows the time to ditch that IFS..Just do it!!

 

Go to a Street Rod shop and see if they know of any one that wants to swap for an original frame, It'll save them time and $$ on their Street Rod, and get you a good frame for your Hot Rod, especially if you're going for a B-ville look. Are you getting the subliminal messages yet?

Scotty

 

Your trying to change the whole configuration of a car thats half built.
You gotta bite the bullet and change everything...or just change nothing and complete the build as it is.
What you have will never pull off the look you're after.

Sell or trade the chassis as suggested, use the money to start with a clean sheet of paper and build it right.

 

The typical Street Rod IFS looks like shit.



They have huge brackets hanging in the breeze, outside of the bodywork.

Thats how 'lil John did his early ones, and it looks like others just copied that without ever improving on it or cleaning it up.

A open wheel IFS can look good...
Look at the clean setup on this Lotus Formula racecar.



And on a '33 / '34 you might even have the space to mount the inboard shocks & springs...

 

Str**t Rod or Hot Rod..............I think you need to choose..............It can't be both!

 

A Planar setup with the transverse leaf as the lower control arm could look cool.
The spring would give an early Ford style look to the setup and no other spring would be required inside the control arm area.
Use lever shocks inside the body work and it would be very similar to the clean Lotus look.

Still...the OP is already committed to the MII unfortunately.

 

You have been taking everyones (including my) suggestions really well and everyone has been respectfully giving you their honest opinions. Sometimes you have to just tell a friend the hard stuff.

You could simply leave it alone but I think you know you would never be completely happy with it. So you have two choices, either sell off the frame and suspension to a Street Rodder, as suggested, or break out the torches and sawzall and cut that offending metal off of the existing frame and repair it so a proper straight axle can be installed.

We have all sat back at times and looked at some work we have done, or someone else has done, and came to the conclusion we just had to fix it, no matter what it took. Cutting up something to improve it is just what we hot rodders do.

What rear suspension is under the car? For me that would be what would make the decision to sell it off or fix this one up. On the other hand, you may actually be a Street Rodder and elect to keep it as is, that is your call.

Don

 

Yeah, in that case...

Cut that crap off, and start over.

 

Bingo! Hahaha

 

if this does not work, keep repeating step 2!

 

Danshotrod, I havent seen you back in here. Hope we all didn't run you off....

In the dasterdly 70s I put one of those things under a car. Worked my ass off for a couple of weeks. Kept looking at it over a few weeks. Drank a few brews cut it all off in one night. .... But, there are a lot of them out there with all the 1-800 kits available for those that don't care about traditional rods.

 

Sure,put it in the back of the garage,by the washer...

 

A saws all would be your next best tool!

 

Who sells 33-34 Ford front frame horns they should be around 18 inches long. I have a set of 32. What I'm going to do is cut the front clip off just behind the A arms and then weld the new ones on with the cross member..Dan

 

Park it nose in way in the back of the garage and turn out the lights.

If you must build it independent don't try to hide it flaunt it. Folks will say it isn't trad but even hidden it isn't trad. Make it nice and let it hang out, who cares if I don't like it someone will.

 

You can't hide it on an open wheel car. So you either get rid of it, run fenders and stock front bumper(which will hide it pretty good) or leave it out there for God and all to see and tell everyone to F Off if they don't like it, regardless of how damn ugly it is.