Whats The Best Way To Lower My Chevy??

My name is Paul, im 16yrs old; and ive been working on my 1949 Chevy Fleetline. Ive already lowered the rear end with 3inch lowering blocks. So im just wondering whats the Easiest/Cheapest way to lower the Front End of my car???
Thanks

 

Cut the coils with a zip cut. maybe 1/2 a coil

 

yeah man just cut the coils... what else is planned for the ride?

 

Not sure yet, i wanted to trim a little off the top! But yeah, i got alot of ideas.. haha

 

Thats pretty ambitious to want to chop a fleetline! Do your homework, lots of great stuff on the HAMB through the search feature. Check out Bass. I like the way he chopped a fleetline.

 

You want to know the "Best Way" to lower it? Like the title says? Or the cheapest/easiest way? LIke the message says?

Drop spindles are money well spent. Great for ride and tire wear. Tires aren't cheap!

There was just an article in Rod and Custom. Hollywood HotRods did a drop spindle install and made a custom rear C notch for one of these.

Cut spindles will get you by.

 

Drop a heavy old hemi in it!!! What? It would work... Just givin ya some fun!!! Trim the springs as stated above. Wouldn't it be cool to put a hemi in it tho?

 

Cut spindles!!!? Are you sure you want to tell him to cut his spindles or do you mean cut his springs?!!! What, you caught him soo all is fair!!!

 

If you have access to a plasma cutter, you can cut the front coil springs on the car and you don't have to dissassemble the front suspension. Just cut and pop them out. You can go 1-2 coils with ease. Or swap the coil springs out with a shorter set from your local bone yard.

 

You don't need to spend a ton of cash just align the vehicle after and keep an eye on your rear pinnion angle. With a 3" lowering block you might need to change the leaf spring perch angle, get the rear springs re arched, and move the rear leaf spring shackle rear about 2". You don't need drop spindles and "c" notch frame untill you have some cold hard cash. Just remember pinnion angle and camber, caster, & toe.
The Theo has spoken!!!

 

And oh!! The 49 Chevy's look bad ass with a subtle chop. We cut up a 50 once and she looked mean. Give it a shot cut that top off!!!!
The Theo has spoken!!!!

 

The fleetlines already have a 2 and a half inch lower roof than a sedan or a coupe, they kinda look chopped already

 

No more than 1/2 coil in my 38 Chevy with a 54 front end. You can always cut more but hard to add them back.

 

Maybe I'm missing something, but if you cut the lower round off, how you gonna just pull the piece out when the spring will sit right down on top of the piece you just cut off?

Also, wouldn't 1-2 coils(rounds) be a little much for what he is wanting to drop? I'd say 1/2 to 1 would be the best place to start.

 

props to you man for having such a cool car at such a young age.

like everyone said, cut the springs. i wouldn't do much 1/2 to 1 coil max. i believe the general formula is 1 coil cut will=2 inches of drop.

i would do 1/2 coil myself, but i like them ass low and front high as a general rule.

anyway, keep us posted on what you do with it-and the more pics of your car you wanna post up the better.

good luck dude.

 

post some pics, looks good on your profile pic

 

The car looks pretty cool the way it sits now... but I agree, cut 1/2 or 1 coil, and you be right in the zone!!! MORE PICS!!

 

if you still have the torque tube rearend you needn't worry about pinion angle as there is only one u joint.....on the front there are 4 bolts on the lower control arm shaft...with the shocks out and sway bar end bolts off , the car on jack stands, and afloor jack under the shaft end...loosen the bolts and let the jack down easy to remove the coil spring....cut the end that don't have the flat spot on it with a cutoff wheel ( 1 coil isn't too much ).. put the spring back up in the pocket and raise the control arm back up with the floor jack and reassemble bolts and shocks and shorten the sway bar bolts and spacers if necessary....Done it to many 49-50 chevies...works fine....realign the front end and drive the crap out of it !!!

 

I cut two coils off my 54 chevy with straight six. And then sat it on the rear rubber stops. Keep in mind, the lower you go in the back, the lower you can go in the front because lowering the back tilts the front up. And I just removed the coils and hit it with a cut-off wheel at about a 60 degree angle so it sits flat.

 

Beer and a pry bar, I have done it. Have fun!

 

cut a turn and put 53-54 uprights on it for a total 4" and it will still ride nice

 

We have a 49 Fleetline which we lowered about 3 weeks ago. Put 2" blocks in the back and took a coil and a half out of the bottom of the front springs. Everything else is standard, the ride height looks great and it's still a good ride.

Your lower at the back than us but I have read that 2 coils from the front is the reccommended max!

Unsure about the plasma cutting plan, could get seriously messy especially when crow bars and beer are involved!!!

 

I lied, we put 2-1/2" blocks in the back.

 

i think Rudy is busting his knuckles on these coils as we speak! oh yeah dont forget the windshield, it will keep the bugs out of your teeth!

 

I cut one round out of the front coils on my '52, and always regretted that I did not take more. It was hardly noticeable. I recommend 1 1/2 rounds at least.

 

we got the droped up writes and c notch

 

Yeah, watch the pinion angles on that torque tube! The HotRodGod "has spoken!!!"

 

Good luck, and looks good.

 

Oh but that was "Theo has spoken"!!! LOL I can't believe he uses a pry bar to pop the cut off piece of spring out after cuttin it with a plasma cutter....but some guys do amazing things.

 

Don't worry about angles if your running a closed driveshaft, their not effected.