So I finally got my 57 Fairlane painted and it's time to start making a Car out of all these pieces. I'd like to do Dropped Spindles again. I have Fat Man's on my 57 Cvt. but after listening to my Alignment guy piss and moan about getting it squared away and showing me the issues causing it, I'd like to maybe use a different brand if one exists. I've not found anything else on line so here I am. What else do you guys know of? The Wizzard
According to the Jamco web site they do not offer a 57-59 spindle. The Granada unit can be made to work but if you understand the relationship of the steering arm to A-Frame geometry they are a long way off. Being it's a Casting, bending the arm to correct it is not a good idea. I do plan on going Disc brakes as well. This project is a Long way from being Stock but little of it shows. The Wizzard
What are the "issues causing it"? Is it something peculiar to Fatman's design or is it something inherent in dropped spindles?
I had an alignment guy piss and moan about aligning my dropped spindles on a Chevy. I took the car to a different alignment guy. Problem solved. Haven't gone back to the first alignment guy. Neal
Stop & Drop , Jamco are my choice . Forgot one , there was a guy on here in the parts section I think Tues or Wed that sell them too . RetroJim
Brent is actually an automotive engineer. He would not put out a product that was not thoroughly tested and known to work. His reputation is impeccable and he always stands behind his products. Give him a call.
I'm not knocking Fat Man. His are installed in a different Car all together. They came with the Convert when I bought it along with a Hundred boxes of other stuff. Just would like to know if there is anyone else to chose from for 1957 Ford cars. The Wizzard
I agree with J'St Wandering: get a second opinion about the alignment from a different shop. Every car I've ever owned, including one that was 2 years old at the time, I've been told by one shop or another that there was some reason that it could not be properly aligned. EVERY SINGLE TIME I'd take it somewhere else and they would align it with no problem.
get a set of spindles off a 70s torino they bolt right on and have the disk brakes too and for the record the granada spindles are not cast they are forged as are pinto and torino and just about every other ford product its the generic motors stuff thats cast . the way to tell is if the spindle pin is a seperat part and then pressed in its cast . if its all one piece its forged
Most alignment shops want to "set the toe and let er go". Caster and Camber adjustments are much more time consuming than just setting toe. 85% of alignments performed in the automotive shops do not need caster or camber adjustments. The techs get spoiled by the easy money. I used Fatman dropped spindles (uprights) on my 53 Buick and performed the alignment myself afterward, with no problems. BUT Yes I had to do caster, camber and toe adjustments, however, they weren't very far off.
I appreciate all the input guys but your simply missing the point here. At 60+ years old this is not my first time around this front end stuff. I won't bore you with what I do or don't know or have done in the Past. I'm simply asking if there is another choice for dropped spindles for my specific car that I'm un-aware of. The Wizzard
Align it yourself. The solid axle gang does it all the time. You can make up a sliding tool, angles on the floor, tape measure with a helper and even string for the toe-in. Caster can be checked with a $10. circular swinging arm protractor. With a short piece of angle the same protractor can be used to set camber. What really works well with camber is a short digital level. They measure to a second of arc and I doubt an alignment shop machine is any more accurate. Where they make out is the shop machine is more convenient to use. After the alignment is complete, keep an eye on the properly inflated tire wear pattern. Lots of alignment threads here on the HAMB.
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