1952-59 Ford suspension clearance

ill post pics as i go. i think im gona go with some black 14 in steelies and maybe a 2 or 2 1/2 inch whitewall. any recomendations on tire size to get me in the ball park ?

 

Green Grenade, yeah...I know how you feel. My is a 61 Chevy and its slammed, in fact, almost everything I've owned has been lowered pretty low. I wanted this car to be the same way but I've learned over the years that it's just not worth it. If you want to be able to drive your car and not have to worry about everywhere you go, just sacrifice a little ride height. You'll be happier that way, trust me.

Jim, no problem on the pictures and tour. I don't mind showing the car off! Haha. As far as the motor, it has 10:1 compression, a clifford cam, chevy 1.94/1.60 valves, dual valve springs, ported head, oversized pushrods, new lifters, balanced blueprinted bottom end with ARP hardware everywhere and the carb on there is a weber 38. I think it's something around 500 cfm and it runs better than any multi carb setup you can throw at it. I drive a lot and for long distances. The car makes a great power for what it is (clifford claims it should be close to 300 ft/lbs of torque) and I still get 21-22 mpgs on highway trips. As far as the sound, it's perfect. The old timers tell me that's what they sounded like back in their day. The only problem is that it is deafening when you're next to another car or a barrier on the highway. I'm thinking of going with Harley baffles in the lakes or possibly ear plugs. I haven't decided which one I would prefer yet. I have a full build post on this board if you want to search my name. You can see the car go from when I pulled it out of the barn, to bare metal, to paint.

 

Sounds like you took no corners on that engine build . That is about a good of a set up you can have in a 6 cyl. Clifford makes really great cams too ! Yes with 500 cfm , One carb is all you will need . That is going to be one sweet running engine . You can make your own baffles too with steel wool and small homemade baffles but buying them are probably cheap enough . You could alter the bottom to run through the lakes with baffles or have a Y pipe and have the open exhaust off the other end under the car . Well just get some ear plugs I guess !
Anyway I will be looking for your car next spring .

Jim

 

Yeah....the engine is nice. I got to take it on a few longer runs this year. It's shakedown run was to our (Rumbler's CC) in Brooklyn which is about 2 and a half hours. I finished it on Friday morning and drove it to NYC on Friday night and sat in traffic for over 3 hours without going over 185 degrees the whole time. It moves along well but it needs the 5 speed to get my cruising rpm below the 3300 mark where it's at now. So a t-5 and a posi 8 inch is on my to do list.

 

GreenGrenade, I just realized that Jim and I have been having a side conversation and completely hijacked you're thread. I had good intentions to answer your question and impart some wisdom but Jim got me talking about my car and off on a tangent. My students do this to me every day when they're trying to avoid math! Many apologies.

 

I hope we have most if not all of his questions answered for now .
I am glad he finally realized that what he wanted to do and what is safer were two different things all together .
We are all here when you get to the int of getting it fixed up . BTW if you need help and want to dive up he , about 1.5 hours away maybe , I will be glad to help you get it done . I have all the tools you will ever need sitting here in one of 3 rolling tool boxes . I will also have the wood stove going to through out the winter season . Just let me know .

Jim

 

I'd think twice about using 14" wheels, Greenie. They will allow the car to sit a little lower, but being smaller they will look out of proportion...kinda low-riderish. The other difficulty with using 14" wheels is that you'll not be able to use most traditional custom hubcaps, nearly all of which are 15".

I'd recommend that you use stock 15" wheels which have the right offset to minimize rear wheel removal difficulties and use 215/75/15" radial tires with a 2.5" white wall width.

This is a very traditional mid-'50s "look" and will suite your car with 3" to 4" lowering. It's not the "absolute" lowness of the car you're after, but the "illusion" of lowness AND the smoothing of the car's lines by so doing.

 

im definately running bias. ive already got my mind made up on that. i know its not the best ride compared to radials, but thats what im running. and i always thought 14's would look strange but i think if there done right they can look good. im still not 100 percent sold but im pretty sure im goin with them

 

Bias ply is going to be a hand full with a car sitting that low . They really tend to be a little squirrelly and don't handle that well especially on curves and trying to stop a 2 ton car ! I am not to sure why you want bias so badly because you can get a much better handling radial that is about the same price and look like a bias tire right down to tread design .
Now as for 14" wheels , you need to consider a few things to make them work . Now taking a 15" to replace a 14" is one thing but taking a 15" to a 14" all together different plus it's only 1" that can be taken away easily from a tire size . You should consider that one real hard before you spend your hard earned money on 14" bias ply tires . It really won't look right either for the way you are building your car . The bias tires were discontinued for a reason ! Radials are so damn much better !
There is a wealth of experience and knowledge on this group so think about your decisions when we agree on one thing and you want to go the other way ! I will ***ume you get your information from friends or a mag but do they have the experience or knowledge that this group has ? We are ONLY trying to help you get the best handling car for you and be safe one ! I am not saying you are wrong but there is a better way to go for building your car ! you want to be as safe as possible on those crazy Maryland roads !
We have all been down this road before so we are just trying to give you the BEST advice possible from all of our experience !
But in the end , it's your car so do what you want to it but be happy with your decision !

Jim

 

i agree with you guys on the 14's for the most part, a lot of the cars i was looking at were chopped and the 14's looked good in proportion to it. but thats with a chop. ive got pics of a few that arent chopped that look good, but there slammed really low. way lower than i can go. so i think you guys are right on staying with 15's. as far as the bias handling goes, im not to worried about it. i know the radials are much better, but ive driven bias before and it wasnt bad. i just like the more cl***ic look of the bias as well. ok so can any one give me a good size tire to run on a 15" and get a lower stance from it. with a 2.5 ww as well

 

195 or 205 , 15" . I don't know the sizes in the old numbers . I am sure you can get the size conversion . These are the size I have on my car . !95 in front and 205 in rear . Of course they are radials . They aren't too big and look good .
Glad you are staying with the 15" ! Now you can get some goos hubcaps to fit the wheels now !
We are just trying to help you the best we can from our experiences that we have gone through with our !


Jim

 

thanks for all the help guys. really. this is awesome. and i got some original cal custom trim rings for the hubcap lip. they were a pain to find. look up jesse james 54 chevy if you dont know what they are. im stoked i found em

 

I run 60.7x15 on my '54 and I don't really have a problem with those at all. I would like to upgrade to radials though because stoping can be a real pain sometimes. I've also taken a few curves that I though would put me into a slide with those tires because they don't grip as well. I drive in San Diego where it rains all of two weeks a year. Our roads are almost never pot holed, and I get a little worried driving on bias sometimes. Just a little extra to put in the *** pack of facts.

Like I said earlier, I have 15" wheels and run 60.7x15 bias on mine so if you want to look at the pics of my car and get an idea from that please do.

 

on a side not: what are the good looking radials that have bias looking tread. the look of ww radials has always been a turn off to me.

 

i know i originally stated i didnt wanna bag the car, and im still not to thrilled about the idea due to the cost. but i figure since were already on the topic of suspensions. why not discuss it. so whats the scoop on bags every? the front doesnt look to bad, i think tubular jamco arms, drop n stop granada kit, and bags are the major aspects of the front setup. but the rear is where im scared. i dont have the knowledge or skill to step the frame and build a suspension. can any1 point me in a direction here ? any good shops in the north east ? once again thanks for all the help every1. i really appreciate it

 

ttt

 

i would check with some local speed shops and ask about chasis shops . but i think you wont like the total price involved

 

On the rear you can use a simple 4 link set up . the 4 link set up is used in a lot of applications , like drag racing , street rods and so on . You can buy a 4 link kit for a few hundred dollars . You don't need the costly kits due to you don't need all the different adjustments mostly found in a drag race set up . There are some other swing arm set ups to use but a simple , cheap 4 link set up will be the the way to go . The 4 link keeps the rear in place and free moving up & down . Then you can install the bags and weld in your plates to attach the bags . All you need is a welder , a good measuring tape , angle gauge and a grinder to install the 4 link .
Just my opinion !

Jim

 

cool. triangulated four link seems to be the nicest setup. any pros or cons to this over a parllel setup ? also what about kicking the frame up ?

 

The best way for a street car is angle inward . Those are the easiest to set up and is better for the street . If you keep them straight then they are harder to set up . Just set up with the arms set little inward toward the center of the rear but not a lot . I would go with about 12" from being straight . There are a lot of pro's and con's on the way you set them up but they are easy to do . *That should be in the instructions .** If you look on Jegs , Summit you will find them . The cheap on will be all you need . I think they are like $300 to $400 . Then weld a plate to mount the bags and that is it . You aren't making a hopper so it should be an easy build plus you won't go broke with a big air tank , pump all the other things to do it .

Here you go . Both the same price so you can get it from the one you like better .
Jegs--Item# 247-2017 $212
Summit--Compe***ion Engineering C2017 - Compe***ion Engineering 4-Link Kits $212
Jim

 

i know its a difrent car but the theory is the same. look at this article and see if you think you could do this. put bags in place of the springs. get a good late model rear with disk brakes.

http://www.webrodder.com/article.php?AID=226&SID=60

 

That could be used as well , as long as you measure allot to make sure it's square and centered correctly . It also depends on the rear too . Those Mustang rears don't fit our Fords . They are too wide . You need an 8" from an early Mustang , Maverick and Comets from the 60's . Unless you pay the price to have one cut down but if you are going to cut one down the pick up a 9" . Also depends on his welding skills too !

Still a very good tech article that can be used for many different builds !
Thanks!

Jim

 

im gonna have someone do all the welding for me. rather have someone skilled do it and be safe than sorry lol. so theres no need for a kick up in the frame ? how low will these kits get the car ? thanks for all the help guys. this is really helpful

 

my 55 has a ranger rear , and i have a explorer disk brake unit im thinking about putting in it . but it stops good right now with a drum rear.

 

Greenie...

Whether the car has leaf springs, coil springs or air bags it can only go so low without the need for additional clearance between the rear axle and the frame rails. That's just physics.

If you run out of suspension travel you'll need to C-notch the frame and cut the floor to get more. Two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Physics again.

If you are not familiar with suspension geometry, take your car to a knowledgeable suspension shop or hot rod shop and have them explain it to you as it relates to your specific car.

As has been explained here before, regardless of the suspension design you choose, you can go down between 3" and 4" maximum without making frame and/or floor modifications.

Lower than that and you'll need to C-notch the frame and cut the floor. You'll also begin to run into other problems like exhaust pipe clearance above the rear axle, shock mount/shock length modifications and lateral axle control.

If you're not up to the task, you'll be miles and dollars ahead to select a REPUTABLE rod shop, tell them how low you want to go and leave the job to them.

Yes, it will cost more to have it professionally done, but at least it will be done right.

Good luck!

 

like i said im gonna have someone do all the work . id rather have a shop do it right that way im good to go and have no worries. so nobody has any ideas for shops in the north east ?

 

That's good. I think you'll be glad you did.

Go onto the main board and start a new thread asking for HAMBers to recommend a reputable rod shop in your area. Be as specific as possible as to location. There are lots of great shops in the Northeast. Be sure to take photos and post 'em on this thread. We like to Oooo and Ahhhhh about members new mods.

 

I have been to North East , Md. many times and it's mostly a summer resort kind of town at the top of the bay . There has to be some good speed shops and welding shops up there since Cecil County Drag-way is very close to you . My Mom lives in North East , Md. and I p***ed the race track many times so there has to be a good welding shop and speed shops around there someplace . Those would be the places I would look for first and they can tell you the best people to have the work done at .

Jim

 

yeah im at the drag strip almost every friday night up there. not many old school rides up there too often. ill just start pickin peoples brains up there and see who knows what for local shops.

 

Greenie, seems like you have gotten the best advice, there are all sorts of issues lowering these year Fords, I have experienced all of them. Currently, I am running drop 'em and stop em 2.5" drop spindles with granada discs, and aerostar springs (3" drop out of the box), no cutting required. I started with cheap Gabriel shocks up front but switched to KYB's, a little more expensive but well worth it. As others on here have stated, "you get what you pay for" when you do stuff on the cheap. In the rear I am running a mono leaf, 3" blocks and Gabriel Hi-Jacker air shocks with an Air Lift compressor set-up and 2" C-notch. That being said, I am getting ready to switch out the 3" blocks for a 2" block because my drive shaft rubs when I have a full tank of gas and the whole family in the car (me, the wife and two teenagers) and running 170 psi's in the air shocks is not good for the shocks. No issues with axle hitting frame, even on big dips. I am saving up my pennies for a Gambino notch and four link for the rear. Just take your time and keep doing your homework, and most of all, have patience to do it right the first time.