1952-59 Ford suspension clearance

I personally prefer the parallel 4 link to the triangulated 4 link, its a little more user friendly, but you have to have a panhard bar. Its what I have on mine right now. That being said, if I were to rebuild mine or start over on a new one, I would use a truck arm setup, more clearance, even easier to set up and use, and very reliable and it works! If it didnt nascar wouldnt still be using them on all those racecars of thiers. no matter what you do though there will be floor clearance and c-notch issues the lower you go.

 

Just my .02 (for what its worth) and some pics. I am running 4" blocks in the rear and cut coils up front on 14" wheels. I am getting ready to do the aerostar coil change up (thanks to all that have given out the info on here) and get rid of the lake pipes. While I like the stance, the ride ****s, not being able to drive her down certain streets ****s. I have actually not been able to get her into certain shows because it’s so low I couldn’t get her into the parking lot. Blocking her up to get her up the shop driveway every time is a *****. It’s a good thing I have the lake pipes b/c I’ve had to use them as skid plates and I am certain they have saved the body and undercarriage from serious damage here and there. Just some food for thought before someone decides to drop the car so low it becomes impractical to drive and enjoy. Again just my $.02, be realistic on stance...or just bag it. Good Luck on figuring it out and post pics of her when your done Green Grenade.

 

Red Baron , are you referring to the long arms that attach to the rear and go toward the front of the car/truck and attack to the frame ? That is also a really good one that I forgot about . I think you are correct about that set up giving you more movement up and down before hitting or binding up . The 4 link is limited on the up & down movement just like the Mustang set up . All have there pros & cons . The parallel set up with the pick up truck version is easier of any of the others that have been discussed so far . Somewhat close to the GM rear end that doesn't have leaf springs . I personally like the 4 link the best due to the ease of adjusting the rear for weight transfer and don't need much space to install one either .
Good point !

Jim

 

AROCK , Excellent point ! That's what I was trying to explain to him earlier in a couple posts too . It really looks kool at that stance on a nice flat street but unless you have airbags to lift the car off the ground when these places arrive , you are plain screwed !
Sounds like you need air bags too !
OH BTW , I also like the way your car sits !

Jim

 

ive been talkin with SCR8PINHRD here on the hamb. hes like 30 minutes from where i live, he had a really nice 54 chevy that he did a parallel 4 link setup on and hes shown me pics of some of his other cars and work. ive been talking with him about a 4 link setup and a step notch. im starting to really think bags are the way to go. the price really isnt as bad as i thought it would be. plus the adjustable height will keep me from tearin **** up. that would get really old. im gonna keep talking to him and weighing my options. gotta keep workin to save some more cash too ! lol thanks, guys. the opinions here are great help and full of awesome advice

 

If you really want to run your car low you will find a way to drive it.
I have s****es on the underside of the front bumper and the running boards. You just learn to live with it. The front end is actually lower than in this picture.
Ken

 

I'm dropped about 5-6 inches in the rear (depending on how much you want to compensate for spring sag), and about four inches in the front, with 14s (wrapped in f-78 14s), and I drive the car every day from march to november. And I dunno, I think my car looks rad with 14" wheels, especially when one considers that they're almost as old as the car.

Yes, it ****s to change rear tires; however you do it a few times and you develop a system that suits you. Its a PITA, but I can do it by myself (but no space for a spare so it doesn't matter anyway).

All I can really say is, different strokes for different folks. If you want a car low, you've got to understand it isn't the same as it was at stock height. Pot holes and road construction become the enemy.

 

Even with all the options , I still love the 4 link the best . Got to have a Pan-hard bar to keep the rear from walking out the side of your car ! You can get an inexpensive 4 link , that's all you will need . You don't need the higher priced ones I used when drag racing . Bags you can get cheap too . Your not building a hopper so cheap is fine . I am wondering if you can get some used set ups from the salvage yards . Aren't bags used on bigger cars for a better ride height under a load ? I remember my mother-in-law having bags and an small air pump that raised and lowered the car depending on the weight put into the car . I am wounding if they can be used for your build ? I mean you only need a switch to raise or lower the car really .

Jim

 

yea I was talking about that kind. There is only so far you can go with a static drop (no airbags), before its just impracticle to use. I personally love cars all the way on the ground (comes from being into mini trucks back in the day), so for me bags are the way to go. Some day I will have something on juice, but thats a ways off.

 

yeah, i like cars lowww. and bags definately seem to be the best way to get there after i read more and more. and yeah ive been talkin to him about the parallel 4 link, panhard and step notch. how much of a step notch should i go for ?

 

I cant remember how big of a notch mine has, but its a little bit more than the thickness of the frame rails. Possibly a 4 inch notch?

 

Depends on how much space you need to get it to the ground ! Then add some space for the bump stops and you should be good to go . I would guess about 2 frames taller !

One important thing you haven't asked about is , when it's dropped to the ground , make really sure you have plenty of space for those tires to hide into or you are going to hear all kinds of noise as you try to drive the tires through the trunk tubs ! Make sure you cut the tubs out before you drop that car the first time ! Leave plenty of room for that area also just in case you go to a bigger tire down the road someday !

Jim

 

yeah. i had planned on just cutting the trunk and wheel wheels out and just re do them after the car is slammed that way i have plenty of clearance

 

Well sounds like you have the bases covered . So when are you going to get stated on it ? Make sure you get plenty of pictures for your "Build Book" and post some for us to see too !

Jim

 

it wont be gettin started till after the holidays. probably february. just doin some homework now to com up with the best setup

 

That's the best thing to do . That way you have your bases covered before you start the project .
The cheapest 4 link I have seen was the one I showed you for around $200 which is really all you need . You can make a 4 link if you have a plasma cutter for the brackets . Then use thick wall tubing for the arms , the tap the ends for the couplers . They aren't too hard to make if you have the tools . There are some places you can just buy the brackets to weld to the frame & rear . Just trying to think of ways to save you some money ! Of course the kits are the easy way to go .
The bags set up is what the problem is . I would suggest getting decent bags for the rear . I don't think you need a big air tank since you mostly just need it to keep the car at a certain height or pump it up when you park the car & drop it on the ground . You will need a pump and tank to be able to pick the car back up that won't take too long . You might find a good used set up down in Baltimore that do that kind of work . You can also make a post in the Wanted Ads on C/List for one too . You will also need to make sure your alternator has enough amps to run the pump .

Jim

 

Would you plan on hitting the switches a lot, or just the occasional parking lot drop? The more you operate the switches the more air your gonna need. I have a habit of messing with them at stop signs etc. With a ten gallon tank and 1/2inch air lines I can only drop and lift it a couple of times before the compressors kick on (I have two of them), which takes about 2-3 minutes to refill the tank. The bigger the tank the more times you can lift the car before the comps kick on, the bigger airlines will allow it to lift faster (allows more air to get to the bags faster), and more compressors mean less down time. There is lots of options to set ups depending on what you wantt to do with the car. Personally I would recommend the slam specialties air bags, They have features that others dont. I am swapping out mine for them as soon as I find the time.

 

cool thanks for all the info. i have a feeling i would probably mess with them a lot at lights or whatever hahaa. id rather just go ahead and get a real nice setup that could handle everything well right from the start so ill probably go for the larger tank, lines etc right from the get go

 

well that's why I was asking about what you wanted to do with the car . Yep you will need a couple big tanks and compressors if you are going to be playing a lot !
Just don't short cut yourself on a system that will be too small for the job .

Jim

 

might as well have some fun if im gonna bag it hhahaha. and ive always liked to do things right the first way. i figure it would save me money in the long run and i wont have any regrets.

 

That is the best way to think of it!! On mine, I dont have a solenoid block mounted in the trunk like the accuair's, rather I have Parker valves and they are mounted near the bags themselves, less distance the air has to move to actually get in the bags. I have firestone bags now and they are good, but I plan on using the Slam Specialties bags in the near future. They also started making a dual valve that looks interesting, but I havent heard of anyone using them yet. You can wire it so that you have a choice of a large orifice or a small orifice (basically the car will raise/drop fast or slow depending on which switch you hit). The 1/2 air lines will allow them to move faster as well. I recommend the Vair compressors, and you will probably want two of them so that you dont wait tooo long to fill up. Any other questions, let me know I will let you know what I have/ and have learned. =)

 

You are thinking the right way on building anything ! If you cut corners and buy 1/2 *** cheap **** , then that is what you will get . Check into all the different bags and set ups that are out there and compare each one till you find the one that fits your needs . Just because they are the most popular or most expensive , doesn't mean those are the ones for you . Take your time and do it the right way .

Jim

 

so i think i have a pretty good idea as to the parts list for a bag system. can you guys give me the rundown to make sure i have everything listed ? thanks

 

1 Air Tank (preferably 10 gal)

4 Air bags (preferably Slam Specialties)

8 solenoids or a solenoid block

Compressor (prefferably 2 high cfm Viar)

Heavy gauge wire to power compressor

Inline fuse for heavy wire

Switches (I have 4, on-off-on config, gets me front, back,side,side control) or a prewired switch panel

Air line 3/8 or 1/2 depending on what you want (thought I had 1/2 but it really is 3/8)

Air line connectors (amount and type are dependent on how you plumb the air lines and whether you get individual valves or a solenoid block

Wire and electrical connectors to connect solenoids and pressure shut off switch

Relay to disconnect power from compressor via the tank pressure switch or ignition.

Tank pressure shut off switch

Good cutters to cut air hose with

Wire crimpers and strippers

Water seperators to plumb between compressor/s and air tank to prevent water from entering the system.

I might be missing something, but I think that would give you a good start.

 

wow your the damn man ! hahaha. thanks dude. i was missin a couple things

 

that dual valve seems interesting. if im driving and see sumthin on the road, ( roadkill or pothole or whatev) i can pop it up quick, but at the same time i could drop/raise it slower in a parking lot. i dont want it to raise so fast that it knocks ur teeth out. hahaha. i looked around on youtube and some of the setups are pretty ridiculous. this should be fun tho

 

if you get those dual ones let me know what you think of them, I am on the fence of retro-fi***ting the accuair set up, o getting something like that. The parker valves that I am using are the gc 350. They pop mine at a nice speed, not to fast or too slow, but after 8 years of abuse they are starting to stick lol!

 

yeah. if i didnt go with those dual valves i just want a nice controlled speed. i dont want the car jumping 3 feet everytime i hit the switches lol

 

here is a link that got brought back from the tech archives that will help you with the planning, I dont know if you will be able to see the pics though, all I can see are red X's, but the info is still good and relevant!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5903