Dang Lowered Car.....too low for daily driving??

I drive my 60 El Camino every day. It is real low, no bags or any adjustment, just springs. Today I caught the front lower pan piece under the bumper on a parking stop block and this was the result. Ususally it just s****es them, today it caught and pulled way out. I took this pic of the damage before I took the piece off and beat it back with a hammer and dolly until it was close enough. Maybe you can see the humor in this, I actually thought it was pretty funny.

 

Yes, that s****ing sound, music to our ears!

 

I hung the front bumper on my 54 pickup over a parking block once, Had to con some guy into lifting the fender so I could back off of it. If he wouldn't have been there, I would have had to walk a mile to my son's house to get him to help. All the truck would do was spin the tires. There is a 2" x 4" tube behind the bumper and is the lowest part on the truck. The parking block got behind the tube and wedged between the tube and the tires, we HAD to lift it over! Now I park a ways back of parking blocks. Gene

 

the solution to your problem my friend, is go LOWER! get it low nuff that you can't get the pan over the parking logs and you'll be all set!

 

I damn near beached my wagon when I backed into a dip for a drain in a parking lot right after I dropped it. Had to do a little creative manuevering to get it out, and annoyed the hell outta the guy that was tryin' to pull in...but she was mobile again in no time.

Olson

 

hehehehe, my friend had a '60 elco that was LOW (cut springs). he was leaving my work one night and hit the front cross member on a metal cap that was laying on top of another (the ones that cover the hole when thier doing road work). they're supposed to be next to each other, not overlapped (he said he was doing about 25mph and he came to a dead stop). ripped open the xmember, bent the lower part down....... we had to heat it up and pound to get it somewhat back.

 

Rule #1.. you never pull a lowered ride all the way up to a parking block.

Rule #2.. **** will get s****ped up on a really low car.. especially one that is driven alot.

Rule #3.. you have to drive a lowered car with alot more care..

I know you know all of these but i had to repeat.. its ****s you damaged but you knew after the first time you scarpped it... it was a strong possibility it would happen again...or worse....

good it was fixable..

 

i just smash my gl***packs & tips from time to time. i brought the front up a little since i rebuilt the suspension so i can enjoy the smoothness but in the spring i plan on notching the bump stop mounts so i can bring her back down in the front but still have the same travel. i just have to make sure i dont cut out too much or my oil pan will be doing belly flops on the pavement everytime theres a dip in the road.

its funny when people ride in a lowered car & they all freak out & yell 'ohhhh!!!' or 'oooo man!!' when it s****es. ive been driving my car daily for so long it doesnt even phase me when she s****es. just another fun part of having a lowered cl***ic daily driver.

 

Just drive around w/ an old car body turned upside-down in the bed of it &
maybe your front end will sit high enuff to avoid that again.......

 

I used to date this girl who's apartment building driveway was too steep to get my 60 Bel Air into and it was too narrow to hit at an angle. I had to park my car in the funeral home parking lot next door. On the plus side I had a great view of it from her bedroom window

 

Try straddling a 50 pound turtle, in no hurry, in the middle of your lane, at 70 mph...with traffic coming at you on a two lane...and your '57 sits only 4 inches off the ground...needless to say it was like hitting a rock with the crossmember...whole car shuddered...and the turtle ended up being turtle soup all over the road...and on the undercarriage...

R-

 

i almost high centered the wagon going over a speed bump (there was a dip on the far side i could not see) i had to rehang the exhaust afterwards...gave a new meaning to let it s****e.

and i drive mine everyday, i have memorized every road which i can and can't go down...(especially the ones with big pot holes and excessively large undulations.)

 

I dropped my 57 4 " in the front and 3" in the rear. I have s****ed the exhaust tips of twice and hit the bottom of the trans mount on speed bumps. I am used to the s****e and enjoy watching the faces of those who have not driven a lowered car. Since they cringe and proceed to let you know you s****ed something. I just laugh.

Kevin

Drive'em hard and often

 

hahaha, terry... you rule man

been there... i use to tag train tracks with my ranchero.. people would be looking for an accident, sounded that bad

 

46Stude, that's funny, you brought up that old pic from the Round-Up last year of my El Camino with the Austin body upside down in the back. That body's weight caused the El Camino to sit on the bump stops in the back, in fact it destroyed them on the trip home. Had to replace them and put shorter ones in now.

I am like all of you with the real low cars and have each road memorized and look real close at ones that are new. My center crossmember under the engine is about 2 inches clearance with the ground. I have hit it a couple times and that is not fun, makes a real bad sound and the whole car feels the force.

I have to go REAL slow over speed bumps and then I usually s****e along the frame, good thing it is the lowest part. I removed the mufflers and put straight pipe exhaust, it now does not catch on anything. I have never got stuck, but I have high centered on many driveways, just s****e along.......

 

I enjoy seeing the p***engers clench their **** cheeks and reach for something to grab ahold of when I am driving toward a dip in the road...

 

That's the beauty of an air ride, adjustability, or at least I hope. Just installed a complete sys. on my late model pickup for that very reason, kept damaging ****. Find out this spring when she goes back on the road.

 

i like when the girls with big ****s grab their ****s to keep them from smacking them in the face.

 

If it don't spark it aint low enough.

I usually back 'em in when I'm driveing a s****per(sp?). But my style has always been slightly nose down so backin' in helps.

 

I know exactly what you mean. Especially fun with first time riders. I'm almost wore through my first skid plate under my oil pan, so I'll have to make a replacment soon....

 

I felt your pain. My 61' Galaxie's frame sits two fingers off the ground and thats my daily driver. Last week I tore a hole in my oil pan coming into work. By the time I was leaving work there was a river of oil.

Look under my car bellhouseing has some dents and p***enger rocker panel. I'm going to left it up next pay check. Put new springs, shocks, and bushings.

 

Hey Terry, I agree with Ray, cut a coupe more springs!! hahahaha
Me and some of the guys will see ya at the Roundup

 

You know your low When you have to Jack the car up to jack the car up to drop the rear end to change the tire..

 

...that's the price we pay so we don't have so far to "fall".... after too much partying....

 

I know your pain .........

 

The answer is ............go lower

 

haha, i dig that picture. at the HRHD a couple years back i saw a cherry 53 chev p/u push an empty pack of cigarettes with the front bumper. had to be bagged though, theres no way anyone can drive anywhere near NJ, Philly or DE that low.

 

my first 53 sat low enough to lose some rust over the bumps. all the shock mounts broke from bottoming out then it got real fun. going low depends on how comfortable of a ride you want or how much your suspension can handle, but sometimes new shocks and bushing isnt a bad idea.


JR

 

The frame on my Ranchero is 2" away from the grind at all times.
Most holes in the road here are double that.
I drive with care.
I'd go lower if I could.....

 

My ol' man used to have a slammed 55 Ford Convertible. 4" blocks out back, sat ON the A-arms at the front (no travel...good thing it had nice big whitewall cross plies for some spring ) and then he had some lakes pipes hanging of the bottom of that...you could just get the first half of your foot under the pipes I took it on a cruise one time with 5 ppl in it so it was riding real low out back..The cruise ends up at a football oval where we had to drive over the gr***ed hill to get in it and I perched this thing up good and proper on this little hill!! wouldn't go forward or back! Had to get everyone to disembark, couple of big burley guys standing around watchin had to lift the **** end as i proceeded to drive her forward Ahh the memories

Like they say, If sparks don't fly, then you're too high!!

Paul