53 chevy,,,,how low can i go without Cing the frame?

i want to lower the 53 belair front and rear,,in the front i'm just gonna whack the coils,,(1 1/2 coils = roughly 3", right?),,,,,ill use blocks in the back,,,the car does not have an open driveline, so i was wondering how big of a block i could use,,,,i seem to remember that a 3" block was about the most you could get away with,,,,is that correct?....thanks for the help...

 

I ran mine for a while with 3'' drop before Cing the frame and going lower,it was fine

 

I believe anything larger than a 4" block is where you get into safety issues? So 3 inches should be okay. But, as is often my lament, I am an idiot who just regurgitates half-remembered knowledge.

Tucker

 

Till it hits!!!! lol

 

I wacked 2 coils out of the front of mine without any problem. I have 3" blocks and pulled 2 or 3 leafs. It hits sometimes but it rides nice and still has the east coast rake.

Larry

 

i put dropped uprights and cut 1 coil and 3inch blocks in rear...as u can see, its not low enough yet..cuttin one more coil and taking out a leaf or 2. then it will be right..to me anyway..breeder

 

I de-arched the rear springs on my 54 by 4 inches with no clearance dramas. I'd use blocks next time cuz she rides a bit choppy.

 

2 coils from the front, 3" blocks and stock leaf pack on the rear...



It has settled a little bit more since that picture (I put new shocks on the front too). Oh man, I almost wished I hadn't started shaving the handles and trim. It doesn't look that well put together at the moment!

 

I dropped the back of mine with 3in blocks, Its pretty low in the back but I think I am going to remove a few of the leaves to get alittle more, someone back in the day cut a coil in the front then heated them a little so its pretty low. Mine freinds 53 has 3in dropped ups and I have him by a 1/2 in with 15's in the front, he is kinda mad but he still likes the way mine looks.

 

Jim, depends on the condition of the leaf springs...how much sag they have to begin with.
As everyone has said, 3-4 inches seems to be the magic number. any more than that, and you'll have less that 1 1/2 to 2" of suspension travel, ane the car will constantly be hitting the frame out back. REAL lousy ride on our ****ty NJ roads!
The front can take a bit more, but I'd stay conservative, and match it to the ride height of the back anyway.
If you remember, my Lavender 54 was about at the max you could go and still have a nice ride.

 

mark, that lavender 54 sat real nice...ill probably do what you did on that,,,,ill give you a call on mon..