I have a 39 Dodge coupe that is unmolested. I'd like to know what others are doing to get their cars down on the ground. I have looked @ Fatman & Jim Weimer rod garage they sell frame stubs so that you can use a Mustang ll front suspension. I've been told that in order to use a Mustang ll on my coupe I will have to cut off the existing frame @ the firewall. What have others done or used on their cars similar to mine. Any info. that you all can give will be greatly appreciated. I'm not to savy on this topic so I need some help.
Jerry, Your 39 Dodge should have a pretty decent independent front suspension. replacement parts are available, and they have coil springs in front. You could probably replace the coil springs with air bags. There is lowering uprights available also. There are disc brake conversions and you can add rack and pinoin steering also. The rear end has parrelle leaf springs with the axle mounted above the springs. You could put in spacer blocks to lower it a couple inches in the rear or update it to any number of rear suspensions currently available. The original frames are pretty decent pieces, I didn't cut mine off. but if I would have I probably would have gone to a Dodge Dakota style clip. Gene
using a Mustang 2 or using the original front and updating it can end up costing about the same money. What do you want to do with the car? Mild lowering in front? One coil cut on the stock springs will get you that. Long distance traveling car with modern powertrain, etc? Are you concerned about being able to return the car to stock later, if necessary?
Thanks for the response to my ?s regarding my dodge. I'm yanking out the flathead and replacing it with a slant 6 and an automatic. I wanted to go with a SBC and a T350 but it won't be in my best interest $$$$$. My buddy convinced me that it would be way more affordable by using an alternate drivetrain. I have a running donor car that was way inexpensive and is good running order. I want to use my dodge for a daily driver and scooting around to local shows up north like in S.F. and S.J. I guess I'll have to do some math and figure out how much I want to spend on my front suspension. I have more $ to play with now that I'm going to use the slant 6. I'd like to hear from some more people if anyone has anymore interest. Thanks again for the input.
The down side to rebuilding the original front end even with a disc brake conversion, would be the steering. There really isn't a good alternative. I built a 40 Plymouth some years back, and fabbed all my own stuff using a GM power box which required notching the frame to get it away from the engine, adding an idler arm to the p***enger side of the frame, and building a new center link. It was a lot of work, but well worth it, if you are a machinist, welder, and have all of the proper equipment, go for it. If I had to do it again, I would sub-frame it, but thats a lot of work as well. Fat Man would be the better choice of the two you mentioned, but it has it's share of problems as well.
I put a power rack and pinoin steering in my 39 Plymouth. I used a rack from an 88-93 Chevy Calivier. Those racks have the inner rack steering connections at the center of the rack. Gives you nice long tie rods. I actually had to shorten the tie rods from the rack to fit in the Plymouth. Steering componets from a Dodge Intrepid (93-97) and the Calivier use interchangable tie rods when used as a set. The Intrepid rack is the same design as the Calivier rack except the Dodge rack is a front steer and the GM rack is a rear steer. Your 39 Dodge needs a rear steer rack. I made brackets to mount the rack under the frame. I had to put about a 10 degree bend in the intrepid tie rods to clear things under the car and I shortened the intrepid rods about 2" on each side. There is a LOT of adjustment on the intrepid rods to set toe in. The two biggest issues were the intrepid tie rod ends were smaller diamiter then the old original tie rod ends. I was trying to have a set of bushings made, but got in a bind for time, so I welded the hole shut in my steering arms and drilled them out smaller then used a die grinder to put in the tapper. If I would have had the time, I would hve either used the bushings or at least used a tappered reamer in the welded holes. The second issue has to do with the GM steering rack. The rack to steering column end on the GM rack is a special size. You need an "intermediate shaft" from GM, only problem is the one for the 88-93 is no longer available. You can use the one from a 94 and up GM car, the book doesn't list it as useable, but it worked for me. It is about 6" long and has the special size end on one side of the steering u-joint and the standard 3/4" DD female on the other end. (The Mopar rack uses the 3/4" DD all the way through.) I used a standard Mopar power steering pump with custom made hoses. Things get a little crowded under there around the back of the steering pump, but everything fits nicely. (I have a Mopar 3.9 V6 in my Plymouth). The only steering componet between the motor and the original frame is the steering shaft. My 39 Plymouth has a disc brake conversion with all new US made componets (not the China stuff), rebuild suspension, a reman steering rack, new tie rod ends, a good used power steering pump, both new steering hoses, a new 7" brake booster and master, a firewall pedal ***embly, and a Dakota steering column. All together I have a little over $1,000 in the steering and brake conversion. The car drives real nice, and I'm getting about 21 mpg @ 70 mph. Pictures: 1st is the compasirason between the original steering box with tie rods and an Intrepid rack with tie rods. The Calivier rack and the Intrepid rack are the same design. 2nd This be an Intrepid rack and tie rods. 3rd This be one of the Intrepid tie rod sides. All the adjusting is at the actual tie rod end, and there is about 2" of useable adjustment per side! Think about that for a moment, 4" of total, useable, tie rod adjustment... The remaining 14" or so is a nice 5/8" diameter solid steel bar to cut, weld, and bend as needed. I'll have to get under the car and get pictures of the mounting brackets and the bends in the rods. Gene
Im using the original front end in my 39 Plymouth with fatman dropped spindles, and cut springs, On the rear I got the rear leaves reset and the eyes reversed, took out a couple of leaves and 2 inch blocks (home made of course). I am still running the original 16inch wheels. Hope fully I can attach a pic, it is now a little lower than this.
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