I'm hoping to get started on a little project car with a back seat so we can take the grandbabies to some car shows with us. I’ve been scouring the internet looking for any information on lowering a convertible 53 or 54 Belair and I’m coming up short. I am looking at the Gambino Kustoms Tail Dragger kit and have talked to Alex and he believes it will work with the X frame in the convertible and the upper links should clear the convertible components but he can’t tell me it’s been done before, I believe he would stick with me and help walk through the process but it’s still a little daunting to start cutting up a car without a proven plan. If you could point me to any information of someone using the Gambino kit or any other method on the convertible I would appreciate it. Picture from the internet not my car, but this is what I’m going for.
Don't do anything to the frame. Cut 2 coils up front, cut the rubber bumper stops down to about an inch, 4 in blocks in back and some leaves out of the rear spring.
Thanks guys, lowering blocks and new springs may very well be what ultimately happens with this car as nothing is set in stone just yet but I’m exploring all my options and keeping my eyes and ears open to any suggestions on a variable height suspension if you have them. We have two 30 Fords both static drops and the one with the 4” ride height looks the best and is our favorite car but is a PITA to drive out here on our country roads in Idaho and more than once it would have been nice to bump it up a couple inches to get in or out of a parking lot.
Well I drug it home and I'll get going to get started taking some measurements. I'll try and post some details once the parts start showing up.
I'm thinking something like this for the triangulated four link, it’s pretty tight back there and I’m trying to keep the anti-squat numbers reasonable. If anybody has advice other than move to the city I’d love to hear it, I’m still gathering parts so it’s not too late to make changes.
I'm committed now.. I need to make a cart for the body so I can take it over to the upholstery shop and let them get a head start on the seats and top.
Hello, Your Chevy convertible is really nice. Your grandson/granddaughters will enjoy the rides they get. Without going to all of the static lowering configurations, your worry is about clearance on your local Idaho roads. So, don’t let the naysayers get to your with cut coils and springs. Once that is done, as you know, it can’t be raised to clear road obstacles and steep driveways when necessary. So, the obvious choice is to install a good set of airbags or hydraulics if that is your custom choice. No one will be able to tell the difference if and when you install the adjustable set up. No one is going to crawl under your convertible and point out the installation. You will be able to get around anywhere with a flip of the switch. Since a lot of local cities are now installing road bumps to slow drivers down, some of them are surprising those with lowered cars that can’t be adjusted to clear the hazard. When we were little kids, there were guys that had lowered cars and then some guys had hydraulics. With the flip of a switch, they went up/down. But a few of them had skid plates covering the gas tank and rear area. Since the cars were lowered, no one saw or could see the plates. Until the car went up in front or low in the rear. Now, the sparks started a cool sight for viewers. Then as soon as it was finished, the car went back to the chosen stance. Jnaki Most, if not all have those airbags or hydraulics if that is your custom taste to be original. So, do it right and not get caught in a road bump obstruction or steep culvert at some intersection. If I had a lowered car when we had our single story house way back then, the car would not have been able to get up off of the street to get in the garage. The driveway was very steep and curved into the garage. YRMV I recently saw this cool looking original So Cal lowrider car on the public streets. Driving down the street was cool looking, as the road was usually level. But from where the photo was taken, there are several steep intersection bumps that would prevent this custom car to keep driving in the direction. So, instant raising is necessary. Knowing your local roads is also necessary and what happens in a different part of town or other locations? But, who is going to crawl under the car and check to see if it has airbags or hydraulics? NOTE: If you do used cut coils or modified springs, remember the lowered final look may have the angle you and others like. But, when you load the car up with people and "stuff," it may be too low for safety. The airbags are adjustable as we all know and fit the situations. Our 50s Chevy sedans were normal factory heights. The 57 Bel Air and 55 two toned sedans were lowered. But, when we all went cruising around in one or the other, the stance was not legal and we did get stopped. The good thing was, as soon as the teenagers got out of the lowered sedans, the legal limits were now back in place. The choice is yours and the lowering to the extremes is a good way to “lock” your car if you leave it outside for any period of time. YRMV
I have never seen the need to C notch a full bodied car. Alex's kit should do the job for him however
T…. Only if you drop all the air out at a show do you need to notch a frame; its also a drive shaft problem. Personally I don’t think is attractive at all but to some a must.
Once again instead of a four-link I'm going to recommend what was used under the GM "F" body Camaro / Firebird; two parallel lower links from axle to frame, a rigid center link from the center of the rear end pumpkin to the transmission mount and a panhard bar. Yes, you'll have to modify the driveshaft tunnel but at least you'll be able to have a usable rear seat.
20+ years ago a friend called about a 53/4 convertible body sitting in a field about 100 miles north of me. I contacted the owner and a deal was struck. I made the trip and found a rust free body, only problem was someone had ran a saws all across the floor and jams and cut the body in 2 pieces. It was also missing the doors which I happened to have on a 2 dr hardtop. I bit the bullet and brought it home. After about a year I realized I lacked the skills to put it together and sold it to a builder who turned it into a gorgeous triple black car. Wish I'd have had the ability to finish it but it wasn't meant to be.
Mack J, that is one beautiful Chevy convertible. It looks low enough to me to be a problem on bumpy roads, especially with a load of people in it. Is it adjustable, and how did you accomplish that?
Nice looking car you've built. Naysayers be damned. Maybe some detail shots of what you did w the suspension. There is an off topic section if things get to modern. Good work !
Thank you Lone Star, Yeah the Naysayers can take the fun out of our hobby sometimes but this is their house, I did post some pictures over at Chevy Talk after the mods deleted them here. https://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/369988/
Thanks for the link. Clean work you've done there. I like the way you kept the modern stuff hidden wherever possible. Over all your car has a nice cl***ic look, albeit a lower stance. I learned about Hydro shocks today too ! I understand the narrow focus of this site, I'm perfectly good with that too. I also appreciate the Off Topic forumn we have now. Perfect for builds like this. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. That's a damn fine Chevy !
Thank you for the complements.. They have been putting hydraulics on customs since the late 50's, but these new style really do have a nice ride if you can get past the "new technology" part of it.
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