I own a fab shop... some time while I was napping...a new trend stepped up from the past... been years and years since we installed and IFS on a pre 36 ford...in fact we have removed more beside being none traditional and just not how you do things...and the $ factor that devalues the hot rod.. add a fendered car and you have such a crappy ride.... but... being in the business to make a buck....is this a one off deal??? or is the trend from 1980 comming back???
Me , I have 3 straight axels , Thinking of switching one to IFS, Or Torsion bar straight Axle with 4 bar . If I do not like I would / will cut it off .
Trends come and go and sometimes come back. Some trends from the 80's early 90's are considered old school by the youth of today . Not everyone wants 1920's handling in a vehicle they plan driving at 80MPH in traffic on twisty roads. I enjoy my IRS , IFS 28 A with mid 90's street rod stuff. I can run it as hard as my vette . Id build it traditional if I was building it today . On a fendered car I don't get all bothered by seeing a IFS I had to actually look for to see. If the customer wants it and is paying build it for them . If I had a real 32 id not remotely consider a IFS . Hot rods are always about imagination and right now traditional copys of what was traditional then are becoming almost belly button builds . Will some new trend or old trend made new like traditional is now come back? Very possable. Might see billet in 50 years again LOL.
I've had both types of suspension and I personally prefer the traditional axle, set up right they ride very go but I will agree the independent rides excellent ,if set up correctly. In my opinion, visually the dropped axle looks cleaner and better on a '32 Ford but I don't want to force way of thinking on anyone else. I had a couple of 1940 Fords and one had a dropped axle the other had independent front suspension, but road well and you couldn't see the ugly junk yard mustang II I stuck under the car. HRP
When the first Jaguar or Corvette independent suspension was installed under the rear of a pre 35 car, was it hailed as a new and beneficial upgrade OR bashed by purists who felt it was unacceptable ? The high dollar car show guys loved it and it became a desirable street option. What about just using coil over shocks instead of leaf springs,..........hailed or decried ? People often use coil overs in the rear and up front instead of leaf springs. I think "Tex" Smith was the first to use coil overs, but they weren't the nice ones we have today. Obviously just butchering the front of a car and inserting the wrong front suspension can ruin the looks of a car. Personally, I feel that many of the new designs for installing one in a 32 are pretty decent looking. Remember, a lot of these get installed in 35-48 model hot rods where you can't see them. There is a whole segment of our industry that makes these suspensions and makes their living selling them......so there must be some people out there who like them. Some people think a 4 bar is unacceptable and only a hairpin is real tradition. Me, I like em all................ Acceptable in the rear but not up front ? View attachment 6490959
I voted for dropped axle. I have had a lot of cars. The ifs cars ride a little better, but not enough better to make it worth the effort, expense, and lack of styling that comes with them. Just my opinion.
Drop axle with torsion bars, if you want to get a little hi-tech. IFS 1935 and newer only…my personal rules. On 1934 and older IFS looks gayish…IMHO.
"Acceptable in the rear but not up front ?" if you gotta ask......???? might get some gayish response
Ok, I can identify with that........... Like they say, Ignorance is bliss, so I'm very happy with my choice of independent suspension. Honestly, I like how most of them look. @hotrodjack33 Yup, sissified, less manly. Didn't they used to say that about automatic transmissions ?
Friend of mine once told me " if you are in it to make a living and they want pink flamingos you give them pink flamingos".
I guess I have the idea that the front suspension should be of stock style or design. I apply this to my newer vehicles as well. The rear suspension can be whatever is needed for the application of power. When you get in my 64 Fairlane it still feels like a 64 Fairlane because of the stock steering and front suspension although it has performance shocks and disk brakes. I want my old ride to feel like an old ride.
I hope you didn't get butt hurt when I said not to do it... it's your car,... do what you want.....I know this, I've owned 3 roadsters with IFS... took for ever to get rid of...and the constant "when you gonna put a drop axel back in it...." that and the cool part about a 32 is the front suspension...but if you look up top...80% agree... and the 6 that voted IFS,.. are from the bee hive and did it just to make me wrong...
Nah, didn't take it that way. I don't mind different opinions, we all have our preferences. I like the looks of a straight axle, always have. I find when driving my other vehicles that the smoother they ride, the more enjoyable the trip.........so I decided to try and make my car ride as smoothly "as possible". Its like everything anyone does to their car........some people will like something and some will think "Thats just wrong" for that vehicle. Some people won't like the Cadillac engine or the fuel injection I'm going to install or even the LED headlights, but I think they will see some other things that they do like when they see innovation thats hopefully well done.
I had a 54 Ford Vicky that I thought rode and drove well. Took it to a transmission shop and the young guy did a test drive. For some reason he commented on how well the power steering worked.......I told him it wasn't power steering. I didn't let him work on the transmission either. Actually I had a Pinto wagon daily driver that I thought really drove well..........till the accident.
The Jalopy Journal
