I called Buffalo Enterprises and talked to him about his dropped uprights. He says that the 53 uprights can only be dropped 1 1/2 inches. That is not enough for my taste. I mentioned something about using lowering springs from Jamco to lower it the rest of the way and he almost came unglued. He said, (and I quote) "Who ever told you that was full of ****! Lowering springs are a rip off. They don't work." I can't believe that this is true. Jamco has been selling them for years. I know both companies have a good product. But the says that the lowering springs will not work. He is wrong... Right?? Fill me in.
Buffalo really knows his stuff. When he did my 49 uprights I told him I was going to put in springs with 1 1/2 coils cut off. He advised me not to do it...I did it anyway. It was way too harsh of a ride and it bottomed out over even the smallest hump. It even dragged on the crown of the street. So I put in the stock springs and it is a much better ride and still sits nice...not as low as before but a nice low.
i put 2 1/2 inch dropped spindles and 3 inch dropped coils in my 47 chev and its still rides nice and the fender lip is down to the rim covers the whole top of the tire. .its no stock ride but its very very driveable.
See I knew this wasn't the case. Why would there be so many lowering springs on the market if they were as he put it "****". The guy is super smart and does really good work. I just don't see what his problem is with lowering springs. He was saying something about the amount of camber and caster be put into the uprights. Might this be part of the problem??
I think you'll find more guys who cut springs regret it than those who don't. I read lots of posts where they hate the ride. I also think Buffalo feels it is most important to keep the lower A frames parallel to the road when at ride height. I don't think you can do that cutting the stock springs. You may find you can get lower with a swap to an MII?
I have 3" lowered Jamco springs on my 52 Chevy. One of my next projects is to install the dropped uprights and get rid of the lowered springs. They lower the car and it looks good but the ride stinks. I have the bump stops cut down to about an inch and only have a couple inches of travel before it bottoms out. They ride nice on a decent road but I wouldn't use them again and I wouldn't recommend them. The spring rate was made for my car - engine/trans combo... one step above cutting the coils.
I don't agree. My car has 2 coils cut out of it and the lower A arms are perfectly parallel to the road. You can do that with cutting stock springs. But that is not what I am wanting to do. My car allready has this and I hate it. I do agree that the ride ****s. This is why I am wanting to get a better suspension. I do not want to go the mustang II route. I don't want to go that low.
my 51 sat pretty low...i didnt have dropped up rights,but i cut the coils i think it was 2 coils i cut out.. the lower A-frames were just about hitting the crossmember,hardly any travel.,not really even driveable...,i was upset then my dad told me about an old trick called "STEPPING down the A-frame" (not what your thinking.) it is actually a 1 inch thick block that goes between your crossmemeber and the the A frame where the lower A frame bolts to the crossmemeber. the weird thing is that when it is in place it actually pulls the lower a-arm in and helps correct some of that negative camber from lowering it. after that it rode GREAT! A arms didnt come close at all. ..now..the A arms were not parallel with the ground anymore,but since its a king pin front end and not a balljoint,i didnt really see the issue,(it was powered by a stock 235)and its not like i was going to be driving the car in the baja 1000...
i dont think i have any pics of the set up ( no longer have that car either) hard to describe without pics , ..but think of those spring pocket spacers used for lowering shoebox fords. but instead the spacer would go were your lower A frame bolts to the crossmember, that spacer pushes the pivot point away so the a arm has more room to swing now. it was a super cheap way to do it,but probably not for everybody as it will take away a lil scrub clearance on the car i'm doing now,i want it even lower,so i'm not sure if i'm going that route, that's why this thread has been interesting to me, kinda undecided on spending the bucks on dropped uprights if the guy who makes them claims they wont work with lowering srpings....plus my kingpins and steering box are wore,,so ive been thinking going other route,,but thanks for bringing this thread up.
Look for Coles old tech on modifying the A arms and crossmember. It will get you what you want Sammy.
I put Aerostar coils in my 49. Dropped the front by around 2.5". Ride is still nice since you're not cutting the coils. There was a tech article on here a while back with some nice pics, along with the part numbers i think. The best way to do it is with lowered spindles, but this is a cheap (and super easy) alternative. Also the upper eccentric will take out the extreme camber caused by using shorter coils. I love the way mine rides now, highly recommended.
I'd say Steve - Buffalo - was referring to cut coils. When they are cut, the loss of tension/recoil is lost, so they ride like ****. Springs are progressive in nature, something like the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts. Steve is a knowledgeable bloke, gruff at times, but right on the money in so many areas. BTW I ran custom made lowered - not cut - coils in my 54, and it drive real nice
steve really knows what he is talking about. he is usually direct and to the point,both in person and on the phone. been by his shop more than a few times and was very impressed. some people i have talked to would describe him as "abrasive" but my response was "pussies!"
Wrong. He was very specific about the difference between cut coils and lowering coils. He made it very clear about how he felt about them. By the way. I'm not bad mouthing Buffalo. He has great products and really knows his stuff. This whole thing just threw me for a loop. I happen to not agree with him on this specific topic.
Buffalo's biggest problem is that he cant admit when he is wrong. In my opinion that doesnt make him abrasive, it makes him an ***. We just put a set of his spindles on a 47 sedan delivery. all I can say is that in my opinion, for the money, there is better out there. I am with you mynameisnotpete - when the day is done, I happen to not agree with him on this subject too
EXACTLY!!!! I had a huge go 'round with him years back concerning an adapter kit for a 235/350 combo. He absolutely would not admit he was wrong and was YELLING at me?!?! After we hung up, he apparently made some calls and found out he was indeed wrong about the particualr set up I was running (year of motor, etc.)...but I woulda never found out if I hadn't called him bck to talk to him one more time. He still tried to push off some of the blame on me. **** that guy.
I didn't start this thread to badmouth Buffalo by any means. I would say "F" that guy, But I wold check your facts and make sure he has what you need. The guy is a wealth of info. Just make sure he has the right info for you.
hey Pete - I dont want to bad mouth buffalo either, but facts is facts. He may have a wealth of info, but he is not the only guy doing this. He yelled at me for the last time too when he was wrong - thats a hell of a way to run a business when I am standing there with cash in my hand wanting to give it to him. Screw that - I was only trying to get parts for my rod. I'll take the *** whippin if its my fault. but when its not my fault and the guy does it (twice) , I'll find someone else who wants my money and wont treat me like an *** hole
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