Any HAMBers ever put aftermarket steel wheels on a stock 40 ford coupe? I inherited this convertible from my Dad and would like to change the stance a little without any drastic modifications if possible. (I also got his custom coupe) Not sure what the optimal size,width and offset should be for maximum effect. I am thinking the wheels will have to be special order and would like to get it right the first time. Will this do the job or do I need to change the springs as well? I would rather not do anything to this car that can't be "undone". Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Don't touch the wheels and tires...maybe some smaller tires up front. Put a dropped axle under the front and a reversed eye spring out back.
I would consider doing the same thing that has been done to the coupe. At least you have an example to work from. If that is to much work or??? then I would do what Anderson states ^^^. Good luck!
I would say put a reversed eye posies front spring and the same in back. Lowers the car about 2" and you don't have to modify anything. We did it to a stock 47 coupe a few months back and it looked pretty damn awesome.
You won't achieve the look you want just by changing the wheels/tires. As mentioned, a drop axle/reverse eyes would allow the drop to be "undone" in the future. If it were mine I wouldn't touch it, just drive it. If you feel like driving a rod you can jump in your coupe.
These are the stock 16 inch wheels with Ford script bias ply tires. The tires are about 4 inches wide at most. I was hoping for some wider radial white's. Can I safely put some wider tires on these wheels? Any clearance issues with the 16's with a suspension drop? I was thinking I maybe wanted some 15's. I would order stock looking wheels that would except the ford script hubcaps. Already have some 15 caps and beauty rings.
Bolt on a set of '50 Merc wheels. They're 15 inch rather than the stock 16. Won't lower it much, but at least it's quick and also easy to undo later.
The sedan in my avatar was stock height. I put 15" wheels and radials on it, posies super slider springs and longer shackles front and back. No drop axle, only the springs and tires/wheels. It sits lower for sure, but still not exactly the look I wanted. The only thing I would change now is go back to the tires/wheels like yours. The taller tire/wheel combo looks much better in my opinion. Hope that helps. Beautiful car.
I did my '38 & only drilled two holes for the Ch***is Engineering shock kit. Had I gone with the Pete & Jakes shock kit, I could have done it without any drilling at all. With everything else being the same, a 15" wheel only drops you 1/2". Stick with your 16's and get your 1/2" drop (or more) by going to a smaller tire. IMHO, anything smaller than a 16" looks strange on a pre-'49 Ford. I ran a 5.50x16" in the front on my 16x4" wide five wheels and only got a little fender rub at the far end of my turning radius. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=187518 Go with a Posies reversed eye spring in the rear. JH
"I would rather not do anything to this car that can't be "undone" " Brother its steel... It can all be "undone"!!!!!
Your car looks good as is. ...it'd be great lowered though. They all look better sitting low in my opinion.
Listen to what I'm saying here. If you lower your car with the tires it has now, which are awesome and about ten thousand times cooler than the wide radials, it will have more "tire tuck" up under the fender. The car might not be lower than if you went to smaller tires, but it will be lower and look tough. It's one of those things that takes a while to get, but sometimes you get lucky and figure it out sooner than later. That car with 16's and the ford script bias plys with a little lowering done is ********. Look at Harrisons car..TOUGH. You cant get that with ***** little radials. (sorry radials guys, I have nothing but love for you
Years ago the father inlaw got a truck stuck under a low bridge (top of truck box jammed against underside of bridge) ... easiest way to lower that truck was to simply let air out of the tires. In your case the handleing will suffer but it is certainly the cheapest and easiest way to lower your car. I know, I know, "you're no help" ... yeah, been hearing that my entire life .... why change now) Great looking car by the way.
I did the front of my '36 (very similar to the '40) with a Posies reverse-eye spring as several others have mentioned, and got about 3" because the spring was flatter than stock. Also as other have said, make sure the shocks have proper travel. The main thing I want to point out here is that installing a dropped axle is a LOT of work if it has never been apart. Removing the spring perches can be an absolute nightmare unless you have the proper equipment. All of the other stuff is a piece of cake.
So true. You also have to install dropped steering arms and lots of little problems have to dealt with like extending the king pin grease fittings. Your stock sway bar will still work, but don't know about the stock shocks. When I installed ONLY a Posie reversed eye front spring it lowered the front end 1 in. with no interference re suspension clearance and tire/fender clearance. The lower you go, the more potential problems. If you decide to install a Magnum 4 in dropped axle, buy the one that is 3/4 in. narrower than stock -for tire/fender clearance. The 4 in. dropped axle lowers the car 2 in.
I have 15" 75 series on the back and 70 series 14" on the front. With a 4" dropped axle and reversed eye spring, my car sat TOO low. I raised it up 1" front and rear and like it much better. I would suggest wheels and tire size, since they can easily be changed. Remember, "They are only original once".
Please do not put radials on that car!... I beg you... Like others have said, reverse eye springs front and rear and possibly a 5.50-16 tire up front would look wonderful.
Not sure how low you are wanting to go. I'm running 5.00/5.25's up front and 6.00's in the rear (stock 16" wheels). If I had it to do over I would've bought 7.00's for the rear. My springs are reversed eye Posie Superslides with a few leafs removed. I'm also running a 4" drop axle but it doesn't really sound like you are wanting to swap out the axle. A spring and tire swap should give you the look your after with minimal effort (and $$). Here are a few before and after shots of mine.
Good advice on the 3/4 in narrower axle. My tires rub, even after rolling in the lip of my fender. You just have to learn your limits (or add a stop).
A set of Mono leaf springs front and rear will do the trick. They are easy to install and can be changed back to stock easy. To drop it lower simpy install some smaller front tires on the stock 40 rims. A 40 covert needs very little to be the best looking girl at the dance.
What an awesome web site! Thanks all for the great suggestions, looks like posies or mono leaf and then decide on wheels/tires. Pewsplace thumbnails is pretty much the look I'm after, nothing drastic, just want to lose the "Horseless Carriage" look. Anyone got a link where I can see and price this stuff?
POSIES Springs Front Springs start at $175 http://www.posiesrodsandcustoms.com/super_slide_springs/35_48_springs/ Rear Springs $275.00 http://www.posiesrodsandcustoms.com/super_slide_springs/28-48-rear-springs/
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