I'm going to be replacing the suspension on my 52 very soon and would love to get some feedback from HAMB'ers. i was looking at the 2 or 3 inch drop Deluxe Lowering Kit from Jamco, but am not sure if that's all i'd need or if i should add in the dropped spindles too? Is Jamco a decent company? Are there any others out there i am not familiar with? Anyone else go through the same thing? Thanks!
Do a search on here about jamco.... Seems like they were having problems. I might be wrong though. They do have the stuff on ebay, which would be your best bet to purchase it. Actually better would be to contact gambino on here and have him set you up with his stuff, he sells Fatman stuff and is an Alliance Vendor, so you can save some money when you buy your Alliance membership!!
two quick questions: ok, so i've got a set of coil springs and leaf springs on the way and i'm looking at shocks next. the springs are manufactured 2 inches lower that stock. anyone have any recommendations for shocks? also, i have about 6 inches of play in the steering wheel, either way. i am thinking about rebuilding the front end while i'm doing the springs. thoughts? (i've been thinking about doing the front end rebuild - for safety's sake anyway).
I used "Ch***is Engineering" front & rear suspension kits on my 52 Chevy. It bolts right in to existing holes from your original suspension plus a few that you have to drill. I got 2" drop spindles on mine and it rides great. On the rear leaf springs I used the Ch***is Engineering "Low Rider" springs, they drop your rear end 3" right off the bat and like the front, they bolt right in to original holes. One of the main reasons I like the set up up is god forbid I get T-Boned or some kind of side accident I could unbolt all of the suspension easily. Oh & I used the CE Trans mount too. Call them Ch***is Engineering 319-643-2645 Ask for Denny (He has a 51 or 52 Chevy) Hope this helps buddy. Cheers, Sam Navarro
no. My recomendation is skip the drop springs and spend the money on droppped uprights and the ball bearing kingpin conversion. I had it on my 49 and it was a great buy.
I beat the hell outta my 52, with just plain ol rebuilt frontend and cut coils. Rides fine looks good and didnt break the bank. Nothing wong with clips and Mll kits but there's nothing wrong with nice well built stock suspension either. Just depends on your overall goal. I like my old cars to feel like an old car, thats part of the enjoyment of it for me. There's some good info on here about lowering these cars, Droplord has a nice tech on "stepping" lower control arms for a couple inches of drop thats a whole lot cheaper than any kit/dropped uprights out there. Use a 53/54 upright for an extra 3/4" and cut one coil and your riding in style on a budget. Blocks and airshocks will get you sitting decent out back, although If I was gonna spend some $ the rear dropped leafs would definatley be nice! When I rebuilt the frontend I lost almost all of that steering wheel slop, rides and steers a whole lot better. Hope this helps
@Lone Star Mopar: Definitely helps, thank you. I'm with you... an old car should ride like an old car. I went with front and leaf springs manufactured about 2 inches lower than stock and am rebuilding the front end. I WILL drive the hell out of his car this season! @Sam Navarro and deto: thanks for the recommend.
Suspension arrived! I went ahead and ordered Porter mufflers as well. Everything i've read about them is GREAT. Now... Any recommendations on steering columns? I'm looking to get rid of the tilt column currently installed (by previous owner) and go back to something rather original looking. Same with the wheel... I want to keep it traditional.
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