First, hello, this is my first post. I joined because I have been hovering around here a couple of days looking for info, and everybody here seems like a great bunch of people. I just bought a '29 A Frame and I am going to build a hotrod. My father (the auto body man!) is currently restoring a '29 and I bought the frame out of a package deal my father bought. It's straight, solid, and it even has a few mechanical brake parts on it. No running board brackets or fender brackets, but I want to build a Hiboy, so that is ok. I have some body parts that I am salvaging from my father's unused parts, however, the frame is where we are starting. So here is my first question: How low can I lower the car utilizing a drop beam or tube axle front and probably a 4 bar or similar rear suspension without cutting the frame or the body? I am building a Tudor and want to tote the family around with me, so interior room is paramount. I would like to channel the body, but that is out of the question, so I will have to make it up in the suspension for drop instead. I have limited fabrication skills, but I am not afraid to tackle this job, I just don't know where to start. We are going to box the frame and use captured nuts for the body mounts. I will be using a Chevy V8 and transmission if this helps. Thanks in advance for your help.
Dan, you will have to modify the frame in the rear to get it any lower than 20'' inches from the ground TOT the bottom of the frame. With a 28" tire ; 14" to center - 2" for 1/2 of the axle tube plus 4" suspension travel equals about 20" bottom of frame to ground.
Doing a sedan you probably don't want to Z the frame to much. I had the same issue some time back doing my A V-8. I ended up running a Model A rear spring on a 39 rear axle and a 36 4" dropped front axle. I added 15" to the frame length to accomadate the new placement of the springs but didn't change the wheel base and set the frame 3" off the rear axle at loaded ride height. I also used a 36 Ford X member, 39 trans mount and 39 pedal unit. You can't get one lower than that without Zing the frame which I did not do. The Wizzard
The front is easy. use a dropped axle with reverse eye spring and a small tire like the old VW bug--5.60x15 This is definitely low enough, in fact the tires hit the underside of my fenders so I had to put the stock spring back on it
Thanks for the input. Does anyone here have pictures of an early Model A lowered without frame modifications? I want to see if that would be something I would be ok with. Thanks!
Here's a coupe, with fenders. Just imagine the fenders off for a highboy. There is A LOT of ground clearance hence the nick name Hiboy. 4"chop 4" dropped front axle 3" drop in the rear spring. Pretty sure that is on a stock frame Without the Fenders or aprons, the wheel arch is a mile above the wheel, the horizontal body line and bottom of the frame is far above the wheel centers. Higer than most factory 4x4 trucks.
I have been searching still and have found some more info that I was looking for. I read that a Model T spring will work to lower the rear about 3". I am trying to find out how people have fabbed up the 1/4" spacers to center the springs in the stock A crossmember. However, I have seen some pictures of some Tudors with a mild Z and there seems to be a bit of room in the cab for a raised floor pan in the rear which clears the rear and the Z, and still allows room for seats to be mounted for rear passengers. Does anyone have a Hiboy Tudor that is Z'd, and how much rear room did you maintain? Any pics? Thanks again!
In both the front and rear you can move the points where the springs attach downward, if you really don't want to Z the frame. Also you mentioned 4 bars. On mine I have a 5 inch rear Z and added about a 1 inch thick spacer block on the bracket to get the bars more of less horizontal with the frame. That is with a stock rear spring and mounts from Speedway that mount it about 3 inches above the axle. That said i could have made or bought brackets to drop it with less of a Z, but the 4 bars would have to go, and some sort of ladder bars or wishbones to replace them. Good luck. Dave
Your opening statement is Totally confusing. What mount points are you talking about? How do you move the axle end of the spring when it's on top of both front and rear axle? If you move the frame mount point down it will raise the car up. And a spacer block on a 4 bar? How does that work? I'd sure like to see a photo of that. The Wizzard
i used reversed eye springs on both ends . stared taking leaves out until i got the ride height i wanted . labor but no $$$ & no frame cut ......... steve
Here is a picture of the frame under my 27. It is a model a frame that has not been modified via Z ing. This is as low as one will go without doing that. It does settle a couple of inches when you put the rest of the stuff on though. 4 inch dropped axle, reversed eye front spring, and a model T rear spring. 5.60 front tires, L78 x 15 rear tires. Don
Some time ago I did this one stock frame axles steering and mech brakes with only springs modified, tires 6.00-16 and 7.00-16.
'41 rear with the spring behind. '34 front axel dropped 5 inches. '34 Stock wishbones and '32 crossmember. Notched the rear frame 4 inches and extended the rear frame 7 1/2 inches for the spring behind. 6.50x 16 on the rear and 4.50 / 4.75 x 16 on the front.
Sorry for the confusion. I was refering to attaching the front springs to the wishbones, and using something like a spring behind bracket for the rear. As for my spacer block, it is just that. I have speedways 4 bars, (none triangulated) which have a bracket or what ever you want to call it, that welds onto the bottom of the frame. I built a block for each side that gives me a lower mounting point on the frame. That gets rid of most of the downward angle for the bars. Other wise they really have quite a slant, without a "Z'ed" frame. I don't have a picture of it, so hopefully this will make more sence. The front has a flatter crossmember and a reversed eye spring, to drop it along with a 2 inch Z. So it's down about equal with the rear's drop. Tire size will add a bit more, when I get some. Hope this clarifys things for you. Dave
... and using something like a spring behind bracket for the rear.... The front has a flatter crossmember and a reversed eye spring,to drop it along with a 2 inch Z. I might be confused, but that sounds like frame modificatios to meeeeee. Spring behind in the rear usually means the crossmember needs to be moved back and that's another modification. Or if you move the body forward then the wheel base goes forawd and the front is also spring behind mounted on the wishbones. The rear of an a frame is flat, No kick, No sweep, No C notch, No Z, It doesn't matter what you do or how you do it - its not getting any lower than " height of the axle plus suspension travel" That's A Hi-boy. They are High.
Think you need to search a lot before you decide.4 inch drop beam.reverse eye front split bones,can do T rear spring and baby z or run short rear coilovers erline will look funny if you dont lengthenand no z.i run stock 29 spring with 6 inch z...you cant do spring behind unless you lengthen the rear fram and he said he didnt want to cut the frame.rear cent
Look thru this thread. Lots of good stuff in there. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=322162 If you see one you like, ask about what they did. Most people have no problem helping someone get started.
Thanks for the link, I was able to get some good info from some of the members there. I think, ultimately, I will have to Z the frame to get the look I am going for.
Just an update, I bought a '31 Town Sedan, and I will be restoring this one, the hot rod will come later, as it is just a pile of parts right now, and the '31 is a driver.
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