Hey all, I've been thinking lately about going lower on my Packard. My problem is, I only have 3" blocks in the back now, and the axle hits the frame with only about an inch of travel.... The front is not lowered yet, but the tired old coils are now about an inch lower than factory. What would I need to do to go maybe 2 inches lower? Also, if I cut a coil or two out of the front, how to you go about aligning everything again? I've heard its not possible with king pin suspension, but don't know if that's true or not...
I would love to do a legit notch one day... I've only ever seen it done with the body off the frame though... That might be an option later on down the road. U should probly just hold off til then, eh? On that note, I wonder if any of the notch kits for same year Chevys would work with my Packard frame? I'll take some measurements and compare...
I would think if Gambino didnt already offer a notch for the Packards, you could either trim the lower edges of the 53/54 notch, or just fit and weld as needed. I hate to jump on the Gambino wagon, but his stuff is top notch! Why dont you pull your Packard up on ramps, and shoot us a pic of the front end?
I'll drive er to school tomorrow or Monday and take pics while its on the rack... I've been checking out the Gambino stuff, looks really high quality. I might go that route once I'm ready to really bust out on everything. I'm thinking maybe next winter take er off the frame, notch it, fix the floor, and install the new wiring harness I have for it... I can live with it how it is for summer and just cruise!!!
You can do a notch without pulling the body. You also don't really need a kit, for a mild notch. Cut out the trunk floor in the area you need to work. GIve yourself enough room to weld all sides of the frame. Get yourself a couple pieces of 2 x 4 tubing 1/8" or 3/16" wall. Angle cut the ends and weld across the top of the frame above the rear. Be sure to make it long enough to overlap where you will cut out the notch for the rear by 5-6 in. Then cut out the original frame, enough room for the rear to clear it, and weld in a piece of 1/8" plate to cap off the cut ends, top and bottom. Fab new trunk floor to clear notch. Done!
Thanks man! I've never seen it done with the body on. That sounds more like a good couple of weekends, which is what I was hoping for. So you more or less build the notch on top of the old frame to keep everything in place, and then make the cuts? (I'm aware I sound like a dip sometimes)
Exactly. I did Kustom7777's shoebox Ford he bought for him in a weekend this way. Fast, Easy, and usually all you need for a C cotch is the height of the original frame rails, unless you want to "lay frame" Ughhhh! Even if the frame rails are slightly curved above the rear (my 46 Chevy was like that), it just takes a bit longer, as you need to cut the bottom of your 2 x 4 to match the curvature of the frame. (or heat and bend the 2 x4 to match the curve, but that's much more work) Since you would be cutting off the bottom of the box, I usually add another layer of 1/8" plate as a doubler, after cutting out the original rails. IIRC, I may have done a how to post on this a few years back.
The Jalopy Journal
