Seems like the pioneers in the 40s 50s and 60s had some sweet machines. They had great stance, and creativity when it came to utilizing what they had. Seems like so many people just order an IFS kit out of a catalog or buy reproduction...I am trying to lower my 48 ford like they did back then before mustang front ends or even mustangs for that matter even existed. Anybody got some ideas? If you had a 48 ford in 1952 what would you do to it to get it as low as possible?
lowering blocks,,cut coils,,,stepped frames,,,,flipped spindles,,,,reversed leaf springs,,,,removing leafs,,,,,bags of sand in the trunk (haha)...channeling,,,,,mounting the rear on top of the springs,,,shackles,,,,smaller wheels/tires in the rear,,,,a arm spacers,,,,heated coils (not recommended,,but one way).... those are pretty much all of the traditional ways i know,,,,remember that most of the cars were not lowered as much as the ones being built today
Gee..... I never thought of myself as a "pioneer". That makes me feel real old! LOL! Fords got reversed spring eyes and cement bags in the trunk or a few leaves removed. 15"merc wheels helped too. Chevs got lowering blocks and heated coils.
A '48 Ford back in the day would have probably had a dropped axle, some leaves removed or a dearched spring up front. Out back a dearched spring with some leaves removed and long shackles would have worked. Mick
plan to begin by removing some leafs and trying some long shackles I had made. By removing leafs, will that make it necessary to make any additional changes, ie, spindels or steering arms for clearance, or does removing the spring bring it down without affecting the other components?
WHY would you want to lower a car the old way...they ride hard, steer hard and don't get very low... USE modern techniques...the ride is smoother, the steering is easier, the look is better and you won't have to keep aligning it. R-
Pretty much what the 46 Ford sedan my pal just got is/was running. The car was quite low, about as low as you'd want to go for regular street use . . . a little too low to my eyes, but it looked good. The rear had parallel leafs with a couple leafs removed and 3" lowering blocks. The front W/dropped axle had what looked to me to be simply a turned over main leaf (not re-arched) and a couple leafs removed from that. Worksmanship was a little sloppy in a few areas, but easily rectified. A new Posie's slider brought the front up about 1 1/2" and it still looks low. He did make a pair of 1" lowering blocks, but with the sagged to the point of the spring arch being bowed up in the middle it didn't bring the rear up much. Plus, the rear axle doesn't sit where it should and is about 1 1/2" forward of the factory placement. The present spring looks like a half ton Dodge van, but measures differently from a half ton Dodge van spring we spotted in the wrecking yard. He plans to grab the wrecking yard van springs. They should work better with a couple more leafs and the rear axle will sit in the proper fore and aft location along with putting the driveshaft in the proper location vis a vis the trans tailshaft. The ride wasn't too bad as it was and it should improve somewhat with the new front and rear springs with their additional travel. I was kinda glad to see a dropped axle in the car. Pretty much the way I'd do it if I ever found a 40 Ford to build. Solid axles actually ride pretty well if you put some thought into them. Only other thing he's doing to the car besides an A/C unit is a Camaro disc brake setup. He thinks the disc brakes were necessary, but it seemed to me the 46 Ford drum brakes were doing ok. I suppose a front coil spring clip is ok if it's done correctly, but they bring their own problems to the mix.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And a question of my own; is the stock panhard bar on the 46-48 Fords straight or curved? My pal's has a shallow S-bend in his, but it seems to me that the panhard bar should have been straight. Maybe it was originally, but we see no bending marks etc. on the bar.
My 47 coupe will have everything that a late 40's/early 50's custom should be when viewed from the outside. No one has to see the air ride components or the 302 SBF, but they sure make it run/ride better. I will never have it "air bag low", its not what Im aiming for, but it does give a lot of versatility for different driving conditions. I love the early custom look, and call me a poser, but all I need is the look, not primitive mechanics.
my hudson is way too low with too much cut out of the front springs by the previous owner, but i wouldnt have it any other way. it handles nicer than ANY other car i have driven -modern sport and luxury cars included- and i can only imagine it getting better once i iron the little issues out. its a sturdy old thing and takes the punishment of hitting holes and bumps at 60mph without a worry. 3" blocks in the rear do a good job
Most lowered Fords with transverse springs in the '50s got that way by torching the springs (so they're gull-wing looking) and/or long shackles. Both are terrible ways to lower a car. Lurker Mick's menu includes most of the ways to lower an early Ford that are period correct and relatively sanitary. If you use long shackles at either end, be sure to add a Panhard rod to prevent side sway.
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