6" lifted A arms on 55-57 Chevy? Can you drive it?

I made my own out of two sets of spindles. Been 30 years but as I recall I cut the bottom off, moved it up and welded it back on, then cut the top off another spindle and welded that on further up. Surprisingly they held up.

 

Guy out here has 3 inch drop spindles on his wagon, mounted upside down and gets him lift, looks OK even

 

I'm trying to figure out how a 6" lifted frontend car could "ride like normal". The high center of gravity makes this sound kinda scarey. Can anyone enlighten me?

 

Not any worse than a 4x4, but I think what's being referred to is the steering and ride quality which remain much as standard, at least if you use the stock springs like I did.

 

How hard would t be to build brackets to reposition everything lower and slightly forward?

One for the steerin box, one for the pitman arm. Upper control arm may just need new holes and a reinforcing plate. Maybe a new crossmember to carry the lower control arms?

I'm referencing my idea to what the Falcon type suspension looks like as I'd one day like to build an OT gasser lookin street freak thing out of a Maverick.

 

Impossible with stock Tri Five Spindle's. Balljoint's differ upper and lower for 1 plus camber would never be correct. What application or vehicle are you referring to?

 

I've had several straight axle cars. Do em' right and they drive fine, but if you're lookin' for the ball joint/a-frame look thats a different ball game

 

Finally! Been waiting for somebody to make some sense! A straight axle doesn't drive poorly, nor are they all over the road, or handle and ride poorly, IF they're propery installed and sprung.
With all the work it takes to get an A arm car raised 5"-6" it will definitely ride and handle poorly that much higher. And you want some bump steer? Wait until you hit a good bump and the tierod angle sends it all over the road! There's a lot of changes in geometry to go that high.
A conservative lift of 2"-3" with A arms would drive nicely, but that's more reasonable. I'd go straight axle, and have somebody install it who knows them, if you want 5"-6" of lift.

 

A dipsh*t used to come by the shop every week or so... I was installing Shelby tube front axles I fabbed from a boiler factory in San Jose.

His '55 Chevy was his 'rolling lab'...Big experiment.
He had installed 5" pipe nipples between his frame and body mounts...Stood 'em right up! (nipples were threaded on both ends...he had 7/16" X 6" grade 5 bolts from Orch'd Sup'.
Steering box was loosened and notched at the frame...it all fit.

But it irked me, first off, because I could see DAYLIGHT between the body & frame...

Second, because I didn't think of it first! (I was going thru steps (notching the tube, inserting 3/16" tab between axle tube and king pin boss for strength, and locating the accessory springs and shackles, plus fabricating a drag link/tie rod to get alignment and steering geometry!

You see my dilemma... LOL

No, I wouldn't have 'pipe-lifted' my customers' gassers instead...but the 'dude' suggested I should. "Who'd know? Save yourself all that needless work..."
This was 1965. Wonder where he is now...

 

No kidding, although this is an A Frame thread the info given is giving me the chill's. In either app. Straight Axle or A Frame, there's a right way and a wrong way.

 

Back in the 1960's when the trend of raising the front of the car to sometimes ridiculous heights was all the rage,the early Corvette boys would fabricate I beams that would bolt to the frame and crossmember.It would require cutting out the front crossmember and bolting the I beams(either 3" or 6")between the frame and the crossmember.
As the Corvette front suspension(53-62)is the same as the passenger car(although I'm not sure the track is the same),I suppose this could be done to a 55-57 passenger car.
I drove a 61 Corvette that had 6" I beams in it and it was the most evil handling car I've ever driven. The owner(my brother-in-law) soon removed them.

 

How are you fellas lifting the back of a 55 chevy gasser?

 

Floor jack?

 

Lol. reminds me of a Hitch Hiking joke. Next time you see a Hitcher along the road side, pull over and ask if they need a lift. When they say "Yes" reply with "Then stick a jack up your Ass"

 

I have a 57 Chevy that was apparently a Drag Car in the very distant past. It has spindles which are cut off and other spindles welded lower, raising the front end about 6". It looks pretty hokie to me, but others have seen it, and say that back in the day, this was a way to gasser style without straight axle. I don't think I will use it, preferring to go with speedway front axle. I would love to post pictures, but cant quite figure how to add them. Maybe some instructions on adding pictures?

 

raced a 55 chevy back in the mid 80s called to fat to fly in the chicago area with my 55. the owner was killed not long after that when he juiced a kz900 and it got away from him in elgin il. atleast i think it was elgin.

 

Corvettes and early 50's Chevy cars both used the same crossmember and suspension, and no need to "cut out" the crossmembers, as they were a bolt in asseembly. The extensions made to raise them were just bolted to the frame, and the front assembly bolted back to the extension. Pretty hokey back then, or now.

 

That's pretty much what I did. I was about 19 at the time. Would I do it again? No way! But as you say, I put a lot of hard miles on it.

 

A few examples from previous thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=617196&highlight=55+57+chevy+spindles

 

Yes, 16 bolts, and special "nut plates", bolt the suspension cradle to the frame. The I-beam trick was effective, but ugly as heck. To raise the 51 Bus Coupe my nephew and I are building, we used 16 separate, steel, tubular spacers; we then welded in side plates to further strengthen, and stabilize the assembly. It looks good, and functions well, and because the suspension is essentially stock, the ride has't been affected. There's really no way to do this with the Tri-Five Chevrolet's, so the stacked spindles (AKA raised spindles) accomplishes the same thing, lifts the front end without making the ride harsh. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Great idea on the spacers. The '54 Chevy I just bought has 7" riser blocks sandwiched between the frame and front suspension crossmember. Back in the 70's this guy ran 10" riser blocks on this car. Your idea is much safer.