Sorry if this is a dumb question but I might buy a 53 chevy and this is my first one... first "hot rod" for that matter... Does anyone know if I can lower the 53' 4-5 inches on the front and back if it has a 1979 z28 front clip? I heard the front tires might have clearance issues when turning? I am hoping to put stock steel wheels and WWW tires. If it can't be lowered ,I won't buy the car.. here are two pics of the car
I have a 54 with a 79 Camaro clip. Yes the clip is 1 3/4" wider than stock, but with the stock 15 X 5 wheels you should be ok. I installed the Camaro clip because it kicks up, so I got it about 3 " to 4" lower right away. That is shown in the picture. I also have 2" dropped spindles, but will have to install shorter control arms before those go in.
I wouldn't suggest cutting the coils, especially w/ all the after market parts available for that application. There are companies out there that build dropped springs/spindles that will get what you're looking for. You're better off to do it that way, then to cut the coils and wind up w/ a shitty ride.
Hey JB, Thanks for the advice... the reason I ask is that I do not know anything about the Z28 front clip.... I didn't know if they make parts for lowering that setup... I'll have to do more research. I just found out about this car recently....
drop spindles and modified lower control arm are the proper way, cutting coils is not. Make triple sure the clip was done right. get it on a lift and inspect the welds. Personally, I would pass on it. If low is the goal, wider is not better. The stock suspension can work great. you can have disc brakes, r&p steering and it fits perfect when slammed. but I cut my coils, on my stock 53. any lower and my jack doesn't fit.
Things to consider 1. he's selling it for a reason 2. what is the previous owner's skill level? 3. there are few alignment shops that would ever touch something like that. 4. if it is off 1/4", no amount of shims will ever get it right. 5. do you want to (can you) re-do someone else's crap work? I have the same brakes on my car. a 350 fits fine on the stock frame. where's the gain?
I do what I can. Listen to some of these older cats on here that know every freakin' aspect of every application available. They'll point you in the right direction. You DEFINITELY need to jack it up and look at the fab work on that front clip. What I look for....cracks, gorilla welds(big and ugly), and freakin' wire stickin' out. These are all indications of poor weld penetration, and it could possibly fly apart on you driving down the road. Another good tool for looking for weld cracks...WD40. Spray it on the area where the tie-in was done, and if you see dirt and crap seeping out of ANYWHERE, the weld's no good. Hope it works out for you, if that's what you're lookin' for!
This is great advice. A bad clip is BAD news...but a good clip is nothing to run from. I know a few guys who've done 'em right and they love 'em (54Custom sounds like another). FatMan sells the upper and lower control arms to replace the Z28 arms that will take bags and take care of the width issue. They even sell kits to fix bad clips...here's the link: http://www.fatmanfab.com/ Bryan
Thanks for the advice Bryan... here is a pic of the front... Can anyone see anything wrong with the clip from the pics?? If not I guess I would have to take a 4 hour ride to go look at it......
You really can't tell from the picture. You really need to see a few different things, especially the tie in to the original frame...My suggestion would be to drive out there if you're really serious about it, do a lot of measuring and make sure the dimensions match. I.E. from the front hub to the rear hub on each side; distance down each frame rail; cross dimensions on each frame rail, etc. Just keep measuring to make sure that everything is lined up. OR you could drive it to an alignment shop, pay the $35 for them to rack it and tell you if it's jacked. I know it's a long haul, but I once drove 3 1/2 hours to buy a Jeep, and the guy didn't ever show up or call me back. Even found his address in the phone book and drove to his house...no answer. THEN the fucker called me when I was halfway home, 10 hours after I talked to him last when I left that morning. I'd still like to take his freakin' knees out.
Hey JB.. Thats good advice.... the thing im looking at is a pair of dropped spindles cost 300 dollars to lower, and a set of 4 control arms for clearance costs 800 from fatman.... and a set of blocks costs 50 bux that means i would have to spend 1150 bux + shipping just to be able to drop the car 2 inches..... this makes the deal less appealing.. and thats assuming the front clip was installed perfectly! the car needs a ton of body work and the interior is very "ratty".... what I liked was that most of the mechanics were done.. but dropping the car seems to be more expensive than I anticipated.
It's normally that way with something like that. I don't buy things that people have cut up unless I know 'em. Got burned on another Jeep that way. The guy put a 360cid in it, and did some suspension "modiFUCKations" to it. I spent more time fixin' his shit than I spent on the rest of the damn thing. My Pontiac looks like shit, but at least I know it's all original and nobody's jacked with it! You'll find that ride that'll be perfect for you. Just takes patience. Glad I could be helpful.
I have a firebird clip on my '50 plymouth and really like it. Alignment is easy. Tell the alignment shop its a 1981 firebird and they said ok. I had the same problem with lowering because the the 14" deep offset wheels and the tires rubbed. I solved most of my problem with the use of 15" s-10 4X4 steel wheels ,I think they are 6" or 7" wide(can't remember for sure).You need the skinny ones, s-10 had two different widths.Anyhow these almost no offset wheels sucks the tires in alot, but then the rims hit the tierod end. I used those cheap Mr. Gasket wheel spacers (3/8" I think) to clear the tierod ends. Then I cut 2 coils off and have no problems.
The guys on here are right, who did the clip and are the welds good etc. First take it to a front end shop, then what is the rest of the car like? What about bumper brackets, I don't see any in the picture? It looks like the clip on that car was installed differently than mine because it is so high. I got instant 3" to 4" lowering with mine. If you have to spend all that money on spindles and control arms to get it 2" lower, and that is not as low as you want to go, then what? And don't forget the rear lowering, I have gone 4" so far with blocks and de arching the springs and had to c-noth my frame, that cost $$ also. Just looking at the pictures and the work that is required on that car, I wouldn't pay more than $2,000. Remember body work, interiors etc. all cost $$. Just my 2 cents ...............
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