Thread: Is my '32 supposed to bottom out over every little bump???

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.....Hi Everyone, my '32 bottoms out over even the smallest of bumps, is this just the way 'it is' ? I looked under it & I see where the rear end housing {9" Ford} is hitting the bottom of the car body. There are scrape marks on the body where it hits. Also just by looking I'd say there is only an inch or two of clearance between the bottom of the car & the top of the rear end housing. Is there a rubber bumper stop that one can put in there??? Thanks all Bill

That's your problem, too close. Min I like is 4 or more inches. Take some pictures of what it looks like.

If you have coilovers you can crank them up a little.

Don

It shouldn't be hitting!!! Maybe you need to raise your coilovers (if that's what you have on the rear) up 1 hole on the lower mount.... What rate springs are you running on the rear????

.....Thanks Don, Thanks Dave, my computer's scanner quit {again} so can't post any pic's yet. But yes it has coil overs, BUT I like the look it has now in so far as where the 'ride height' is at.... Bummer, I guess you can't have your cake & eat it too??? I will measure it but my eye ball is good enough to see that it's right around 2"'s.... Guess I'll have to raise the rear.... Thanks again.... Bill

Although it's not desirable having the rear casing hitting the floor it's not as bad as tyres(tires) hitting fenders and damaging both (This is something i am always struggling with).
I would cut a hole in the floor, cover it with rubber sheet. Sounds drastic, but not as drastic as running the car higher than you like it. Then i would look for convenient places to mount adjustable bump stops to cushion out those heavy hits when you really run out of clearance. Maybe use something like a chrysler pinion snubber type of thing on a crossmember?
I only have around 2-3" maximum clearance. i can live with that.
When you crank up those coilovers you are adding preload which may raise the car but careful you don't cause the car to 'top out' (which is just as bad).

It'll help to do what Dave suggested and move the coilover up one hole on the lower mount - assuming you have the mounts with three holes.
It's only 1" and the stance/looks won't change that much.

Sounds like the frame is not C'd over the rear axle.

Take at look at the Bob Drake catalog or site for 32 Ford bumpstops or snubbers as some call them.
They're quite flat, about a 1/2" thick and an easy add on after the car is running.

Tire pressure has a lot to do with a decent ride.
The max pressure noted on tire sidewalls is only for carrying the tire's maximum capacity.
Manufacturers will - most times - recommend a lower pressure for normal use.

True in the case of my new at the time 88 Mustang GT.
The dealer mechanic stuck in the max rated 35# and the car rode like a truck.
After a couple days researching the manual and looking the car over for PSI stickers I finally found one on the door that said, "30#."
Made a big difference and the car rode and handled very well.

My 32 runs 30# in front - and has run 26# - 28#.
The larger tires in the rear run 20#.
And when I ran the same size tire in the rear, but of sturdier construction - more plies etc. - I ran 12# - 16#.

Heat is the tires big enemy and tires at these inflation pressures on my car don't run hot.
They won't roll off the rim in a turn either....

I to am a victim of making my car too low. I spring my coil overs with two inches of clearance everywhere (between the wheel well and top of the tire, frame and floor). I "C" notch the frame, and make cut outs in the floor where there is less than the 2", then make fiberglass bubbles or tunnels for clearance. In the shot underneath you can see a square panel that I raised about 2" for clearance. there is 2" between the top of the tire and body. It doesn't hit, but I am pretty careful. This is a fiberglass body so the car is pretty light, it has 180# springs in it. I like tall tires so it is real important to me to keep the car as low as possible.

C9x- I agree with you on the tire pressure, it makes a huge difference. I run 15# in the front and 10# in the rear. There is a easy check for tire pressure, just read the surface of your tire. It should be the same color all the way across the tire. The weight of your car really dictates your air pressure. If it is over inflated it will be darker in the middle and vise versa if under inflated. The photo of my tire is a perfect example look at the outside edges of my tire, that is with 10# of air it could acually use less. Just my 2 cents!!

You guys are right, tire pressure is super critical sometimes. I put a new engine in some guys mid '70's vette, and when I got done I pumped the tires up to 30# and started taking his vette back to him. The car was impossible to drive, all over the road and had a mind of it's own. Finally, I stopped and looked at the sticker in the door, and it said some very low figures ( I forget the exact poundage) and the front was different from the rear.

I lowered the pressure and it was a totally different car, handled like a vette should.

Don

Don- see the photo of the underside of my car? To make that panel you just go to a craft store and buy some Styrofoam and carve out a mold then cover it with wax paper nd put some resin..............................
Sorry, I couldn't resist

On every glass bodied car weve built with the flat floor in the trunk we have had to do what Ken did and make a "bubble' in the trunk floor for rear end pumpkin clearance. Easy enough to do and beats raising the car up!

Mick

THANKS a millon all ... I'm going to check on Bumpstops & put my tire pressure down to the minimun. Then if that doesn't do it I'll do the bubble although I only have 2 inches or so because the gas tank is there. Then if all else fails I'll put the shocks to the other hole. I just don't care for the 'look' when '32 are raised high. Although as C9X stated; "it won't me that noticeable".... Thanks again everyone Bill

" C " notching the frame is a good idea also. This is the notch in my 32 3W frame rails ...

C notching the frame isn't gonna help the top of the pumpkin from hitting the bottom of the body, in fact, it will make it much worse. If you're hitting the body before the frame without a C notch I'd think you probably don't need one.

Originally Posted by Ken Thurm

Don- see the photo of the underside of my car? To make that panel you just go to a craft store and buy some Styrofoam and carve out a mold then cover it with wax paper nd put some resin..............................
Sorry, I couldn't resist

Memo to self.........pick up lots of WAX PAPER.


Don