Thread: Slammed....What are the secrets to putting your hot rod on the ground?

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Always been curious, but haven't spent a lot of time looking into it. I understand the concept of airbags and stuff like that, but it seems like more is needed to get some of those cars as low as they get them. I mean the fenders are on the ground with some of them.

So, how do they do it?

Brent I dont know I just dont know but I think there stupid

Air, it's gotta be air. My 34 gets to within about 2" when I let the air out. Of course you can't drive it that way but it looks cool. You can always use dropped spindles, blocks for the springs, etc. A friend of mine has a really radical Ford pickup that uses a mustang II front end with dropped spindles. It wasn't low enough so he lowered the body on the frame. I'll get a picture and post it. Probably the only one like it.
Don

Brent
I had a 69 Datsun pickup I slammed to the weeds. Bought some extra lower suspension arms and cut them to overlap the originals I cut and welded together 3/8" shorter to correct the camber, then raised the shock mounts and made smaller bumpstops and cranked the torsion bars down. In the rear I flipped the rear main leaf and put the stack back together minus a few leaves and cut a huge "C" out of the frame and boxed it with a strongback up top. Also cut the top off and made gaskets to seal it up when it went back on. I took Mazda 14" wheel centers and put them in 15x8 hoops and welded them together with a 4.13" backspace. It was lowered 6.5" in front and 8.5" in the rear and rode smooth! The front tires were 205x55 and the rear were 245x60, all tucked inside the fenders. It had an inside release for the fiberglass tonneau with lift struts. I gave it to my nephew when I got the Fairlane and he sold it to some geek who put skinny little tires on crappy looking mags. He likely had to raise the truck to use them and look like his buddies. And for any of you who think it wasn't a truck.......I once dumped a complete 396 in the back and drove it from Seattle to Tacoma. It did need a V8 though when I hauled a load of furniture back from Oregon...It didn't like 80 too much loaded like that.

The best "secret" for getting that sheet metal on the pavement is to either move the suspension up, or the body down. Air bags are the current thing, hydraulics were the deal back a few. I think a number of the air bag systems today are better engineered than some of the older hydraulic systems, but as Don says, at full drop, they're all show and no go.

I like to get mine low, but still be driveable (with some cautionary moves). The wagon I just sold was dropped 3" front and rear, and with 60 series tires, sat pretty nice. That was done with 2" dropped spindles, and 1" shorter coils in front and 3" blocks in back. The Dodge pickup was dropped 4" in front, 6" in the rear, called a Ram Slam! The front came down via dropped spindles, shorter coils, and flipped lower ball joints. Took some clearancing of the lower control arms because of wheel width. Biggest problem in front at this drop is the fender liners, had to drop down a size in tire to save some diameter. The rear was done by flipping the axle onto the top of the springs, C-notching the frame, and changing shocks for length. To regain some load carrying ability I put air bags over the axle that can be inflated when needed (like Craig, gotta haul an engine once in a while). The '36 is done with dropped spindles, shorter coils, and blocks in the rear with slightly de-arched springs.

About 12 years ago I had a '39 Chev coupe that we built to be "cartoon low". The little chin under the grille cleared the road by 1 5/8 inches. We installed a Pinto/Mustang II front crossmember up into the frame rails about 3 extra inches and shortened the coils. It maintained geometry that way, and got the nose way down, along with tire sizing. Had to be real careful driving that one. Our motto was "every worm for himself". The poor guy who bought the car loved the look but when he got home the day he bought it he couldn't get into his driveway. The next time I saw it after that he'd raised it a couple inches.......just didn't look right!

Praise the lowered!!

I am like Bob I like them low but drive them too!!

As all are saying, a lot of rodders are using air bags. The air bag takes the place of the original spring. The ride ht & load capacity are varied by the air pressure put in the bags by a on-board compressor.
The ride ht can be varied by 4" to 6" but, are driven at the ht they were aligned for. The most expensive systems can vary the pressure in all 4 springs & there are on board gauges to tell you the pressure in each bag..........they have some disadvantages-the major one for me is you can not lift the car on a hoist w/out leaving the air out of the bags....a real pain. Don

I've solved the who is lowest problem and the costly air bag thing. Just pull the tires and wheels off, set the body on the ground and set the tires back in the wheel well.

Weeg, good plan!

I definately like the mean look of some of the rods sitting on the ground at the shows.

Don, is there some way to indicate the appropriate height that it was aligned at? or is it just a matter of pressure?

Brent - you have to remember the air pressure. Some guys put a mark on their gauges for ride ht......I am not recommending air ride , I think the jury is still out. This is one area that KIS might apply.
I have air ride tech's system for the Rolls but, because I am still welding on the frame (rubber does not like welding sparks) I have not installed them.
They are expensive - around $200/bag & over $1000. for the controls

Brent.Here's what can be done with a 47 Ford pickup and a front clip from a 1980 Buick regal. It lowered the front 18 inches from stock height measured at the hood latch. I had to section the front 6 inches to get some ground clearance. The grille is from a Studebaker Hawk. The nova rear end was mounted over the stock leaf springs. the original rear was under the springs. That lowered the rear 8 inches. I wanted to channel the cab three inches to be more like the 40 Ford pickup and section the front of the hood to match. I opened up the side of the hood where the vents were and extended the rolled edge. I also planned to french the headlights and parking lights. I only had it on the road a couple of months before I got an offer I couldn't refuse. The new owner took it apart to paint it but never got it done. I'd like to get it back and finish it myself. I threw out the camera after getting these pictures back. I had them framed perfectly in the viewfinder when I snapped them.
AL

Easy way to get her in the weeds, Z section the chassis and Channel the body. Ride stays nice and car looks good. Only one problem> Drive line tunnel sticks up alittle higher in the car.

I've seen a setup before where the air bags were installed inside of the coil. Gave a stock ride height when sitting. Rose it when needed. It was for a Jeep, but I'm hoping to do something similar for my Chevy. It's about 4" off the ground in the front... not good for curbs. Anyone out there know of any kits like this?

Originally posted by JhnBrackett
I've seen a setup before where the air bags were installed inside of the coil. Gave a stock ride height when sitting. Rose it when needed. It was for a Jeep, but I'm hoping to do something similar for my Chevy. It's about 4" off the ground in the front... not good for curbs. Anyone out there know of any kits like this?

These guys are purdy' Sharp when it comes to suspension.
http://www.artmorrison.com/

i have used bags since , 92 , yes 12 yrs , on 15 or more cars . only 1 car has ever busted a bag and that was a installer eror .
if set up correct they will last for a long time and many miles .
i have put them on 1 ton tow trucks and used them for 80000 miles towing cars , never a problem .
so dont worry about them failing.
the ground is the limit