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well i just saw this so im sorry for posting in the other forum place, but im 17 lookin to buy a rod, it will end up slammed on air ride and 19/20 combo most likely. im into mini trucks so i gotta be low! later!

Welcome to CHR.

I often see lowered mini-trucks in my locality, including one which has the top cut off like a roadster, but how low is "low" on these setups in actual fact? I am worried because I have a dropped front axle with an actual clearance of only 4 1/2" to a level garage floor and that looks marginal if I hit a speed bump at an angle or a country road with a ridge in the middle. How low are you expecting your ride to be? As an "over-the-hill" rodder, I am curious what does the current teen age rodder consider "low"? Maybe production Corvettes are the lowest practical clearance at about 4", but some of these mini trucks look really low although I have not seen any making sparks. Maybe you also have to have a pretty firm suspension to avoid "bouncing too low"? Just chatting to try to understand the latest trends.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

everyone i know thats in the scene says there no such thing as too low. most of us go out trying to lay our full frame flat on the ground. adjustable suspension makes up for this, we are able to raise/lower our rides at will. while my truck is not one that lays out flat, it is dropped a bit in the front, havent gotten out back yet. i have everything to lay out except for a 4 link and notch. but to answer your question, we love to see our rockers planted nice and firm on the ground. and yes.............we drag.

Very interesting! Well Orlando is pretty flat and I guess if you can raise up when you want to that is good. However, the other extreme is San Francisco and if you get a chance to see the old chase sequence in Steve McQueen's "Bullet" movie where he ran a Mustang over and over the terraced hills of S.F. at high speed it could give a different point of view. However, I basically agree with you because I have wanted a dropped axle since I was 15 and I finally got one so now I need to learn how to drive with low clearance. Still the axle is a forged I-beam and should be able to handle anything up to a raised manhole cover and I will not have your luxury of raising the body up when I want, it will be the I-beam axle that hits first, probably. Oh well have fun!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

cali actually prolly has the biggest scene for our lifestyle.

My Cheyenne is about 5" off the ground. Sure did a number on the old exhaust. Pretty much flattened it. Whoever installed the old exhaust came down waaay too low. Its all fixed now, just trying to save up for a proper drop on the old truck. Don't want to replace it again. But it sure looks good slammed like that.

Back in the day when I was in high school, I always wanted an S10 Mini but never got one. I did buy a GMC Sonoma in 93 but never lowered it, but put rims and an exhaust on it. The only car I've ever lowered is my current daily driver 2000 Kia Sportage 2wd. Bought some brand new lowering springs off EBay for $50 for 4 springs. I thought that was a good deal, so I installed them.
It's not slammed, only about 1 1/2"-2" drop all around. But it does look sportier and noticeably lower than a stock Sportage.
I also installed 16 TSW Trogen wheels, graphics, and a stereo system that will blow your eardrums.

Sgt Steve

Originally posted by Don Shillady
I often see lowered mini-trucks in my locality, including one which has the top cut off like a roadster, but how low is "low" on these setups in actual fact? I am worried because I have a dropped front axle with an actual clearance of only 4 1/2" to a level garage floor and that looks marginal if I hit a speed bump at an angle or a country road with a ridge in the middle. How low are you expecting your ride to be? As an "over-the-hill" rodder, I am curious what does the current teen age rodder consider "low"? Maybe production Corvettes are the lowest practical clearance at about 4", but some of these mini trucks look really low although I have not seen any making sparks. Maybe you also have to have a pretty firm suspension to avoid "bouncing too low"? Just chatting to try to understand the latest trends.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

if you cant adj. it Don then like everything else in va. there is a bumper height law which is 14" off of the road. when you get right down to it you are not suppose to change the factory suspension. the man put the ruler on my s10 last week and it was right at 14", my windows was to dark, he didn't like my tail lights and the hood scope was to high. i was coming back from the doctors office that day and wont feeling all that good, so after listening to him about for about 15 mim, telling me what was wrong with my truck i finely got mad and told him that the truck wasn't on top of my worry list that day so either give me a ticket or let me go and he said, i can see you're having a bad day and let me go. so all of them are not bad.

are most of these older cars about the same to work on? i want something i can build for fun, my father and i are going to be building it and learning on the way. who knows of a sweet car that could help us out, i want a big car, nothing midsize/small....i wish i could get a merc some way but i dunno bout that. just something big, not a continental either.

Lt1s10, I know what you mean about priorities relative to health. I hope you are feeling better. Thanks for the heads up on the 14" bumper rule, I'll have to read up on the possibilities of the "no bumper situation" in Va. I really want bumpers but the kick up in the rear of my frame means that I can't use Model-A bumper brackets on the rear although I may be able to make my own somehow. The front could be made to accept stock bumpers but I wonder if they will be 14" off the ground and maybe a spreader bar is better? Anyway I will have to measure.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Originally posted by Don Shillady
Lt1s10, I know what you mean about priorities relative to health. I hope you are feeling better. Thanks for the heads up on the 14" bumper rule, I'll have to read up on the possibilities of the "no bumper situation" in Va. I really want bumpers but the kick up in the rear of my frame means that I can't use Model-A bumper brackets on the rear although I may be able to make my own somehow. The front could be made to accept stock bumpers but I wonder if they will be 14" off the ground and maybe a spreader bar is better? Anyway I will have to measure.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

if i was building a 29 id build it like i wonted to and he would have to do what he had to do. i dont think theyll mess with the older car much.

thank you...................for downsizing a whole scene that takes encouragement from the hot rod scene u are in......i guess its all a circle.