Thread: Indaweeds?

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Well my thread on digital tachs was a lead balloon, but today I finally got my steel wheels back with epoxy primer on them and bought some tires at a GREAT Sale on at Sears (B. F. Goodrich Revelation whitewalls, 185/70/14 front and 235/75/15 rear). The rears may be a bit too tall and the fronts a little low but I got them now and since they are 60,000 mile touring tires I may never buy another set for the roadster! The problem is that I thought I was being conservative with a 4" dropped Magnum axle since in the past I have read about 5" and even 6" dropped axles and I have wanted a dropped axle since I was a teenager over 50 years ago. However, I am alarmed that the clearance under the middle of my axle to a flat garage floor is only 4 7/8" and worse there is only about 4" clearance under each shock mount. It's too late now to reconsider axle and tires so what I am asking is some discussion of how to avoid sparks during normal driving. Are our roads in the U.S. smooth enough to permit only 4" clearance? How do those of you with dropped axles drive over speed bumps and general road hazards (carefully)? Is this height considered normal for a street rod? My main problem will be how to get out of my 400 foot country lane driveway which certainly has ruts deeper than 4", I guess it is time for some grading! Certainly the local squirrel population can no longer expect to just duck between the wheels any more. Is this "normal"? Comments?

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

That's about where mine is set up. The "Z" is going to have a stiffer suspension (& rougher ride) than yours probably. I have 5" of shock travel front & back. I am channeling the body just a little too so it will look lower than than the chassis really is. I also won't be doing much touring with mine.

Measure your shock travel and see how much ground clearance you will have @ the fully depressed end of travel. If you still have clearance you should be O.K. (as long as the road iz' fairly flat). Does anything hang down lower than your rims? that could be trouble with a flat.

Don,
Now you know from all the years of Ralle cars that you'll clear, I think you worry too much about it. That's a good sign.

Originally posted by Don Shillady
Is this height considered normal for a street rod?

The normal measure is "scrub line". Basically, you shouldn't have anything hanging down any lower than what would come in contact with the ground if you have a flat. With a 185/70 4" should be okay. I've done a couple cars with a 4" drop axle and 195/60's and been just fine. If you look at the '32 roadster in my gallery, that's what I had with that, plus a monoleaf spring and it worked just fine. Speed bumps aren't usually an issue because you take them straight on and both front wheels go up and down together so clearance at the axle stays the same. You want to make sure you don't have oil pan, bell housing, or rear brackets (if you have 4 bars on front) hanging down too far. Take driveway aprons at an angle rather than straight on. Watch out for manhole covers that stick up, and of course pot holes. And yes, grade the lane.

I've driven lowered cars for years so probably have the higher awareness ingrained in my subconscious. It does take a more attentive driving style.

But then I had this car that had 1 5/8" clearance at the nose........the guy who bought it from me couldn't get it in his drive when he got home with it.

Streets......a heated driveway?? Lights weren't quite enough for ya huh? LOL, that's awesome.

Originally posted by Streets
Hey .... that 2 miles is a trip to keep clear yanno w/o a heater..

2 Miles outside my garage iz' THE NEXT COUNTY. He He HE O.K. so it's 3 1/2.

Thanks all; Bob especially. While several of you were working on the driveway angle I went out and measured the scrub line. Everything is above the front rims (no problem in the rear yet until I try the fenders) EXCEPT the front shock mounts on the bottom of the spring perches. Even then I assume a flat tire might give a 1/2" or so clearance unless it comes off the rim, but Streets is right, maybe I can go back and trade in the brand new tires for a slightly taller tire, but that would still not change the height of the rims, the real answer is that I should have bought 15 inch rims for the front, but now I will just have to live with this "lowly situation". I guess if I have a sudden flat in the front the shock mount on that side will be wiped out along with the spring perch and maybe twist the top shock mount so lets hope the worst I get is a slow leak. Streets got it right, I doubt if I will ring up 60,000 miles on this car so I will have to learn the tricks Bob mentioned about driving low cars and plan my trips on Interstate smooth roads mostly. Streets, I have to admit a heated driveway is a new high in luxury; especially in New York! I just have a big pile of gravel next to my garage and as old gravel sinks into the mud I fill in the holes with more gravel, but now I will have to do that more often! Well this is an adventure and the folks on this forum have been a big help so far. Streets is kind to say that the first street rod is never perfect, but I thought 50 years of reading rod magazines would help me avoid major problems. So far this is the most serious problem I have encountered, but I can probably live with it. Maybe there is another type of shock mount to a spring shackle above the axle using a very short shock, I will look for that possible solution. Maybe I should look at the old Ford horizontal shocks for the front even though they are really ugly; there is probably a solution to this problem and I will work on it.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Try Honda Motorcycle shocks Don.... they are chromed coil-overs & they are adjustable....not to mention CHEAPER, look just as good too.

Jim, Thanks for the idea. I know I have seen many different types of shock mounts over the years and there is probably a way to to that. I will also look at what Harleys use since I can walk down the street to a HD agency.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

4" of clearance should not be a problem if you watch where you are driving, I've had cars lower with no problem. Hey Don, in 30+ years of building, I still haven't built the "perfect" car, and doubt that I ever will. If it were perfect that would mean that I could see any place for improvements. I've never seen that on my cars, or anyone else's for that matter. Hot Rod mags are good for reading and do generate some good ideas, but nothing can replace a few years of hands application of Hot Rodology!!!! As with anything, we learn from mistakes and bad ideas.

Thanks again. Dave and Richard-Tech1 say 4" is enough and Streets says he can get by with 3" of clearance assuming the driver can steer! Well this morning I looked up shackle mounts for short shocks in the Speedway catalog and that is a possible solution, so I went out to the garage to measure again. This time I put a straight edge across the bottom of the shock mounts and extended it to the wheel and to my amazement it comes in above the edge of the rim about where the bead of the tire is, so this passes the "scrub line test" (not by much allowing for the slight arch of the axle and the canted angle on the lower shock mount). Since I had a helluva time getting the spring on, I do not want to change the shackles if I don't have to so I will take your words as comfort for 4" of clearance as adequate. Still the round part of the bottom of the shocks will be right at or only about 1/8" above the edge of the rim. Thanks for the reassurance, particularly that clearance for Corvettes is 4" so I guess if I learn how to steer away from road bumps I should be able to go wherever a Corvette goes.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Well, just to finish off this thread I called "Bill" at Bebops in Tenn. from whence I have been ordering the chassis parts and he says the Brookville frame I ordered as set up for: 4-bar, SBC350/TH350 is set up for a scrub line using 14x6 front rims and according to him (I'm not sure of this) a flat front tire should not be a big problem. In addition he said that my 235/75/15 rear tires were OK and might even be a bit small. In my former teenage life I don't recall any street cars with larger than the old 7.10x15 size (7.1 inch tread width) so to me a 235mm width (9.25 inches) seems huge for a street rod, but he said they should fit the Bebops rear fenders and everything is according to the design of the frame, although the rear tires are more narrow (!) than they could be. Well he has built a lot of '29s from their molds even though they build mostly '32s now so I will just have to take his word for it. I did notice in Youther's '31 Fordor pictures that his rear 245/60/15 tires do not quite fill the fender vertically meaning there is more room there, but I do not know the kickup details or rear spring setup in Youther 's '31. So as it stands, Jim Hambiskit has me pegged right as a worry-wart, and I guess 4" clearance is adequate for everthing except manhole covers on a stripped street. Thanks for your helpful comments.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Originally posted by Don Shillady
In addition he said that my 235/75/15 rear tires were OK and might even be a bit small. In my former teenage life I don't recall any street cars with larger than the old 7.10x15 size (7.1 inch tread width) so to me a 235mm width (9.25 inches) seems huge for a street rod,

Don
I know I'm comparing apples N' oranges, but my rear tires are 33''x22.5''x15''.
Back in my teenage years I thought N50's were big. Only about 1/2 the tread would make contact with the road tho. I found a pair of Indy style tires for race days that had less than 1/2 the sidewall hieght of the N50's. Good for 1/8 Mi. track gearing, and they put a full 12" of tire on the road.

Thanks for your interest and help. This partly a domestic issue in that my wife says I have to have fenders while I wanted a Magoo-style '29 w/o fenders. I would assume ProZ has tubbed fenders and Streets' neat '33 has no fenders with great tires too. Thus the problem is, will the Bebops fenders hold the 9.25 tire width? Bebops-Bill says they will, but I am not ready for fenders yet so I will just have to wait and see. I have set the rear coilovers so that they are in the highest hole to give the maximum vertical clearance and with tall tires and jacked up springs I may get a cartoon downhill look, but I will have fenders! No sense in drawing this out more except for someone else trying to figure out tire size for a Model-A using a 8" Ford (Maverick) rear with a wheel offset of 3 3/4" and I won't know the result until I get the Bebops floorpan with built-in fenders sometime this winter. If worse comes to worse, I am aware that wider fenders are available as well as flared adapters to the running boards, but I hope I don't have to do that. I guess what my wife wants is what used to be called the "resto-rod" look.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder






Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder