Thread: droppin my 48 ford

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Fellas help a new guy out. I am trying to drop my 48 ford about 3
inches. Whats the best way to go about it.
cut the springs?
dropped front axle?
anything else?
I am going for a vintage rod style (please dont call her a rat)
no chrome, nothing fancy just the way they would have done it back in the day.

thanks
tony

You can cut the springs but you'll sacrifice your vehicle ride. If you don't want to go with a updated front end, then the drop axle will work.

since a 48 ford had a leaf spring, how can cutting it lower the car? Maybe the spring can be rearched, etc.

A dropped axle is the easy way to retain the geometry

robot Just being a little sarcastic in my reply(but you'll sacrifice your vehicle ride).As far as I know you can't cut leaf springs to lower your ride. You can take a leaf or two out or dearch them as you mentioned.

If your rear end is on top of your leaf springs you can use lowering blocks I know you can get them up to 3 inchs. It may not be the best way but it should work. Carlg

If your 48 has stock suspension & you want to keep the traditional look you can install a dropped axel or/and dropped spindles. For the rear I would think about replacing the buggy springs with 2 parallel leaf springs. You can buy a bolt in kit from from chassis engr for $400 with everything needed.

Good luck on your project...keep us informed.

Don

I would keep the straight axle set up if I were you and do what everyone is say and get a dropped axle or send the one you have now off to mordrop (sp?) the place in Ca that will drop the original one you have now. Don gave a good suggestion for the rear.

A dropped axle is the easiest way to go. If you have stock spindles you usually have to heat and bend the steering arms so the tie rod doesn.t hit the wishbone. you can reverse arch the front main leaf.l the old way was to take it out and chalk the outline on the concrete floor then set two pieces of railroad track about 8 inches apart. Then use a heavy blacksmith hammer and hold the spring 90 degrees to the RR track and hammer in the middle and work the spring bach and forth as you hammer. You will eventually change the spring frown shape to a smile shape to match the outline you drew on the floor. turn it over and reinstall it for about an inch drop. They also used to get longer shackles for about an inch drop. you must use a panard bar to keep it from moving side to side with long shackles. A reshaped rear crossmember is the easiest way at the rear. you will probably also have to cut and shape the trunk floor. if you don't know how to weld take a class and go for a used arc welder to start.

is the 48 a car or truck cars have 1 cross spring, pickup's have 2 parallel leaf springs. (I can't remember if the the spring is above or below the axle on a pickup ) lowering blocks work if it is below. moving the spring below is usually good for a 5 to 6 inch drop

thank you guys so much
I really appreciate the advice
I cant wait to get a picture posted soon.

thanks,

tony

You may have missed the obvious up till now. The '48 cross springs had shackles on the ends of the springs. Back in 1954 I recall buying 5" lowering shackles for the front and rear springs that lowered the car about three inches, not as much as a dropped axle, but a substantial lowering. There were also 6" lowering shackles. Those shackles were 55 cents a set and four sets were needed; considerably cheaper than a dropped axle! At that time I bought them from Pep Boys but today you may have to make your own out of steel with holes drilled in the ends for the spring bolts. All you do is put a floor jack under one end of a spring and take the tension off, unbolt the old short shackle, lower the jack slightly and tap the bolts through the new shackle holes. One problem is that without a sway bar the longer shackles will allow the car to shift sideways to the point that the ends of the shackles will rub on the inside of the tires. The 6" shackles definitely did this and needed a sway bar, but I used the 5" shackles and had litlle if any rub on the inside of the tires. This method will not lower the car as much as a dropped axle but is far cheaper and easier to do!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Back in 54 when I built my 32 ford I zeed the frame, it droped it 6 in. in the back. Lost some trunk space but it didt sacerfic the ride.You might have to change the drive shaft tunnel for clearance.Droped front axle way to go in front.Good luck what ever way you go, but dont put a chevy in it!!!

The 48 F-1 has the same suspension setup as my 46 1/2 ton. Parallel spring front and rear, above axle front and rear. As stated the dropped axle is the best bet. A new one can cost less than having yours professionally bent. Dropped spindles are not applicable. Longer shackles will raise the truck. There is limited vertical travel in the front, between the springs and axle bumper, and there is very little arc in the mainleaf, so rearching the front mainleaf is not an option either. So, stick with the dropped axle, or one other option is a monoleaf spring to replace the spring bundle.

Someone [ name escapes me now ] makes a replacement crossmember that allow you to use stock front axle/spring and drop the front 3". If you are dealing with a restored car that has a good front suspension, then this might be the answer. Otherwise, use the dropped axle and reversed eye spring. I used shackles on my 40 Ford in high school, would not do it now. Handling goes out the window. Joe

Hoo boy! I was just remembering, the other day, how we used to lower the pre-'49 Fords.

I'm with Don; longer shackles are the easiest way, but there are drawbacks - the spring shift that Don mentions, and also the factor of "shackle stability". If the shackle is longer than five or six inches, without some form of spreader or stabilizer welded between the shackle bars, they tend to flex under load, and will bend or collapse if you hit something real hard. We used to weld a strap or plate between the bars on each side to stiffen them. If my memory serves me correctly, stock shackles are about 4 inches between the bolt holes, and the bars were about a quarter inch thick - pretty stout, but I think even they had a stiffener in them. Longer ones definitely need the extra strength. The last car I had anything to do with lowering this way was a '48 Merc; we made a set of shackles that lowered it to where a pack of Camel cigs would be knocked over by the front bumper - I think they were about eight inches long; but we could hardly drive it on the street. Driveways had to be approached at an angle, and intersection gutters were a real problem. It was really low, though, and got lots of looks.

Since you live in L.A., you might be able to find an "old fart" rodder who remembers this stuff. Go digging around at some speed shops or rod shops, ask around and don't be put off by a bunch of "iggernant" remarks. You just need to make the right connection; some of us are still around. I would love to be able to mentor some younger fella in the old ways; it would help me keep my brain working.