Thread: 1937 Buick Front Suspension

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Hey All,

I recently acquired a 1937 Buick and was hoping for some opinions/ideas for a front suspension. The stock suspension actually looks pretty decent, and I wonder what I would gain by changing it. I know the brakes will have to be upgraded (somehow), but as far as the overall design and structure of the stock suspension, it looks good. Of course, to complicate matters, it doesn't look like anyone makes any upgrades for this vehicle, and it doesn't look like a generic crossmember would fit too easily, either. A few companies make front subframes, but I really didn't want to go that route, either. Thanks in advance for any help/ideas anyone may have...

John

Hey Streets,

No, it actually has a coil spring IFS up front. The design of it looks pretty decent, and it looks like it would be a real pain to try to put something else in there. I'm just wondering about the integrity of the stock IFS, whether or not it would hold up on modern highways at modern speeds. Of course, I have heard that the 1937 Buick could hold its own at 100MPH on the highway, and the highways back then couldn't have been all that great...

Thanks for the reply...

John

Your buick had a similar front suspension as my 53 olds,I think the upper controll arms have the shock absorbers built in them like my olds was and if it does not bounce it will handle decent. If it bounces there is a plug on the top to fill with hydralic jack oil,if they leak they can be rebuilt for around 125 dollars each. If you need some and they are the same as my 53 olds,I have a extra good pair that I will sell as I have sold my 53. Fat mans sells dropped spindles for them and you can slplit the lower a arms to lower if the dropped spindles are too expensive for your budget. If it does not have a sway bar,install one as those are heavy cars. That style of front end was used up to 54 on buicks and olds and maybe caddys too so sway bars from the newer cars could be made to fit your 37.

Thanks for the info, junkyardjeff. Consensus seems to be that the original suspension should do the job, so I think I'll leave it. It does already have a sway bar, but I may want a bigger one...

I think I'll look into those dropped spindles, though...

Thanks again,

John