Way-off-topic lowering question

skylark said:

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Surely you jest.. but that's how the rear of my '61 Apache 10 fleetside had been lowered, when I got it. Not with zip ties, but with these cheesy little clamps that were used to compress a few coils. It rode like garbage, as you'd expect! Then one day as I was slinging it around turns and just generally misbehaving, one or more of the clamps let go and suddenly altered the ride height on one corner of the truck.

Richard

You could lower it, the way the front end of my 69 Electra was lowered..... with a torch!

Something to bear in mind if cutting the front coils. Shortened they will be stiffer and if the spring frequency (a function of the spring's stiffness and the load it carries) encroaches on that of the rear, pitching may occur.
Generally - with cars at least - front springing has a lower frequency than the rear (with the front sway bar compensating for cornering roll stiffness). The difference isn't massive and accidental 'matching' is possible.
I had it happen twice on my smart. Once when the front springs broke (and thus shortened and stiffened them) and another time when I grossly overloaded the rear (which lowered the rear spring frequency close to the front's). In both cases the pitching was nasty.

Pinger said:

Something to bear in mind if cutting the front coils. Shortened they will be stiffer and if the spring frequency (a function of the spring's stiffness and the load it carries) encroaches on that of the rear, pitching may occur.
Generally - with cars at least - front springing has a lower frequency than the rear (with the front sway bar compensating for cornering roll stiffness). The difference isn't massive and accidental 'matching' is possible.
I had it happen twice on my smart. Once when the front springs broke (and thus shortened and stiffened them) and another time when I grossly overloaded the rear (which lowered the rear spring frequency close to the front's). In both cases the pitching was nasty.

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How does one "grossly overload" a Smart car? There's not enough room to put much in there....
Three sacks of groceries instead of 1?
All kidding aside, I'm just curious.

HotWheelsBurban said:

How does one "grossly overload" a Smart car? There's not enough room to put much in there....
Three sacks of groceries instead of 1?
All kidding aside, I'm just curious.

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I was thinking the same thing, but I also don't doubt what he's telling us!

Richard

HotWheelsBurban said:

How does one "grossly overload" a Smart car? There's not enough room to put much in there....
Three sacks of groceries instead of 1?
All kidding aside, I'm just curious.

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Bags of coal!
Smart's limit for the 'cargo area' was 50kg. Half a dozen 20kg bags of coal kinda went beyond what smart had in mind. It was just the once though at the old house to get coal home after a bout of heavy snow before the delivery truck could get through.

You can get a 115hp outboard motor into the back of a fortwo if you put your mind to it - and split the OB into three parts.

Pinger said:

You can get a 115hp outboard motor into the back of a fortwo if you put your mind to it - and split the OB into three parts.

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I borrowed a friend's 91 Ford Festiva and I put a complete Vortec 350 in the back. I held it in with the seatbelts.

This is how much attention I pay to Ford.
Unconsciously self-imposed ignorance, I guess.
They still make a Twin I Beam???
I would of thought that vehicles up in this weight class would be running solid beams.
Weren't I Beams were a '70's thing. ...and back then, my experience with those wasn't all that favorable. Both with working on them & with driving them.

If you can't find a drop shackle that'll work, is there anyone close to you that has a CNC waterjet or laser cutter?
The one-off stuff I've seen friends have done wasn't all that expensive.
Laser is more consistent.
Water losses accuracy as the material gets thicker.

Sean Buick 76 said:

Also stop talking to your boss about it, he will never notice the 1” drop.

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My 98 had been dropped 4/6 for about 6 months, when the ole man, (Life-long car guy.) stopped, turned around and looked at my truck sitting at the end of the driveway. (Long driveway.)
"Did you lower your truck?"

Pulled over one time.
"Why the erratic driving?"
"Pot holes. Low truck."
Cop walked across the street to look at the truck from there. (!?!)
"Huh. Never noticed."
A 4/6 drop for F's sake!
Some people aren't aware. I'm sure the boss'll never notice a 1" drop.

someotherguy said:

the big boss (owner)... he's never been a driver

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Don't tell me how to do my job if you've never done my job.

someotherguy said:

...within millimeters of rubbing on the overhead beam.

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How tall are the body mounts?
3" thick or thin little wafers?
If they have some meat to them, would removing 1/4, 1/3, maybe 1/2 of their height be possible?
The cost would be ride comfort.

CUT. the coils!!!