What needs to happen to get a car this low and still drive it?

[whytry]

I know how to lower a car, but cars like this amaze me.

https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9691&d=1145794510

How can this car drive that low? The tires are in the wheel wells, and turning would be a bi#!h in my car that low, I would not be able to turn. But I see cars low like this one alot, done mostly by shops, but how can they drive like that? Do they have limited turning abiltiy or did they modify the front fenderwells so get the extra clearance for cruising around town or what? I have been trying to figure this out and can't..... Am I overlooking something? I can get my car to the top of the tires but more than that and I can't turn for crap without the tires rubbing.... Just wanting to know how it can be done..... Thanks...

[bretcopsey]

Custom frame...

Also, note the bulges inthe tops of the fenders that carry into the hood...

[whytry]

That explains alot then.

For the custom frame, they did not use one on the "Crazy Horse" on Boyd's TV show, if I recall and it sat with the tires in the wheel wells as well.... If I am mistaken correct me, its been awhile since I have seen the show...

[TonyL]

alot can be accomplished with a "body drop" or channeling also.

lotsa sheet metal skills required though.

[CAMAROBOY69]

Oh wow I never noticed the bulges in the hood like that above each front tire. Dang.. it takes skill to build a car like that. :worship: I think thats one of the sickest rides anywhwere around right now. And it gets driven so that gets my respect.

[gearbanger]

I'm not sure those bulges are really necessary, maybe. But the main problem you run into with lowering that far is being able to turn the front wheels. You can just about tuck the back as far as you want. But when you get the front tucked some you can turn the car but if you hit a bump then it hits, or if it is tuck a lot, then you can't even turn it all the way. My GTO is about as low as I can get it and still not have problems driving it.

[whytry]

That's how my car is too. I love how low those cars are... The only other way I know of is with bags, but you still can't turn with it that low... Even if you channel the body it does not change the position of the tire does it? It still will rub the fenders when you turn corners.... My bodydropped truck looked great about 2 inches of the ground, but I could not turn for crap unless I brought the front up alot......

Thanks for all the replies....

[MrQuick]

Hey Brad, how are you guys doing? Long time no hear.

That low. Its easy! LOL

[whytry]

Doing good Vince, my son will be here anyday now!!! Once he here I get to start working on my 66 Nova I just got!!!

THe Camaro is getting painted now hopefully, should be done in about 3 weeks. Still looking for a 9" rear..... You feel like coming to Sac sometime to help make some measurements? I still have the box of parts you wanted me to order for the housing..... Still got it? emal me. I can't email at work, my company does not allow me to log into email at work... :(

[CraigMorrison]

In conjunction with the custom frame, you need to be very aware about keeping everything above the lower edge of the chassis. When everything is tucked up inside the chassis you have a lot less to worry about. If stuff is hanging down, you are going to have issues. With our 55 Chevy, we had 4" of ground clearence on our drive from Tacoma, to LA when Super Chevy tested the car. No issues with bottoming out. We've bumped it up to 4.5" and have close to 4,000 miles on the car and still no issues with bottom-outs. That's not to say you still need to pay attention to how you approach and depart steep driveways, just the normal care you would take as you would with most low cars.

Alloway has used a lot of our chassis, and he generally sets them up for 4" to 5" of clearence, and I think Bob's Cuda is in the same range.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

i love that cuda..

[OneslowZ28]

That is one sweet ride. id have to find another job to afford that much work lol

[OHCbird]

I saw him cruising along with Frank, Bill, Steve & Jason at the Gainsville Power Tour- It looked like a 'tight' ride. Coolest thing is- he's out there driving it like a daily driver. Bob- how do you do that, man?

[Tony@AirRideTech]

Craig touched on a very important note that we stress here. Your cars drive height needs to be a comfortable safe driving height. You need to have adequate ground clearance to clear most obsticles in the road and to provide not only yourself, but the vehicle as good of ride quality as can be achieved. Cars like Johnson's cuda and alot of cars you see that have a driving height that low are typically engineered that way. That engineering in employed in building a chassis or modifying the original to run within those height parameters and building the car around the size of wheels and tires you want to run and just as importantly picking the right wheel offset and/or making appropriate clearances. Take my 61 for example.... that car is set up with the tire sizes it was built for, to run 1" off the ground deflated and to give me 4" at ride height.

[Steve Chryssos]

I drove behind Johnson's cuda a buch and was impressed at how much "daylight" was visible from behind. A ton of engineering went into channeling that car. Bump travel is fine but the turning radius is challenged. Normal turning (at speed) is absolutely fine, but K-turns are a bitch. That's a small price to pay. It's not worth re-engineering the front suspension.

[muthstryker]

you need to have a big wallet :P lol but i think its looks badass when wheels on any old car gtos, camaros, mustangs, chevelles, ect ect tuck up into the wheel wells just looks real nice.

[Steve Chryssos]

you need to have a big wallet :P lol .....
John Parsons chanelled the frame on II Much. Did it all by himself because he didn't have any blank checks lying around. AME makes it easier now with their full chassis kits, but you still need resources (tools, skills, time and money)

This is an old picture. Car is near completion.

[whytry]

I can't wait to see Jp's ride, its gonna be awesome as well....

[vintageracer]

I asked Bob how low the car was while we traveled together on the Power Tour. Bob says the car has 5 inches of ground clearance. That was a design criteria for the car and this is what they acheived.

[Steve Chryssos]

5"!!!! I'm way jealous. I've got 3.5 at the lowest point with a set of modified Hedman Huslers off the Mule and cone reducers (no 3 bolt 3" flanges). I added 2.5" flanges are just ahead of the mufflers for servicing. I could achieve 4.5" with a set of true custom headers. I'm convinced that ground clearance is the most challenging part of any Pro-Touring build.

[BRIAN]

Is that 5" at front crossmember or some body point? That car looks low to have 5" at the cross at the ride height shown but then again there is a lot of engineering in that ride.


To answer the question of how? Good design and roads that have no pot holes deeper than your ride height.

[vintageracer]

Bob stated to me that this was the ride height at the lowest part of the car. I did not question where that location is.

[whytry]

My car's header flanges scrape all the time, I would love to have 3.5" of ground clearance and still be low.... Here's a pic before it went to the body shop for paint...

[wantahertzdonut]

I'm curious, is getting a car that low usually done for performance or just looks? And in either case, how does a car like that usually ride on the road? Is it rough enough to rattle fillings loose or just a little extra chop?

[Tony@AirRideTech]

it is done for performance and they look much.... much.... better " just say no to wheel gap ". If the suspension is done correctly you will have a good ride quality along with good performance.

[ProdigyCustoms]

The most important part of channeling a body over the frame is tucking the exhaust. Also the fuel and brake lines, e brake cables, etc. Prodigy, like Bob's Cuda is also channeled over the frame with a 5" ride height. So we lowered Prodigy 4" with out drooping the suspension and it has full suspension travel, so it is not bouncing off the bump stops, shocks or the high end of the spring rates all the time. The lowest point on Prodigy is the engine crossmember which is 4".

I was impressed, but no very surprised as I followed Bob in the Cuda and watched how it handled bumps. Like Prodigy is was clear the ride was very smooth. Alan also sectioned the body on the Cuda. In other words he cut a few inches out of the center of the side panels, forward of the rear quarters to produce a wicked rake making the car look even lower then it already is, which is pretty damn low. TRICK!TRICK!TRICK! Makes for one bad looking bitch in your mirror I tell ya. Prodigy on the other hand is the same ride height and clearance, but because there is subframe, exhaust and other clutter underneath like most Camaro's, it does not look as low as it really is until you walk up to it and reach down for the door handle. There is a picture with one of the Prodigy babes Dominica standing beside the roll bar. Dominica is 5'3" tall for reference. The top of the windshield post is 46 1/2" from the ground.

In the underside picture here you can see the half shafts on Prodigy's independent rear are level and there is a full 4" of travel in the shocks, we used a long 21" shock with 7 1/2" travel. up front we cured steering issues by narrowing the frame and mini tubing the front inner fenders. We did not have to bubble the fenders like the Cuda because it is not sectioned.

Wantsahertzdonut ask "I'm curious, is getting a car that low usually done for performance or just looks? And in either case, how does a car like that usually ride on the road? Is it rough enough to rattle fillings loose or just a little extra chop?"

Actually the answer is both. not only does it look killer, but as I said, Channeled cars can ride like a car not lowered!

While Channeling is not for the faint of heart, especially when it requires a full chassis in a car that did not have one. There is no single handling mod that can increase the handling of a car more then lowering the center of gravity 4".

Ever rode a Go Cart? A channeled car is like a go Cart with really good suspension.

[wantahertzdonut]

Having never seen such a killer ride in person I could only assume. I would have guessed being on this board that the extreme lowering being discussed was in the pursuit of better performance. It looks killer!

[gEtyOpAPiOn]

my tires go under the fender lip and it rubs the paint off from the inside on a turn ,it made the inside of the fender have a polished look!! lol but other than that no problems

[BritishGreen68]

Beautiful! looks almost low enough lol..
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
my friend is building a 62 Nova right now, and with no tubs it will lay the body (or whatever is lowest) on the ground on 18" magnetos. Looks pretty rediculous..but it can only happen with airbags. It wont turn unless the front end is high enough that it isnt tucking rim any more..

[torval]

I wish I hadn't read all these posts! Now I'm gonna hafta figure out how to drop my 71 Camaro! Oh well, another project!

[whytry]

My Camaro was on bags, took them off the front so I try to figure out what to do with the car in general. I had it to where the tires tucked and a little bit of rim tucked but only in the front. Rear was still leafs, which I am considering getting rid of... Who know's air might be in my future again....