How Low is TOO LOW??

[toofun]

So I guess thats a weird question but I am running Ridetech front and rear and I love the way the car sits currently but my headers and exhaust are very low to the ground.. How low? Well the frame of the car sits 5 inches from the ground and the lowest part of the exhaust and headers are sitting about 3 inches from the ground. So is this normal?

Sorry but I've never built a car this low to the ground before and dont know what the norm out there is. What is the minimum amount of space I should have for clearance? (I know I cant go over speed bumps and have to be careful going over driveways too but just wondering if this is not doable...

Thanks
Mark
TOOFUN

[vette427-sbc]

Ive found most speed bumps are about 4" tall... so that should be your absolute minimum. The lowest point on my car is 4.5" off the ground. When I go over speed bumps I just go real slow to make sure I dont let the suspension compress when the wheel comes off the bump. Otherwise I havent had any issues driving on these horrible NJ roads. You learn to look for obstacles like pot holes, dips, raised man-holes and debris when driving. Steep driveways are no issue either. Just have to learn how to navigate up them.

[TheJDMan]

I have about 2.5" of clearance under my header flange. Clearly this is too low and I'm considering changing to a mid-length style header. Ideally I would like to find a side exit header so I could run side pipes. That said, I have a few scratches on the headers but for the most part I have had surprisingly few problems dragging. I do have to drive around parking lot speed bumps and I have to be very careful when I go in and out of unfamiliar drives but overall I have learned what I can and cannot drive over without dragging.

64464

[XLexusTech]

Stance isnt too low but those headers sure are :-)

[TheJDMan]

Stance isnt too low but those headers sure are :-)

I agree!

[Gregersen46]

My headers sit low also

[Skip Fix]

If I can't get a floor jack under the crossmember it's too low.

[MK69RSSS]

Low headers suck

[SR71]

after the recent wheel/tire swap, my subframe is 3" off of the ground. with the old wheel/tire combo it was only 3.5" off of the ground....and I drove it that way for 2 yrs.

switching to shorty headers and getting the exhaust tucked up into the sub was an absolute necessity. did I give up a few ponies?, most certainly. but the end result was well worth it.

[SR71]

If I can't get a floor jack under the crossmember it's too low.

that's what short lengths of 2" thick planks are for.

[Skip Fix]

that's what short lengths of 2" thick planks are for.

I've gotten too old to have to do that! In fact my 79 Camaro the factory spoiler is low an dfar back to pull on the car trailer I had to stack 2x12s to make a mini ramp(put a handle on one end screwed them together) to put the trailer ramps on and not drag!

[LowFast]

You will know that you have it too low when you teeder-todder on a speed bump. In all seriousness, it seems 4" is about the comfortable minimum, lower than that and you really have to baby it over bumps and pot holes.

[SS PUNISHER]

Imo, the only way you're too low is if you bottom out on the freeway....

[Loyaltyisking]

Had a dude that lived across the street with a 64 impala all hydroed out... Some times when he would be getting home he would drop the whole car as he would speed past us... Sparks everywhere. Was dope as a kid... Not so much anymore. Dont be that guy with sparks flying on the freeway!

[Charles]

Do you think this is too low??? Have you thought of Air Ride.... I still need to install some bump stops and do minor adjustments to keep it off the ground. Nothing crazy here, just enough to get me ride height and back down to park mode.:twothumbs

[overZealous1]

^ that is looking good! i like all the subtle mods, and the big ones too! channeled the frame? i have the floor cut out of mine right now and channeling over a full frame. setting body at 3.5" off ground (from bottom of rocker, body pinch hammered flat) and frame at 3.25".

[Lamoogle]

I don't think I will do air ride, but you guys are making me think I need to go lower than 7.5" front and 8" rear of the rocker. Sounds like my 62 Impala could go much lower, but I have a 119" wheelbase and I bet them 1st gen Camaro's are good bit shorter!

[SR71]

I'm much more impressed with a low car rolling down the road than with the air dumped in a parking lot. most of the ones around here lay on the ground parked and look stock on the road. I guess it does make a good parking brake though. :)

[BuzzKillian]

I'm much more impressed with a low car rolling down the road than with the air dumped in a parking lot. most of the ones around here lay on the ground parked and look stock on the road. I guess it does make a good parking brake though. :)

And a lot harder to tow away.

[carguykeith]

I know for a fact that 2 1/2 is too low, I have a piece of my exhaust that hangs that low and I can't it on some driveways and speed bumps. Really need to tuck it up but haven't had the $ to have a custom setup put together (still running a $100 summit 3" x pipe kit that hangs completely under the body instead of in the trans tunnel).

[SR71]

So I guess thats a weird question but I am running Ridetech front and rear and I love the way the car sits currently but my headers and exhaust are very low to the ground.. How low? Well the frame of the car sits 5 inches from the ground and the lowest part of the exhaust and headers are sitting about 3 inches from the ground. So is this normal?

Sorry but I've never built a car this low to the ground before and dont know what the norm out there is. What is the minimum amount of space I should have for clearance? (I know I cant go over speed bumps and have to be careful going over driveways too but just wondering if this is not doable...

Thanks
Mark
TOOFUN

sorry that we got a little bit off topic here, Mark.

since you love the way the car sits, fix your exhaust issue. 5" at the frame is 4x4 ground clearance in the pt world.

I had the same problem. my headers hung way down below the sub and I had a tire clearance issue after about 60% turn. I was going to go with the full air ride deal to have clearance when I need it.

Then I talked to Marcus at sc&c. he made me realize that I was getting ready to throw a crap load of money in the car to band aid my existing problems. he told me to fix my exhaust and tire issues then we would decide what I wanted to do for suspension mods. that was the best advice ever. he actually turned my money away and talked sense to me. I ended up spending quite a bit of money with him anyway, but he put together an awesome package for me. now I have the low ride that I want all of the time, but it works in the real world and looks badass doing it.

[68firebird]

I'm having the same problem with my headers, especially the drivers side header, hanging too low, probably like 2 1/2 inchs like some of you guys, and I have yet to lower the rear of the car. I've only scraped the flange once, but also haven't driven it alot since I've lowered it. What would be the best headers to solve this? I think I've got some cheapo flowtech or something like that right now. I really don't want to go with shorty headers. I'm guessing I'll have to go with mid length headers.

[SR71]

I had the exact same headers that I saw in your build thread.

since it appears that you have an auto trans, you are lucky enough to have a good selection of midlength headers. my manual clutch linkage severly limits my selection.

another excellent option is a set of doug thorley tri-y's. from the pics I have seen, they tuck up nice and tight. I would have gone this way, but they just were not in the budget.

[diesel25lrs]

Stainless works headers are about even with bottom of frame & i believe you can get them for a little over 6 Benjamins online now!

[Garymac69]

I got the doug thorley tri-y's so that I could lower my Camaro where I wanted it. The passenger side is about flush with the subframe and the driver side is about 1/4 in lower.

[68firebird]

k, thanks for the info guys, very helpful. the doug thorley's are out of the budget at the moment, so I'm gonna have to settle for some mid length or shorty's

[Pete68]

The lower the better. I'd love to have mine lower but maybe tough without bags and dont want to head in that direction. I LOVE the look tho. And yes, I have to drive onto 2x4's in order to get the jack under the car.

66035

[cornfedbill]

I once talked with a builder who had the lowest T-bucket I had ever seen. He was able to drive over speed bumps because his front axle, which was the lowest point, moved up and down with the wheels. The frame was about 4 inches above the ground.

The cross-member is not the issue, it is the frame rails and the headers.

As long as the cross-member does not hit the ground when the suspension compresses through dips at speed, it is not too low.

Has anyone done anything to raise the frame rails on a first gen for clearance?

[CKreations]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/06/3a88e77b-1.jpg

That is all...

[sam 74]

when i had my car setup for drag racing the header flange was at 2.5 off the ground and it scraped on everything, but with the drag springs the car was like rideing in a boat. i currently have Hotchkis springs in my car and the headers are 4.5 off the ground with my current front tires which are a bit taller than the skinnies i used to use for drag racing. i don't hit anything anymore but it feels to high to me and i'm considering going with a 2 inch drop spindle to get the car back down where i'm used to seeing it. hopefully it won't have the same issues i had with the drag springs scrapping the header flange while driving down the street when the street waves up and down.

[gak68]

sorry that we got a little bit off topic here, Mark.

since you love the way the car sits, fix your exhaust issue. 5" at the frame is 4x4 ground clearance in the pt world.

I had the same problem. my headers hung way down below the sub and I had a tire clearance issue after about 60% turn. I was going to go with the full air ride deal to have clearance when I need it.

Then I talked to Marcus at sc&c. he made me realize that I was getting ready to throw a crap load of money in the car to band aid my existing problems. he told me to fix my exhaust and tire issues then we would decide what I wanted to do for suspension mods. that was the best advice ever. he actually turned my money away and talked sense to me. I ended up spending quite a bit of money with him anyway, but he put together an awesome package for me. now I have the low ride that I want all of the time, but it works in the real world and looks badass doing it.

Marcus at sc&c is awesome; he gave me a solid 2 hours of time on the phone discussing the various routes to go with with my car and the various suspension selctions.

[68metal]

what size wheels and tires are you running ? My 68 has DSE control arms with 2" drop springs and its still too high. I'm getting ready to purchase new wheels / tires and like your stance.

[pitts64]

Pull into driveways and across speed bumps on an angle with a low car..

[vintageracer]

Do you want a nice "Driveable" car or a useless car that looks "Cool"?

That's really the question.

Ricer's and small car guys are ALL about looking "Cool" and not the driveability of their car.

PT guys are ALL about the driving experience and looking "Cool" is further down the list.

Which one are you?

Only You can make that decision!

[TheJDMan]

My car is completely drivable, I just have to be aware where I'm driving. Every time I have dragged on something it was when I was not paying attention. More header clearance would just mean I could be less attentive while driving.

[blainemeyer]

My car is completely drivable, I just have to be aware where I'm driving. Every time I have dragged on something it was when I was not paying attention. More header clearance would just mean I could be less attentive while driving.

Can I ask how you lowered your car ? I am at the very beginning of putting my 69 back together and really like the way your car sits.

[Nicks67GTO]

I used to have about 3.75" and my engine cradle. That was way too low.

[icemanrd19]

This is the right ride height for me. I have to use a 2x4 to be able to get a jack under the rear to lift up from the 3rd member

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/03/IMAG0328-1.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/icemanrld19/media/IMAG0328.jpg.html)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/02/IMAG0326-1.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/icemanrld19/media/IMAG0326.jpg.html)https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/02/543418_10100166818297076_1372792821_n-1.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/icemanrld19/media/543418_10100166818297076_1372792821_n.jpg.html)

[Auto Rod Technologies]

Nice car Iceman

[TheJDMan]

Can I ask how you lowered your car ? I am at the very beginning of putting my 69 back together and really like the way your car sits.

Detroit Speed subframe, G-Link 4-link rear, coil-overs all four corners. Coil overs allow you to adjust the ride height exactly where you want it.

[Pete68]

Do you want a nice "Driveable" car or a useless car that looks "Cool"?

That's really the question.

Ricer's and small car guys are ALL about looking "Cool" and not the driveability of their car.

PT guys are ALL about the driving experience and looking "Cool" is further down the list.

Which one are you?

Only You can make that decision!

Im not sure its that simple, if you are really about what you call "driveability" you should not be driving a muscle car at all, because there are many many more cars that "drive" much better. Pretty much any car built in the last 20 years is going to have better "driveability" that even a modified muscle car. Looking "cool" is part of the muscle car appeal. To me a car looks "cool" when it sits low...and lowering a can help "driveability" in many ways if its done well and within reason.

And I can think of a few "Ricer" cars that can outperform almost anything!!

[vintageracer]

Driveability?

Yes that can mean a lot of things to different people.

TO ME ultimate "Driveability" is the ability to drive the car anywhere, anytime under any normal driving conditions without compromise.

Think replace your daily driver Toyota!

YES a properly prepared musclecar or PT car can be made to fit that description. I own several!

[blainemeyer]

Detroit Speed subframe, G-Link 4-link rear, coil-overs all four corners. Coil overs allow you to adjust the ride height exactly where you want it.


Thanks.