How low can you go?

[henny496]

Hello
I was wondering if some of the members would have cars that have been lowered?
I would like to know how low some cars are , or were they have problems with ground clearance. I want to have mine as low as possible, but I no experience on how low a street car can be without being too much of a pain in the butt.........good stories/bad stories
I would like to know actual dimensions
thanks
Tom

 

[IH2LOSE]

I will answer this tonight with a picture and a photo. MY car is low actually dangerously low. I have never bottomed out yet but I do scrape pulling in and out of my garage. if I get one tire in a pot hole on the highway I am in for trouble.

I was at a car cruise last wensday and we were all parked on a grass lawn and it look as though the frame was sitting on the ground because of the grass. I am in the process of raising the ride height and I am going to match it the same as my C5 what ever the distance is from the floor to the lowest spot on the C5 thats what I am going to set the 62 at

I am also gathering information on air bags to see if I can use them to slam it down when displayed and then to raise it up while driving

 

[stepinwolf]

Tom,

Since I did the suspension conversion, ( VBP Performance Plus ) my oil pan now sits 4" from ground level, and I have yet to experience any issues.

In my present build, ( the SWC ), I will also be lowering the side rocker panels to the same distance from the ground, giving the impression that the car sit's lower then it actually will be.

The horizontal two tone paint job ( hint, there will be some silver and candy in it ) that I am planning to do " God forbid, a two tone Corvette, what will the Corvette God's say about that ", will also leave the viewer with the impression of a Corvette, sitting lower then it is. Kinda like horizontal wall paper. :crazy

As I previously stated, " He who pays the bill's, chooses the builds "

Any comments or debates on my decisions and choices will be welcomed.

Stepinwolf

 

[IH2LOSE]

2 1/4" off the ground to the front frame rails under the driver and pasengersl foot wells.The oil pan is at the same height

 

[IH2LOSE]

A little further away

 

[IH2LOSE]

This is the new ride height

 

[67HEAVEN]

2 1/4" off the ground
:crazy

I'd be lifting my skirt at every bump.

 

[Wilkinshc]

2 1/4" off the ground
:crazy

I'd be lifting my skirt at every bump.

Being that low might be hard on the bottom side! WOW

 

[henny496]

ride height

Hello

Thanks very much for the info from Stepinwolf and Larry> I was wondering what Larry has for a new ride height?
I was also wondering if 67 Heaven realized he just admitted on the CAC that he lifts his skirt? What he wears is his business, but he does have a very fine car
I look forward to hearing about Stepinwolfs paint scheme as well. I may be going to a single stage urethane(non metallic) and apparently my colour of preferance won't look good without metallic(blue) What apparently does look good is Red, so 67 may be happy to hear that
thanks
Tom ( I have Scottish blood in me, but we call them Kilts)

 

[IH2LOSE]

Tom I am going to measure what the C5 sits at,Thats what my final height will be.

 

[jerrybramlett]

On any lowered '63-7 Corvette, you run the risk of breaking the fiberglass lip above your front tires when you hit a bump with the wheels turned. This I know for a fact.

 

[henny496]

Fender lip

Thanks Jerry and IH2 Close. I realized about the fender lip a while ago and my car is going to be tight. I will be making a narrower control arm. I know if I go too narrow the tire may hit the inner frame, but I don't have a wide tire up front which will help as well
I will try the front suspension w/o springs, turn the wheel and then go up and down with the travel to make sure it clears
I can trim the inside of the lip a bit, but I don't want to change it's shape(flare)
thanks
Tom

 

[henny496]

control; arms

Hello
I was wondering if anyone had experience with narrowed custom control arms. or how much narrower than the stock length cam you safely go
Jerry Bramlett mentioned about the fender hitting, but I was wondering if anyone had solved this problem with the control arm length rather that just raising the car.
I may raise the front a little, put a little smaller tire on and the narrow control arm, but I don't want to change the rake on the car too much from where I have it now
My rim width is only 4 inches and I doubt I would ever be going wider than a factory 5 inch rim if I change combos later
I just put the car in the garage tonight and with tires tight, I had to do a 400 point turn to get it moved around to go in.......Ha!
Tom

 

[JohnZ]

I had a Lakewood bellhousing on my tube-frame Grand Sport, and snagged the bottom flange once on a railroad crossing (at about 3 mph) - probably would have snagged on a speed-bump too. Took it home and cut off the entire height of the bolting flange about 8"-10" wide across the bottom, didn't have any more problems.

 

[henny496]

scattersheild lip

Hello John
Thanks very much for that info. I had wondered about that lip and it looked like it could cause a rather abrupt halt to something, if it caught
I think I will cut the lip off the same way
thanks
Tom