New Ways To Lower The Rear End

[Cpt.Fred]

I changed the springs on the front end and put the Ford Aerostar springs in.

Here are some before and after pics...

 

Before, sagged old 39 Dodge springs cut one coil:

 

 

After, brandnew Moog springs:

 

 

Skywards Ho! I guess i have to start cutting again, this is a little more than i expected...

I'll update when i got the rear end done.

[Plymouthy Adams]

rear end sitting way to low....looks like it is loaded down with dead bodies or something...

[Cpt.Fred]

[40plyrod]

Looks good. I agree with you about the front being a bit too high. Do you have any pics of the placement of the mufflers? Do they hang below the frame? I'm having to move mine because the drag on the driveway...either that or raise the car back up. HA HA HA

Edited November 11, 2013 by 40plyrod

[Cpt.Fred]

40plyrod, i built a dual exhaust that runs through the frame when we did the intake mods and headers.

unfortunately i can only use short glasspacks due to the large crossmember in the middle of the frame and the battery sitting under the driver's seat,

but it's running very well like this. i still have a hot spot were the tubes cross the rear axle that i have to take care of this winter,

and i will have to flatten the tubes a little to prevent the axle from bottoming out against them.

 

here's a picture of the undercarriage showing the routing of the tubes:

 

 

you can see that the lowest part of the chassis is the rear lower shock mounts and the frame itself:

 

 

only things scraping are the plaque and sometimes the exhaust tips.

Edited November 11, 2013 by Cpt.Fred

[40plyrod]

Thanks for the pics. Nice work on running the exhaust. I've got shorty smithys on mine but hung most of it below the frame, guess it's back to the drawing board.

[hendo0601]

Deathbound,

 

Did you end up adding more lowering blocks to the back of your car? I am curious because it has been a few months now since you installed the springs and they should have had time to "settle" a little bit now. I too am looking to replace the sagging/worn out rear springs on my Chrysler and I am wondering if I should just order the springs and some lowering blocks at the same time and install it all at once, or install the springs and wait for them to settle down. I know here at work when we lower vehicles with new springs I have to explain to customers it may not look as low as they thought right now, but give it a few weeks and some driving and the new parts will settle down.  I lowered a Yukon with a bolt-in 4" lowering kit two weeks ago...it looked like it was at the factory ride height when we got done...he came back this past saturday and it sure did settle down and it looked great!

[Plymouthy Adams]

when you raise the pinion such as you are you are limiting the travel of the driveshaft and also compressing/loading the spring in the trunion cup..have you verified you have actual squeeze room left for any real sudden jolt the suspension may take in this condition?  Have you compensated for the spring to prevent it from breakage as it is not designed to ride in this position but only be able to absorb movement during suspension travel..

[knuckleharley]

thanks for the info, bewillie!

sadly, i don't have press available.

in addition i don't think rearching would do the job?

correct me if i'm wrong, please.

 

Call around trucking companies with dump trucks,and ask them where they get their springs re-arched and repaired. Then you can take your springs to a local shop and have the work done,and most likely save a bundle in the process. If they can re-arch and heat treat dump truck springs,your Plymouth springs are going to be a walk in the park for them.

 

You need to check your manual to see what the factory spring rates are to get the springs done right,but I don't see any real reason why it would be a big deal for them to get you the "drop" you need while maintaining the right spring rate. After all,this is a large part of what they do for a living.

 

It will also be a good place to get a new drivershaft built if you ever need one.

[knuckleharley]

Fred, here is what my rear spring shackles looked like:

 

(edit...I ordered new shackles from Berbaum's, forgot to ask if they're NOS or replacements)

 

painted the left one, saw the condition of the right one, then came to my senses & decided to order new shackles.

 

Where's your sporting blood?

[Cpt.Fred]

rear springs are on their way already.

didn't have any luck with local shops,

i tried some but there wasn't any who could or wanted to deal with the task.

front will be lowered some after the springs settled.

[builtfercomfort]

Skywards Ho! I guess i have to start cutting again, this is a little more than i expected...

I'll update when i got the rear end done.

I lost track - did you relocate the front spring mounting pad to the bottom of the a-arm yet?

[Cpt.Fred]

No , i didn't. It's held in place by giant rivets and figured it would be smart to leave it as is... or is it?

[40plyrod]

That's how I lowered mine. I ground the head off the rivet and punched them out, then used those holes as line up to drill through the bottom of the a-arm. There's a flange on the spring pocket that most people remove to get the pocket to sit flat against the bottom of the a-arm but I made up a spacer plate to fit there. Then I bolted it all together with grade 8 fine thread bolts and nuts and tack welded. Most that do this weld the pocket right to the a-arm but I wanted to be able to go back if it didn't work out well. It will lower your car in a hurry but I'm not yet convinced it's the way to go. I think that if I was sure my homemade disc brake setup would work with Fatman drop spindles then that's the way I would go.  

[Cpt.Fred]

Hmmm, doesn't sound like my way to go.

I rode the plymouth with cut coils for several thousand miles this year

and other than the springs were too weak (the Moogs definately aren't)

everything went really fine, no bump steer or anything.

So i guess ill just start cutting a half coil and testfit, than maybe cut another half.

With a little elbow grease and an impact wrench it's half an hour's work...

[deathbound]

Where's your sporting blood?

 

knuckleharley, it's in me when I ride my rigid frame '62 Panhead with suicide shift, springer front end-no front brake, rear mechanical brake. Others might have other words for it. As far as the front shackles-they were toast.

[deathbound]

Deathbound,

 

Did you end up adding more lowering blocks to the back of your car? I am curious because it has been a few months now since you installed the springs and they should have had time to "settle" a little bit now. I too am looking to replace the sagging/worn out rear springs on my Chrysler and I am wondering if I should just order the springs and some lowering blocks at the same time and install it all at once, or install the springs and wait for them to settle down. I know here at work when we lower vehicles with new springs I have to explain to customers it may not look as low as they thought right now, but give it a few weeks and some driving and the new parts will settle down.  I lowered a Yukon with a bolt-in 4" lowering kit two weeks ago...it looked like it was at the factory ride height when we got done...he came back this past saturday and it sure did settle down and it looked great!

 

I haven't added any lowering blocks to the rear since I installed the Posies 3" lowering springs. I have since removed 2 leafs from them & will wait another month or 2 & see how it settles. Post #41 shows after the new springs were installed. I have also removed 2 leafs from the custom front leaf springs since that pic was taken. Winter is a good time to install the blocks (1" cut down from the 3" blocks I had-even though it only takes an hour or 2), if it doesn't settle to where I happy with it.

 

Here are a couple pics as it sits now, without any blocks & just 2 leafs removed from the fronts & rears:

 

http://imageshack.com/a/img809/8321/0d6k.jpg

 

http://imageshack.com/a/img7/4927/sqgq.jpg

[deathbound]

I changed the springs on the front end and put the Ford Aerostar springs in.

Here are some before and after pics...

 

Before, sagged old 39 Dodge springs cut one coil:

 

 

After, brandnew Moog springs:

 

 

Skywards Ho! I guess i have to start cutting again, this is a little more than i expected...

I'll update when i got the rear end done.

 

 

Fred, I also have heard, as mentioned in a previous post, about moving the spring pocket to the underside of the arm. Have you also considered the dropped uprights (sorry if you addressed that already)? I do agree that the front needs to come down. I really like your car, bet it will look great when you get the suspension sorted out.....FUN! 

[Cpt.Fred]

deathbound:

thanx for the kind words and new pics, looks good already! how does it ride with the 2 layers taken out of the package?

hope it doesn't get all spongy and soft, like before? just kidding.

did you take the shortest ones out or just some out of the middle?

 

interesting that you have leaf springs in the front as well, i always thought they started using IFS in 37.

 

since my pockets are quite empty at the moment i think i'll just cut the coils for a start.

i don't want to move the lower spring pockets, and the fatman's are quitey pricey as well plus require

relocating the upper shock mounts to the frame, if i recall correctly. that still has to wait a little.

[Robert Horne]

Capt Fred,

Both my 37, and my 38 have the leaf spring front ends. I have been moving, adding,

and removing springs many times to get the look I like. I added a couple of Jeep springs

to the mix also.

I believe 1938s were the last year for leaf spring fronts for Plymouth, not sure on other Mopars...

[Cpt.Fred]

thanks, Robert!

 

i've been running cut front coils from a 39 dodge sedan, and i saw the front end of a 39 desoto coupe a couple of years ago,

so i guess we're safe to say that they introduced IFS in 39. maybe i mixed it up with the introduction of the l-head six in,

what was it, 36? i don't know... but that's what message boards are for

always interesting what's under the sheet metal, and the little differences from year to year...

[Robert Horne]

Chrysler and Desoto got the new stuff/upgrades first, and Plymouth would soon follow suit.

I think Dodge was in the middle there to get new stuff/upgrades......

[Plymouthy Adams]

not that familiar with the older models but as for body and chassis stuff...the three big sisters were pretty much in the same dress, only a different bow or ribbon here and there..

[deathbound]

Fred, it's not a spongy ride at all. I left the very bottom shortest leaf (approx 12" long), took out the next 2 shortest, left the 4 longest. 1938 was the last year for the tube axle/leaf spring front, but I thought I saw somewhere some of the early/mid 30's cars used IFS with coil springs??? Derek

[TodFitch]

Fred, it's not a spongy ride at all. I left the very bottom shortest leaf (approx 12" long), took out the next 2 shortest, left the 4 longest. 1938 was the last year for the tube axle/leaf spring front, but I thought I saw somewhere some of the early/mid 30's cars used IFS with coil springs??? Derek

 

For Plymouth, IFS with coil springs were used for the 1934 PE and PF models. Dropped as a cost savings measure on the later 1934 PG. IFS did not reappear on Plymouth until, I think, 1939.

 

I think all the part numbers are different, but the '34 IFS looks very similar to the later IFS. So unlike the "Weak knee" Chevrolets, it was probably a decent design, just expensive.