if i use a superbell dropped axle on a 37 ford 4dr sedan can i keep the original wishbone set up? i want to keep the flathead so i don't need to worry about the engine and trans hitting it.

Yes............but you will need to bend the steering arms. A tube axle will work with a non-split wishbone .........but you need a forged steel axle if you split the wishbone.

I would say that depends on the amount of drop. The front end geometry will change, the camber. A 4 in drop will have a bigger affect then a 1 in. 1 in drop likely not much, a 4 in drop more dramatic. I think the stock camber is around 4 to 7 degrees , not sure about this range. But that is an easy measurement to find out. Engine should be just fine......... forgot about the steering arms, nice catch

Pepi, you are thinking about "caster" not "camber". The drop will not change either much. I am not sure of the exact numbers but it will be very little.

The original Ford had only a tiny bit, maybe 2-3 degrees tops I would think. I would bet 1-2. Camber, next to zero at 0 degrees to maybe at the most -.5.

If you drop the back of the wish bone down like my brother did on his '39 you can get 3-4 as I remember. Makes for a better highway car. The more caster the less rolling resistance and the better it will cruise at high speeds.


Brian

thanks guys for the info, this is the type kit i'm thinking of, why do they consider a stock 37-40 ford wishbone as a split wishbone design? it looks like its one piece to me or am i reading something wrong? i think this kit comes with the steering arms that are the right size. any body use this kit? thanks bob

http://www.chassisengineeringinc.com/page56.html

Stock 32 to 40 Wishbones are not split...



This is a 32 wishbone ...stock...



Here is a set split...



Here is the ends........with bungs welded on....to accept ends that attach to brackets on the frame......

People HAVE to split them to get a automatic transmission or a modern manual transmission in the frame. Bellhousings hit the wishbone .....OR drop the end of the wishbone down......MOST folks do not like this.... but opinions vary.....It seems like a lot of strain to me. But I do not like split wishbones either. IF I cannot run the suspension as is.......with a dropped axle ......I go ahead and go IFS......and get disc brakes, and a better steering all in one swoop.

With the stock engine and transmission.....this is not a problem. Even with a SBC ......hooked to the stock transmission ...there is no hitting ( because the stock bellhousing is used )



If you LOOK CLOSELY........you can see the split wishbones on my old 32 chassis..... Look at the wooden 2 x 6 ......and under it....you can see where the split wishbone end is hooked to a bracket on the frame....

We had the stock wishbone in my brothers 39 with a 401 Buick and Turbo 400. We dropped the wishbone "tennisball" down. That car drove sweet.

Brian

Deuce thanks for those photos they were helpful. how do i figure out if a 2" is not enough or if 5" drop on the front axle is going to be too much? where do i measure from so that i can take into account the effect different axle drops will have with different rim/tires heights ? thanks bob

Welcome to the wonderful world of rodding........
There is NO sure fire way........that I know of.

BUT......most rodders go with the 4 inch drop. The 37 axle has about 2 inches of drop originally so the 4 inch is just 2 more than stock. 14 and 15 inch rims with front " SIZE " tires are the norm also....Without Power Steering...most rodders use 165 or 175 size tires also.



This was my 1940 Ford coupe for many years. I just sold it about a year ago. This 40 has a 4 inch drop axle and 165x15x80R tires. It sits about as low as I wanted....

The front bumper would just barely clear a concrete parking stop. The front end was NOT split and I used a stock front spring with a few leaves removed. That's how most rodders adjust the ride height.

thanks Deuce, can i assume that if the spring perches are the same distance on two different axles that any lowering i get from reducing the number of leaf springs will also transfer over to a new axle? so i can play around with the ride height using the original axle and springs and then just add the additional "drop" from a different axle to figure total drop? what is the limit for removing leafs before you compromise the integrity of the spring setup? thaks bob

A lot of rodders have gone to the newer Mono leaf style spring. It is a single spring ( with spacers ) and is reported to ride vastly better. The advantage of it is also the ease of raising or lowering the ride height by the spacing of the spacers......

The spring eyes are also reversed .....rolled upward instead of downward....like stock. Just by itself it, the reversed eyes give about 1 inch of lowering.

Stock springs can be reversed, leaves removed and massaged...but most just buy a NEW set of springs........with Teflon sliders or new springs with a spring rate more conducive to a smooth highway ride...




A lot of the time, a rodder is better off to just buy a complete new chassis. This way everything works, the frame is all new and boxed and has a better ride and greater resale value. Then the rodder just moves his body to the new chassis.

I bought a new chassis for my 40 Ford coupe. I bought the complete Stage III chassis. It was cheaper than buying a part here, and a piece there....

When you sell the original to someone and subtract the price you got, the difference that it is and the cost of all the parts separate.....is very small......and sometimes even less.

thanks Deuce. we are thinking we want the true old school set up on this project and its more for a hands on father/son project then anything else. i'll keep reading and posting questions as i work through the project. i appreciate your insight. I figure we will take about a year in planning exactly what we want to do. there is some sheetmetal welding we need to do and cleaning and painting a frame and undercarriage is time consuming and cheap! chopping a top is also rather inexpensive but time consuming so we may throw that into the mix as well. i have no problem with delayed gratification, we were counting the projects i have done over the years and we could come up at least 6 cars, 3 trucks and 2 motorcycles. \Although this will be the first street rod. thanks bob

does any body use different size tires/rims on the front and rear to increase or accentuate the stance? and what is a ford 8" rearend? is that just a regular rear end out of mid 70s car? thanks bob

A 8 inch is a common Ford rear end. Ford used it in the Fairlanes, Falcons and Mustangs first. It is a smaller and light duty version of the 9 inch Ford series of rear end that came out in 1957 and in used by most of the serious car builders today. Lots of rodders use them..... and say that they are strong enough for most anything. The fact is that when Ford was making them, and produced a Ford car with over 250 or so Horsepower.....Ford upgraded to the 9 inch series. EXAMPLE = the 271 HP high performance Mustangs and Fairlanes. The standard 289 vehicles came with the 8 inch rears. IF you bought the 271 HP version......the 9 inch was standard.

Throughout the later 60's and 70's.....certain vehicles ( Mustangs, Cougars and Fairlanes ) came with either the 8 or the 9 inch, depending on the HorsePower level.

All 8 inch rears come with a small series axle bearings......and tapered axles....



Posi rears are very scarce and Ford offered a limited selection of gear ratios.

BUT THEY are used by a lot of rodders......

All the time.........look at my 40......165 on the front and 235 on the rear.