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Tilted wheels. Why?


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13 hours ago, deuces wild said:

Whatever happened to the good old dayz when we used to use longer rear leaf spring shackles and then install L-60 tires mounted on slotted mags on the back of our cars?????......🥸

Now that was silly too, wasn't it?  ;)

Edited by peteski
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On 2/28/2024 at 2:28 PM, peteski said:

Now that was silly too, wasn't it?  ;)

Stupid would be the word, and just as detrimental to vehicle handling.

For what it's worth, tail-dragger customs with transverse rear springs (think '35-'48 Fords) were routinely lowered back at the dawn of time by using extremely long shackles. This resulted in some fatalities after the rear ends swayed uncontrollably from side-to-side while negotiating turns, sending the vehicles into oncoming traffic or off the side of the road and down into ravines.

"Torching" springs (local heating with an oxy-acetylene flame to get them to sag from the vehicle weight) was idiot SOP to lower cars at times too, destroying the temper of the steel, often resulting in broken springs at inopportune times, again causing "accidents".

Nobody ever said that ignorant fools doing stupid things to cars was a new phenomenon.

Rodders who had a clue about vehicle dynamics called these clowns "squirrels".

EDIT: Interestingly, the mis-used term "sway bar" derives from Panhard bars added to these moron-built transverse-sprung contraptions to somewhat control their tail-wagging tendencies.

 

 

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
dyxklextia spleling oopsie
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51 minutes ago, slusher said:

Did some states make that illegal for trucks?    Doesn’t. Make any difference I remember something about it..

I also saw something about laws enacted against squatted trucks. Kinda reminds me of the way laws were enforced against hot rods and muscle cars (loud ones) back in the day. The same car that would have gotten me pulled over when I was 20 now gets a friendly wave from the police when I rumble by :) .

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On 2/27/2024 at 12:18 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

You ever tried to speed-shift or road-race with a 3-on-the-tree?

Sure did and the majority of the time the shift linkage would cross-up and I would have to get under the hood with my trusty big screwdriver and fiddle with the linkage to get it unstuck. Was drag-racing (legally) my first '65 Chevelle with 3-on-the-tree, going into second the linkage crossed-up and somehow caused me to break a motor mount.

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Do any of you remember squatted cars in the '80s-'90s? The car was usually something like a Monte Carlo, Olds Cutlass, from the period, and usually had deep set Centerline wheels....... Maybe it was just a thing here, but I kinda liked the look. There wasn't so much squat that the cars were unsafe, just enough to have that 'look'..... White letter tires, and a gallon of Armor-All.....

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Negative camber, used wisely, can be your friend. We used to have a lowered Miata. Speed bumps were not our friend, but the undercarriage liked to get friendly with them. It also had mild negative camber all the way around, but it was right at the limits set by the factory. That car handled like it was on rails. Best $5k I ever spent on a car, that's for sure. 

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