Chevy Lowrider Car Tattoo

Jan 30/2015

 

Subject:    Chevy Lowrider Car, Truck or Lead Sled

By: www.gwansoonleetattoo.com

 

 

I posted this Lowrider Chevy Tattoo on my site several weeks ago and noticed that a greater explanation and some examples of the actual vehicles needed to be explained. By the way , this sign is located in Las Vegas Nevada and says welcome to Las Vegas.

 

A Better Explanation of These Types of Cars and Modifications:

So here it is in a Nutshell.

        I noticed these types of Modifications many years ago. Specifically a friend of mine did a half mod where he lowered the rear only and lifted the front end. The car was a Pontiac Lemans T37. Engine was a 350cu in Chevy Engine with a 2barrel Carb and 250 hp.

What he did was drop the rear and Raise the front by changing the front coil springs from a heavier vehicle, so the front was actually about 5 inches higher. Anyways this was his attempt.

Lowriders speak about using hydraulics and thus these hydraulic cylinders would be located in an area that could change the height differential in the front and rear suspension of the vehicles. The unique thing about these mods is that you could literally make the car jump a couple of feet in the air from the ground when using the remote controls which are connected to the hydraulics.

You could make it lift any side of the car you wanted. There are competitions to see which vehicle goes the highest. I have seen these on TV.

When i think about lowriders, i am brought to the time when long bodied cars were modified , customized in some other way such as paint, chopping the roof line several inches or more and of course modifying the engine for more hp. Lead Sled is another term which maybe older than the term lowrider.

So let’s talk about how to drop an older car and make it into a lowrider. Lowrider, lead sled is not an exact science, so pretty much anything goes, just as long as it works and the visual effect is there once it is completed.

Let’s start with the new term in the dictionary which my tattoo picture has a direct link to it. The car would be using hydraulics to lower and raise the car. I read this setup was first taken from hydraulics used on airplanes. Somehow it was custom made to tailor it for automotive use. These cylinders would be placed somewhere in between the control arms and or the frame and the suspension.

Probable locations could be between the solid axle on the rear inside the coils springs and in-between the front coil springs. There are other ways these days to make a lowrider and that is by using air bags with pumps as a lift kit. I think this kit is more economical, but of course I don’t know how it would compete with a hydraulic version. I heard that you cannot drive the vehicle with it lowered too much or the air bags will fail early.The hydraulic version would definitely be harder to install and set up in comparison to costs involved with an air bag version. I've seen the air bag lowering kits advertised for about $400 dollars for the front and rear. But this is just the cost of these parts. There may be other costs involved when all things are taken into the equation.

Remember that if you are not doing it yourself, the labor costs will probably be more than the cost of the kit. I once installed a gabriel hijacker’s air shocks kit on one of my cars and I really liked the way it came out. This was not a lowrider, but a lift kit. This was necessary because I bought some big monster rear tires and had to clear the wheel wells.

Dropped spindles are available and many engineered lower coil springs are used every day by the enthusiasts to get the look they desire. If you use these by themselves you could get up to a 3 inch drop or combine them with a spindle or control arm and you could get more drop. Be aware that when you drop the springs, you will lose travel and thus ride quality and must use different shocks to compensate for the changes in travel.

Don't forget to check clearances for the exhaust system, wheel wells, and pinch points on hoses for brake lines and fuel lines. The older vehicles which had I beam construction for the front end and rear leaf springs could be lowered simply by changing the position of the rear axle tube and instead of the tube riding on top of the springs in the rears, the tube would be put on top of the springs and thus an immediate 4 to 5 inch drop could be realized. Some people have even just changed the arc in the leaf springs, so as not to have that much of a curve and instead be more straight.

Again as mentioned above, many things would have to be looked at to make this a safe lowering of the vehicle. My motto always is and has been SAFETY FIRST. And if you are using old parts and they look worn out , then, when in doubt, throw it out. Not to mention, who would want to go through all the trouble to get at something in a bad spot for the sake of using an old part and saving a few dollars.

Remember, these are things that I have seen , done and heard of doing. When doing this by yourself, do your research on the subject first, look at examples , get professional advice .These days there are many things that can be done and depending on your budget and how mechanically inclined your are, then this should be quite an experience for you.

 

Good Luck, and Stay Safe.

 

www.gwansoonleetattoo.com

www.gwansoonleetattoo.com