Now that I have headers (and exhaust cut-outs) How do I...

...drive over speed bumps? I have about 4" clearance between the bottom of the flanges and the ground. I will increase this a bit, by maybe an inch, when I get the right sized tires on (currently 195/60-15, will be 225 or 235/60-15 front and going up from 245/60-15 to 255/60-15 rear). Until then, I am grounding out on angled driveways, small bumps in the road, etc...anywhere I can "high-center".

 

Drive around them?

 

Go slowly.
If your car has any bounce to it, ground clearance issues will be noticable if you don't go slower than you used to over such things as speed bumps and some drive aproaches.
Due to some sorry fitting headers, I have almost 3" clearance on mine. I only notice if I am going too fast. Even my own drive scrapes no matter what.
Good luck
Dave

 

start off with some stiff shocks..won't hurt your handling any, that's for sure.maybe your front springs are kinda tired? can alsways use those coil things that fit in between the coils until you get springs with the height you want.

 

well i'm sure you have bitched and moaned when you saw a lowered rice rocket go over a speed bump or dip in the road while you yelled and screamed at what a moron the guy was...

well you can actually learn from that belive it or not, and now you too can be a moron and have people yell at you

ok.... you know how they always go sideways? well do that same.... one tire at a time. if there is a dip in the speed bump angle the car over sideways so the header flange clears that area.. have fun!

if your car ain't scraping its too high and your too old

 

Geeze, first it was rim size and now its height. I must be ancient.

 

So far, I have been following Jamie's suggestion, and just bypassing all areas that I know of that have bumps and/or driving around them. But, old habits, etc. I will eventually forget and nail one head-on and get an instant suprise.

How much permanent damage can this do? Is it just going to bang up and scratch the headers, or can it start busting header bolts or strip them out of the heads?

I have new extra stiff springs on the front, very little travel. But, I cut 1.5 coils off and dropped them about 4". Has a nice ride height, but the front tires are way too small. I will get some bigger front tires soon, when the checkbook gets a little thicker. Until then, I am scraping in some pretty amazing places, where you look back and go "I scraped over that?!?!" Learning pretty quick where to hit at an angle, and where to drive around.

To top it off, I have no carpet, so the sound echoes and reverberates inside the car, amplifying an already loud and scary sound. Kinda wakes you up really quick!

 

do what i do... Go very slow over speed bumps...

but make sure you have a good set of springs up front.. it makes all the difference between hitting the speed bumps and not...

 

My springs are aftermarket, and brand new--just put on about 3-4 months ago. They are not maverick springs, I don't think, and are made for a 351 which is suppposed to be about 60 pounds heavier (this was all discussed in an older thread). Anyway, very stiff springs, but I cut them down for a low-profile look. not much spring to them, they are pretty stiff. I have very little, if any, bounce when I hit bumps. This might be a saving point for me, until I get the larger tires on.

 

Agree with MaverickMan, My car is lowered about 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches in the front. I have yet to scrap anything, but I do worry about that big cross member under the engine. One wheel at a time in all driveways does work. I had to change the pic, the file was to big.

 

Not the greatest picture, but you can see the cutouts are about 4" off the ground. You don't see pictures at this angle very often in the hot rod world

 

Use these

I have seen a few people weld these to the bottom of their headers.

www.colsoncaster.com


Seth

 

I hope...........

.........that you knew that I was joking!










Drive slow!

 

Man, you should have seen my 75 with a Moroso pan!
I used a Moroso 10" sump on both my 302 and 351c.
They hang LOW.
Never hit anything though.
I think that the oil pan being between the tires, always keeps it higher that what the tires go over.
Dave