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The Woes of Traversing a Rocky Road in a Low Riding Car.

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moyomongoose

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What inspired this one is the fact I have begun the project today of building a lift kit for my car.

The fellow who's low slung car is being destroyed by the rocky road is a reflection of what my situation has been for years driving on the road to and from my home in Arkansas. The road that goes to my place is one lane, dirt, has tips of boulders protruding from the surface, and has wash-outs during the rainy part of the year. You can really tear up a low slung car on a road like that.
Among various damage done to my car over the years, twice I have torn the exhaust system out from under my car...One time on rocks that were used to fill in a wash-out. And another time on a big dip where a wash-out had started...
...On that 2nd time, I have drove from Arkansas to Sanford, Florida with the exhaust system completely gone all the way up to the exhaust manifold, which the car sounded like a WW1 bi-wing fighter plane as it went down the highway through the states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Also, I had to keep all the windows down during that trip to keep the exhaust fumes aired out of the car. I finally rebuilt the exhaust system while I was in Florida.
My car also hasn't had a rear bumper for the past 4 years...Yup, you guessed it. Torn off on that rocky road going to my place.
I've been lucky so far I've never torn off an engine oil pan, or a transmission pan, or ripped the gas tank.

There were times I would remedy that situation by parking the car where the road starts getting really bad, then walk on foot the rest of the way to my place. Of course, at age 67, that 3/4 mile walk isn't as easy as when I was younger. And if a thunderstorm comes up while I'm walking the 3/4 mile from my car to my home, that's not good either. And that is the only road into the area where I live.

In recent years, I've priced pick-up trucks, SUVs and crossovers. Vehicles like that have been priced more than I can afford...
...The owner of a repair shop that also sells trucks and cars had even made the comment to me;

"	"Well, with the money you got, you might be able to buy the steering wheel to one...But hey. That's a start".

...Real peanut gallery remark.

But finally, I figured out a way to lift the height of my car;
At a steel supply place that also builds utility trailers, I found out they have 4 inch schedule 40 steel pipe that has an outside diameter of 4 and a half inches...This pipe is the perfect size to make spacers to go in between the tops of the struts and the strut wells of the car.
They also had bucket spacers made for Bobcat loaders, which are 5 inch steel rings with 4 inch ID cut from 1/4 inch steel. I also got some of those bucket spacers to use disperse the pressure between the spacer and the strut well, so the schedule 40 pipe does not directly contact the tops of the strut wells and eventually fatigue and tear the wells.
The original bolts will be pressed out of the tops of the struts, and long, grade 8, bolts will be used to bolt everything in place.
I also have a strut compressor kit...I'll surely be making use of that to get that job done.
The size specs of that material were so accurate to what I needed, you would think it was made for the project of the strut spacers I am beginning to make.
By the time I get this project done, my car will ride at the same height clearance from the road as many crossovers and small puck-up trucks do. That height would be plenty high enough to avoid tearing up my car on the road that goes to my place.

I am however going to have to install small twisted link chain inside the front struts to limit the wheels from dropping all the way down if the car was to momentarily become partially air born.
That is because at the new height, the rubber flex fittings to the brake lines would get pulled and snapped if I don't limit the suspension drop...And the right CV shaft would bind against the lower A arm to the suspension. So I did take those things in to account as I designed this modification.

I will not have to install drop limiter chains inside the rear struts, as there is plenty enough length on the rear brake line flex fittings to where maximum wheel drop with the new height will not present that problem. Also there are no CV shafts at the rear of the car to worry about.

As for having the wheels realigned, I am already aware I will have to have that done.

In light of this, a thought crossed my mind...Can anyone imagine someone with one of those small radically lowered cars that have a two inch ground clearance attempting to drive down the road I live on?
If someone were to try it, I'd grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy the show.

A low slung car is great if you live in a location where level paved streets and roads are the only places you'll ever drive.
But a low slung car can not really survive rough dirt roads that have rocks and wash-outs.

Keywords

male 1,242,201, human 111,932, destruction 2,952, car parts 3, low slung car 1, rough road 1

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Type: Picture/Pinup

Published: 4 years, 5 months ago

Rating: General

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ThedoktorJimmy

4 years, 5 months ago

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TBH the car looks good

moyomongoose

4 years, 5 months ago

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@ ThedoktorJimmy

Thank you.

I'm sure it won't look good for long by the time trips over that road are done with it.

ZwolfJareAlt306

4 years, 5 months ago

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Best of luck with this project!

Also consider installing the largest diameter tires it can take, keeping in mind tire contact with suspension and steering travel, and wheel sensor compatibility, depending on how new the car is...

moyomongoose

4 years, 5 months ago

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@ ZwolfJareAlt306

I've already got the largest size tires that will fit, which is a slight improvement.

I still can't go any larger even after the modification because the spring of the strut would be in the way. This modification will be spacers at the tops of the struts.

I appreciate the input though.

ZwolfJareAlt306

4 years, 5 months ago

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@ moyomongoose

I figured you had probably thought of this. :)

GayMunk2

4 years, 5 months ago

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I would have suggested a rugged ATV. then you could transport yourself to and from your vehicle when it's rough. However it wouldn't be ideal leaving your car far from your home. Plus, as you mentioned, rain.

moyomongoose

4 years, 5 months ago

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@ GayMunk2

True...I want to be able to drive my car to my house without tearing it up.

ThaPig

4 years, 5 months ago

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This has happened to me a few times! ( > (oo) < )

Once the muffler of my Chevette fell off right in the middle of South Beach, it was embarrassing.

On another occasion, I bought a Camry that had been lowered, and every time I went over a speed bump the muffler would it. Until eventually it broke. I drove 300 miles with a car that sounded like a machinegun from Miami to Jacksonville where my brother lives.

And the last time, the rear drive shaft of the Honda CRV detached and fell on the road. That one scared the shit out of me because it sounded like the car was falling apart there for a moment when that thing was still half attached but spinning wildly and hitting stuff down there.

moyomongoose

4 years, 5 months ago

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@ ThaPig

Hence that's why I don't like road huggers.

Back when I first got that car, it had worn struts and smaller tires which put it really close to the ground.
Replacing the struts and going to larger size tires the next time I needed tires did help a little.
When the car use to sit closer to the ground, I would refer to it as "the lizard belly car"...being a lizard always runs with it's belly close to the ground.

ThaPig

4 years, 5 months ago

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@ moyomongoose

I had never understood the point of making cars ridiculously low. I just bought a new CRV last week and the first thing I did was change the silly tiny wheels the previous owner had by the original ones, which fortunately he had kept.

moyomongoose

4 years, 5 months ago

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@ ThaPig

I just thought of something else on that count...Imagine someone attempting to drive down that road in a Tesla electric car. The battery pack is arranged in a flat panel configuration under the floor of the car (battery pack covers the bottom of the car).
That battery pack is $25,000...Imagine that $25,000 battery pack getting thumped and hammered against that rough rocky road beneath the car...
...Each thump and bang felt under the car would = $$$$$$ flying out of the wallet.

ThaPig

4 years, 4 months ago

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@ moyomongoose

Electric cars don't convince me. Maybe when they become simpler, cheaper, and come common I would consider one, but so far I see them as overpriced and way too complex.

I'm not a mechanic, but I can do simple repairs myself, I keep my old junkers running. A car literally designed by a rocket scientist is out of my league.

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