In the last issue of Custom Rodder we renovated the front suspension of Eric Smith's '50 Ford sedan using the Ultra-Cruise ball-joint-conversion kit and a disc brake setup from Jamco Suspension. Of course, with the frontend updated, Eric naturally wanted to fine tune the car's rear suspension, too, bringing us to the story at hand.
We turned to Jamco once again to procure a new set of rear springs. While the company's Ultra-Cruise frontend equipment is currently limited to '49-53 Fords and Mercurys, its custom coil and leaf springs can be had for nearly any '50s and '60s domestic car. New springs can be made to stock specifications, or they can be designed to lower a car 1, 2, 3, or 4 inches from stock. When an altered ride height is called for, spring rates are increased accordingly so the suspension will be less likely to bottom out during normal use, and so that the car will retain its ability to haul around a full complement of passengers and luggage. Additionally, the springs use poly slider material between leaves to reduce friction and noise.
In the case of Eric's Ford, we ordered de-arched leaf springs designed to provide a right height 4 inches lower than stock. Now, since we were pretty sure Eric's car had settled a bit from "stock height" during its 55 years of service, we also had some lowering blocks on hand to adjust the ride height as needed. In using the de-arched springs, our goal was to minimize the need for blocks, as anything more than about a 3-inch block can create a dangerously low scrub radius.
In addition to the springs, Jamco supplied new shocks, shackles, and bushings. Eric also opted for one of the company's hefty rear sway bars to provide balance to the sway bar we installed up front. Installing the bar created a little extra work, as the trunk floor had to be modified slightly for clearance. Otherwise, the rest of the install was essentially a remove-and-replace operation.
We returned to KA Customs in Huntington Beach for installation, putting the car in the capable hands of owner Kevin Francis. The accompanying photos and captions should give you an idea of how everything went.
