So there is a '72 Singer for sale (not a /6 in it at this time)

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/1042451679.html

that has been lowered 3 inches. I assume that this would require harder springs to keep it from bottoming out, and that this much lowering would screw up the front suspension geometry pretty well--Is that right?

You are right 3" is a lot.

However that car looks to be less than 3"

My car is lowered 2" (reversed spring mounts , short shackles, torsion bar adjustment) . No issues over stock if you have good shocks and a sway bar.

Find out where his 3" came from.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

He probably just used loweing blocks since it's the easiest way to do it. If so, it'll be easy to undo if that's your plan, ask him if he still has the original U-bolts. If it's that low there will be front end geometry issues but stock height and an alignment should cure it if everything is still tight in the front end.

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"Valiant arms"?

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO

My Swinger is lower than that. I don't think that's 3" of drop.

I DO have the Moog "Problem Solver" UCA bushings installed backwards and the .890 torsion bars cranked down, though. The rear springs (from Espo's) are supposed to be 1" lift, but I think I got 1" drop instead.

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vm

With "stock" parts, if you drop the front end to far, you will have alignment issues. These problems can be fixed two ways. The cheep way is the moog problem solver bushings. The down side to this method is once the offset bushings are pressed in, they are where they are for the life of the bushing. The up side is the bushings are cheep. A better method of solving the problem is the use the tubular upper control arms. This method is more expensive, but gives you a greater range of adjustment then you should ever need.

The other problem you can have with a lowered front end is a condition known as "bump steer" or when you hit a bump with one front tire the car will dart in one direction or the other. Bump steer is not USUALLY a problem unless the front end is really low, like almost riding on the bump stops low.

Hope this helps some.



TopHat

That is a bad looking Dart, you should get it. Plus it has some kind of Valiant armaments.

Hmmm ... well, my Valiant does have spears ...

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO

If that car was dropped 3", the top of the tires would be inside the wheel wells. It may have been lowered from one of those "nose high" alingments that some shops seem to give mopars. Nice looking ride, thou not my choice of rims on a car.

I have lowered the front end, on A bodies, until I had to cut the bump stops and never experienced bump steer nor had alignment problems. But then I am not an internet pundit and am usually wrong on most things, just ask my wife and kids...

My Dart is on air ride and can scrape the ground (and has) and I've never had a problem with bump steer. I do have tubular upper control arms to get it aligned though.

I really need to get the motor back into it (it's been out like 3 years now ) and get back to driving it around.

I think I've finally got a garage (just relocated from KS to TX) so maybe I'll eventually have it around to be able to take pictures of it =x.

Interesting... It looks like a '72 Dart, it has the correct grille, but it has the '70 Dart rear bumper... perhaps it's a '72 Scamp with a '72 Dart front end on it, or the rear bumper was damaged and that's all they could find?

Hmmm... looks like a nice car regardless, but there is no way it is lowered 3". My '71 was stock height and sat about the same as that.


~THOR~

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1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Hitting the bump-stops is the biggest issue with getting the car real low.
As soon as the suspension stops moving, (hits the stops) handling suffers.

Lowing a torsion bar vehicle in front usually helps reduce bumpsteer, as the tie rods "level-out" in relationship to a level road surface and the center link. If you go lower then that point, the outer ends of the tie rods start to angle upward and bumpsteer comes back and gets worse, as the angle increases. Drop spindles prevent this problem.
DD