DROPPED SPINDLES FOR A 60 GALAXY - PROGRESS AT LAST!

Does a dropped spindle set up exist for a 60 Galaxy without changing the whole front suspension? I also intend to switch it over to disc brakes.

Wayne

Wayne you might try looking around on some of the low riders sites with all the low riders running around out in L.A. they should have some connections on spindles.


Jim

Wayne, do your research on this as I've read about alot of the "drop spindles" are two piece and weld together. The welds then break and there goes your car. The ones I've looked at when I was looking for my 69 stang were like this and I decided to go with a standard spindle.

Good luck,
John

Hey, John: I was aware of welded two piece spindles "back in the day" (I'm 68 years young) and never cared for them for precisely the reason you mentioned. But, I thought that the specialty parts industry was past that kind of "Rube Goldberg" stuff. I've got people telling me that Granada spindles are the ticket for the 60 Galaxy, but I'd rather get some confirmation on that rather than "a friend of my neighbors cousins husband said ----". You know how that goes (LOL).

Wayne

If there is a choice offered always take the forged drop spindle over a cheaper cast unit.

Wayne Pearce wrote:Does a dropped spindle set up exist for a 60 Galaxy without changing the whole front suspension? I also intend to switch it over to disc brakes.

Wayne

Try http://www.rcmotorsportsinc.com/ they should be able to help!

How 'dropped' are we talking about? The granada spindle gives a 1" drop on some models. Shorter springs also works in some applications as well( for ex. Aerostar springs in my 56 provides a 3" drop).

You could check with these guys. drop n stop

Hey, Jason:
I've been in contact with Dave at Drop-N-Stop. He's putting a package together for my Galaxy, he stated that the Granada spindles would give me a 2 1/2" drop over the stock spindles. He offers the package with rebuilt single piston calipers, but I wanted to upgrade to a two piston set up for a little extra stopping power, just waiting for him to get back to me with the price.

Wayne

I have heard of many folks using the Granada spindle combination on 57-64 Ford passenger cars, and have heard no negative comments. If you go forward with the deal, please post a couple of pictures. It would be interesting.
Thanks,
Keith

Only problem I have heard with using the Granada spindles is some people have had a slight geometry hick-up when they are used on the early Mustang/Mavericks. Other than that I haven't heard any bad things when they were used on other platforms.

Per Dave at Drop-N-Stop, the only thing that will need adjusting on my application is the length on the tie rod ends. I'm waiting for the delivery of my kit, it's been delayed by a couple days because I wanted to upgrade to a dual piston caliper instead of the standard single piston set up. This car has to weigh a couple tons, so I want all the stopping power I can get. When it's installed, I will try to send a couple pics along.

Wayne (SAWDOFF) Pearce

That's gonna look great dropped. Please post some pics when your done and if you can during the install process.

John

Looking forward to seeing some pictures, 60 Galaxies are things of beauty.

Hotrod USA makes a Wilwood kit for the Granada spindle. Sounds like u r lined out but it is food for thought. Any steering issues usually has to do with bump steer and using the correct out tie rods.

Here's a link that mite have some helpful info.
http://members7.boardhost.com/Daze/index.html?1212602507

While I'm waiting for my DROP-N-STOP spindle kit to arrive, I've been thinking about what I want to do to the other end of this car. I decided to go with a four bar / coil over shock set up, but instead of a panhard bar I'm going with a watt's link set up to keep the rear end totally centered under the car. I want to put as large a tire as possible under it, and with the watt's link I think I can get a 10" wide tire in there without resorting to a "mini tub".

Wayne (SAWDOFF) Pearce

Have you see Travis Rice's 62 gal. if not you should take a look see, its in the car build ups.

Oh, yeah! I've watched that build right from the get go, only took brief breaks to wipe the drool from my puss (LOL)! Now that you've mentioned Travis's 62 build, I went to see if there's anything new that I might have missed, and it appears that Travis has pulled all the progress pics from day one until his last entry in May - that's a BUMMER!!

Wayne (SAWDOFF) Pearce

Well you can give him a shout im sure he will help you anyway he can.

I saw Travis's 62 in person and it is a very well thought out car. If I had some extra money I would buy it and run a Nostalgia class. I bought an enclosed trailer off of him this spring and when i went and picked it up he had a ton of BBF stick shift parts that I was interested in also but did not have the cash on me. He let me take them with me and I paid him a little later on. Now a days you will probably not find to many people like that out there. Wonder why he pulled the pics and vanished ? Have not seen him on here for a while anyone talked to him lately?

Wayne, you got any pictures of the 60 ? What are you going to use it for a pro-touring, street or race car?

At this moment I don't have any pic's of the Starliner. I plan to take before, and after photo's, and some in progress photo's as well, and will post them once I figure out how. The car has a 521 stroker motor, with a Tremec 5 speed behind it. I had to fab my own engine mounts as the mounts my brother had were of no use at all, as was the headers, individual tubes with slip on collectors. Cylinder 1 and 2, and cylinder 5 and 6 all hung way too low, and all the tubes needed to be reshaped or replaced. My intentions are for this car to be a head turning street cruiser (might have to detune the 521 a bit). I will do some mild custom work, and build an interior for it (no interior in the car when I got it except for a pair of Kirkey aluminum buckets). I want the car to stop, and handle as well it goes, but to get a 10" tire in the rear fender wells without mini tubbing it is going to require the right combo of rear end width (got a 57 9" rear that's 53" flange to flange, as apposed to the Starliner's 57" housing), wheel back spacing, and the previously mentioned watt's link to keep the rear end positively centered under the car. If it all turns out as I plan, I should be very happy with it - it's a "keeper"!

Wayne (SAWDOFF) Pearce

is this a 60 or 61 starliner, both are cool. my brother had a 61 starline 390/401 back in the day untill some lowlife stole it never to be seen agin

The car is a 1960 Starliner, the 61's were sweet looking too, but the 1960 was a HUGE departure from the previous square, and boxy 59 Fords. I've loved them from the first time I laid eyes on the 60 Starliner when I was sixteen, when I crawled through the tall hedges surrounding the local Ford dealers back lot prior to them being revealed to the public. The first 60 Ford I saw was a black Starliner - and I thought to myself "what the f#*K is that, a rocket ship"?? (LOL) The love has stayed with me all these years!

Wayne (SAWDOFF) Pearce

What the world needs...is a Starliner 'glass race car body! I may pick one of those...even over a '58 Custom...
How about a round tube, light weight Starliner Top Sportsman car?
I think it would be cool....
Keith

Keith: We must be smoking the same stuff, I have the same recurring dreams! Tube chassis, with an 800 + inch aluminum engine consuming vast quantities of nitro --- ooooh, yeah, gotta light up again!

Good luck at the bash, I wish I could be there, but too painful without my brother, Tom.

Wayne