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A Visit To Fat Man’s Gets Us the Lowdown and a New, Fat Ford Front Independent Suspension
“Real hot rods have axles,” or so they say. That was our story, and we stuck to it fondly for more than 10 years. The ’47 Ford sedan delivery we drive came to us with a new Super Bell dropped axle and four-bar linkage professionally installed by Dick Jones’ shop in Campbell, California. It wasn’t really a hot rod; more like a primered beater with no interior, very little glass and enough rattles that a radio was a waste of time. It was a project car for another magazine for several years, and as such was the subject of many tech articles, updating it with all manner of great stuff. But it was still a primered beater, so the axle suited it just fine, and we got many miles of enjoyment out of this setup. Oh, it could have had a nice, new IRS more than once, but it just wasn’t that kind of car.
A couple of years ago, all the primer and filler came off and the car started getting pretty, to the point where, from 10 feet away, you’d never believe it was the same car. The funny thing is, as the ’47 was passing those 10 years it was continuously getting better, while we, on the other hand—well, let’s just say we were entering a stage in our life where we were no longer willing to put up with all the bumps and the rattles and were looking for more well-defined” motoring. At about that same time, we suddenly up and relocated to Dayton, Tennessee, following the Buckaroo bandwagon, and we’re loving it. Being much closer to Louisville, we attended our first NSRA Nats, where we bumped into our old friend Brent Vandervort of Fat Man Fabrications, who informed us that we were now nearly next-door neighbors. We went “next door” to Charlotte, North Carolina, and gave up our cherished axle after all those years. Now we’re glad that we did.
What makes this one unique is installing one of the company’s standard kits into a well-driven and fully assembled car, and the job was done by none other than the folks at Fat Man Fabrications, right in their own shop. Normally we would show how you can do it yourself, but, hey, if they’re practically next door and they invite you over for show and tell, why not?
Now, theoretically, with this article in one hand and a complete Fat Man Stage II kit in the other, you should be able to install it just as easily yourself, right in your very own shop. If you don’t happen to have a MIG welder, a gas torch, an electric or air grinder, all your basic mechanic’s tools, jacks and stands, a comfy creeper, good lighting, a warm (or cool) garage with a level concrete floor, and an available extra hand, it might be better to seek out a highly recommended local shop that does. Bear in mind that these guys do this all the time and are very good at making it look it easy—which it is, depending on your definition of easy.
So, was it worth the trip and the cost? Well it certainly rides a lot better and stops well. Pete D’Orta, our installer, came along for the test drive. “How do you like the ride now?” he asked.
“Very smooth and much more solid feeling,” we responded.
“How does it handle?”
“Not bad.”
“Not bad? Take the next right and pull over.”
“Wow, I didn’t know this thing could chirp second. AREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO SLOW DOWN FOR CURVES?”
“You don’t have to anymore.”
We always thought an old car should have an axle so it would feel like one, and we’ve always gone along with “Different strokes for different folks.” Both axles and IFS have their good points, but now we know that IFS has a lot more of them. If you were looking for a recommendation, we’d have to say we think we did a good thing, especially bringing the delivery to Fat Man. This crew knows how to treat you right.
One more thing: Fat Man Fabrications either has, or will make, a comparable frontend for your car, even if you drive a ’31 Buick. Call for a catalog to learn more. You’ll be amazed at all the company has to offer for everything from Deuces to Camaros and Mustangs.
