History of the Low Rider

Low riding has been around since the 1930's. Nobody seems to know who actually introduced the art to the American public. However, it really started to flower in the 1970's. The television show Chico and the Man nationally exposed the art to everyone. Low Riding has a culture that is older than the TV show. It is a form of Mexican culture that came together with Southern California culture.

It was originally called "zoot suit" by teenagers. Cars were lowered to where they almost scraped on the pavement. Chevy's were very popular with this art form. Many of them would just have the back side lowered. Sandbags, concrete bags, blocks of wood, would be strategically placed to give the car a low ride appearance. Sometimes the top coils on the springs would be cut back to lower the car. To elevate the front part of a car, coil lifters would be placed in the springs to elevate the front of the car.

The appearance of these vehicles also slowly changed the dress style of many riders. It was a change in the culture of dress as well. It started in the 40's and slowly evolved with the automobile. Slick back hair styles along with big leather jackets, jean jackets,white T-shirts, gave youth the freedom appearance of their own. "The Rebel with a Cause", type of look was reflected by the youth.

Some cars would use their fender skirts to help with the low rider appearance. Sometimes these skirts would be custom made. They would have designs or words on them, too. The suspension system on a vehicle is also altered to give the vehicle a lower look. Some have hydraulic suspension to give it a lower look. The hydraulic system can also raise and lower the vehicle. These systems can be from simple to very complex and expensive. They are usually measured and controlled by various switches in the car. These switches can allow a vehicle to do a number of hydraulic motions. A car can be dipped at or raised on a corner of the car. The entire side of a vehicle can be raised as well as the front end or back end, too. Some cars are set to just lift one corner of a car.