Custom IFS Questions

I've got a couple of questions I'd like to run across you guys. On my C-Cab, the previous owner did up a custom IFS mimicking '73 Nova geometry (according to him) and used customg shortened '69 Impala spindles. Why he did this I don't know. The trouble is, he's lost the spindles because the car has been dis-assembled since '87 and he's moved several times. Anyhow, I have a pair of '73 Ventura Drum brake assemblies on it now which has been the only Chevrolet setup I could find with the ball joints really close together. Is there any other similiar spindle with the ball joints closer toghether than that?

My other question is, what would be the correct positioning of the upper and lower control arms whe the car is at weight and at rest? (i.e. should the upper control arm have more angle than the lower?) I'll see if I can get a pic up of the front end I'm talking about. Thanks!

The lower control arms should be about level or parallel to the ground while the upper control arms benefit from being angled towards the center of the vehicle. The upper arm should have more angle than the lower in a proper setup. If you were to map out the pivot points of the upper control arm and the lower control arm they should intersect at some point. A good compromise is supposed to be 100-150 inches long if you projected a straight line through the upper control arms pivot points and the lower control arms pivot points out to the side of the vehicle. This explanation works if you are looking from the front of the vehicle. And no, I do not know offhand of any spindle that will work for you. Good luck though!

Get that Caroll Smith book as with "How to make you car handle". Do nothing untill you read those and any any other books you can find. You will become so enlighted on the topic your car buddies will seem like idiots.

paul

The 'How to Make Your Car Handle' book is by Fred Puhn, another great one is by Herb Adams, the title is long and I don't remember the whole thing, but it has chassis design in the title. These are great reads and will really open your eyes.

Thanks a TON guys. I knew you all would have some good sources for me to do research on. i REALLY appreciate. And it seems fitting since I'm fairly tapped out form Christmas, the weather is cold and nasty, that i have lotsa time to crack open a few books. I'll give you all an update once I get this thing all ironed out. ;)

Oh thats fine Richard, I own them all anyways! I like Tune to Win, and Engineer to Win by Smith but since they were already mentioned I didn't think I needed to re-iterate. The first ones are more basic I think and are good for first-timers just getting into the detail. Also, Allan Staniforth's book isn't a bad read either, the title is something about competition car suspension. Books are great sources of info.