Welcome to Club Hot Rod!  The premier site for everything to do with Hot Rod, Customs, Low Riders, Rat Rods, and more. 

  •  » Members from all over the US and the world!
  •  » Help from all over the world for your questions
  •  » Build logs for you and all members
  •  » Blogs
  •  » Image Gallery
  •  » Many thousands of members and hundreds of thousands of posts! 

YES! I want to register an account for free right now!  p.s.: For registered members this ad will NOT show

 

Thread: My unique rear suspension
          
   
   

Reply To Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 22
  1. #1
    willowbilly3 is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Belle Fourche
    Posts
    521

    My unique rear suspension

     



    I probably didn't invent this but I have never seen it done either. My 1/4 eliptics act as the lower control arm. I'm still working on the shock placement and brackets.
    Also a couple other pics of the project.
    Attached Images

  2. #2
    Dave Severson is offline CHR Member/Contributor Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Madison
    Car Year, Make, Model: '67 Ranchero, '57 Chevy, '82 Camaro,
    Posts
    21,160

    Looks Nice!!! How's the clearance on your upper arm at full up on the suspension??? Ran a similar setup years back on a '27, added a "traction bar below the quarter spring that followed the same arc as the spring, hooked up great!!!!

    Anyway, gonna be a neat car, hopefully we'll find time to get out to the area again this fall, maybe after the rally... Have to stop by for a visit, got a coffee pot????
    Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, Live for Today!
    Carroll Shelby

    Learning must be difficult for those who already know it all!!!!

  3. #3
    willowbilly3 is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Belle Fourche
    Posts
    521

    Sure thing, coffee's on.
    I am prepared to add some traction control. I am concerned about axle wrap. I figure if it doesn't work it won't be hard to change it to a 4 link coil over.
    On full compression the top link will touch the frame but that is with no stops or snubbers which are in the plan.
    Car will be a roadster pickup when finished. It will have a bed about 38-40 inches long.

  4. #4
    Dave Severson is offline CHR Member/Contributor Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Madison
    Car Year, Make, Model: '67 Ranchero, '57 Chevy, '82 Camaro,
    Posts
    21,160

    Yeah, should work fine...As long as the lower bar follows the same arc as the spring, and has the same distance between centers as the spring, it will hook up great!!! Mind did, even on M/T tires, with slicks it was downright awesome!!!!!
    Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, Live for Today!
    Carroll Shelby

    Learning must be difficult for those who already know it all!!!!

  5. #5
    willowbilly3 is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Belle Fourche
    Posts
    521

    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Severson
    Yeah, should work fine...As long as the lower bar follows the same arc as the spring, and has the same distance between centers as the spring, it will hook up great!!! Mind did, even on M/T tires, with slicks it was downright awesome!!!!!
    My lower bar is the spring.

  6. #6
    Dave Severson is offline CHR Member/Contributor Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Madison
    Car Year, Make, Model: '67 Ranchero, '57 Chevy, '82 Camaro,
    Posts
    21,160

    Yup, but if axle wrap or wheel hop becomes an issue with the car, a bar below the spring, following the same arc as the spring, really adds some bite!!!!
    Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, Live for Today!
    Carroll Shelby

    Learning must be difficult for those who already know it all!!!!

  7. #7
    willowbilly3 is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Belle Fourche
    Posts
    521

    Dave, I would like to know exactly how you mounted the traction bars.

  8. #8
    27tee's Avatar
    27tee is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Conneaut
    Car Year, Make, Model: 27 ford t 454 ;69 C10 396; Jeep cj7 454
    Posts
    70

    Looks cool, but i seen a guy bend the crap out of the springs and twisted the driveshaft off when the pinion pointed into the sky as he tryed to do a burnout with that same setup. I'd add the lower bar if it was me.
    Last edited by 27tee; 07-08-2008 at 01:36 PM.

  9. #9
    Gusaroo's Avatar
    Gusaroo is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Glastonbury
    Posts
    371

    There is an article Hot Rod magazine May 2008 about Brant VanDervort (of Fatman Fabrications) who did this exact set up on a 34 ford sedan. He refers to it as fatman's wonderbar set up. He added air springs for additional support.

    Check the magazine or google him, you might find the set up.

  10. #10
    willowbilly3 is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Belle Fourche
    Posts
    521

    Quote Originally Posted by 27tee
    Looks cool, but i seen a guy bend the crap out of the springs and swist the driveshaft off when the pinion pointed into the sky as he tryed to do a burnout with that same setup. I'd add the lower bar if it was me.
    I realize the leverage issue and I kept the spring closer to the axle with that in mind. I had a lot of concerns about the spring eye taking all the forward push, but then on a leaf spring rear end the foreward forces are the same on the spring eye.
    I had some very stiff, and short, trailer springs but I ended up needing longer ones and these are fronts from a 46 Ford Pickup. I still plan to add one of the stiffer leaves for a progressive rate. I will also mock it up with air shocks and see how that works out.

  11. #11
    willowbilly3 is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Belle Fourche
    Posts
    521

    Quote Originally Posted by Gusaroo
    There is an article Hot Rod magazine May 2008 about Brant VanDervort (of Fatman Fabrications) who did this exact set up on a 34 ford sedan. He refers to it as fatman's wonderbar set up. He added air springs for additional support.

    Check the magazine or google him, you might find the set up.

    I had posted about this maybe 3 years ago on the HAMB and never had one person that had ever heard of it being done at that time. Not that is the whole knowledge base but I was a bit surprised that it hadn't been tried by any of them.
    Maybe Fatman stole my idea.lol

  12. #12
    Dave Severson is offline CHR Member/Contributor Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Madison
    Car Year, Make, Model: '67 Ranchero, '57 Chevy, '82 Camaro,
    Posts
    21,160

    Quote Originally Posted by willowbilly3
    Dave, I would like to know exactly how you mounted the traction bars.
    I mounted the rear end directly below the rear spring mount, and the front was directly below the rear spring mount.... The bars were the same length as the springs, so they traveled in the same arc. Makes the ride a bit more stiff, but they will hook up good...With the right shock, it works good... I used some circle burner shocks on the rear that were one step to the soft side on the up, and one to the stiff side on the down... Depends on whose shocks you run as to how the numbering system works on them.... With such a short spring, the shock rate is even more important then with a full spring.....

    BTW, better let the boys at HAMB know that the same setup was used on some cars in the mid to late 60's... Friend of mine had them on his (steel) T-bucket he built the frame for in his senior year shop class---1968...and he was copying the suspension from cars in the mags.....
    Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, Live for Today!
    Carroll Shelby

    Learning must be difficult for those who already know it all!!!!

  13. #13
    willowbilly3 is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Belle Fourche
    Posts
    521

    Yeah, well I couldn't get any comments from them now. I actually think many of the more knowledgeable people have drifted away from there. I still see them post but not regularly. Or I just get some half information with a smart a**ed attitude. I don't keep up with them, sell a few parts and go fishing in their pond occasionally.
    One of the reasons I like this forum, way more going on in the car sections than in the O/T, which is opposite of most boards these days.

    Thanks for the suggestions guys.
    Dave, did you run a sway bar?

    And fwiw, I have a 24 Chevy roadster with the original 1/4 elips on all 4 corners.
    Last edited by willowbilly3; 07-08-2008 at 06:49 AM.

  14. #14
    Gusaroo's Avatar
    Gusaroo is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Glastonbury
    Posts
    371

    The hot rod article mentioned that he used a mono leaf that was over a 1/2" thick at the axle mount point, which hampered leaf spring wrap up.

  15. #15
    Dave Severson is offline CHR Member/Contributor Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Madison
    Car Year, Make, Model: '67 Ranchero, '57 Chevy, '82 Camaro,
    Posts
    21,160

    Quote Originally Posted by willowbilly3
    Yeah, well I couldn't get any comments from them now. I actually think many of the more knowledgeable people have drifted away from there. I still see them post but not regularly. Or I just get some half information with a smart a**ed attitude. I don't keep up with them, sell a few parts and go fishing in their pond occasionally.
    One of the reasons I like this forum, way more going on in the car sections than in the O/T, which is opposite of most boards these days.

    Thanks for the suggestions guys.
    Dave, did you run a sway bar?

    And fwiw, I have a 24 Chevy roadster with the original 1/4 elips on all 4 corners.
    Nope, spent the big $$$$ on shocks and didn't need one.... however should I build another one, I'd back off to a parts store gas shock and a good sway bar.... Even have a bar laying around that came of a '76 Lincoln Mark... Good heavy bar, would probably really work on a light car with some good links and ends!!!!
    Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, Live for Today!
    Carroll Shelby

    Learning must be difficult for those who already know it all!!!!

Reply To Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
Links monetized by VigLink