58 Chevy Rear Suspension

Okay. Someone educate me on this issue. What is different about the 58 chevy rear suspension that separates it from the 59-64 chevy rear suspension? Can it be converted to work with the 59-64 chevy stuff?

 

58 has a "clamshell" looking upper control arm, that attaches on both sides of the frame & one down to the rear end. It's one year only!

 

58 has a three link? thats pretty awesome.

 

here's a pic..

 

Are the bottom links the same though as on the 59-64? Are they the same length?

 

I think i remember seeing a thread last year where a hamber on a cross country run broke his rear control arm and had to have it cobbled to get home. It was either a chevy or a cadillac. It's real fuzzy. i wasn't too interested in the thread other than it was an oddball setup the guy was trying to find

 

ya i think the caddy's had a 3 link setup as well.

 

'58 Pontiac rear suspension was very similar.

 

Chevy had a poor design on the 3 link in 58. Where the upper clamshell bracket attaches to the frame crossmember there was a weak weld on the brackets. The brackets would tear out of the crossmember. I had this occur on my 58 Impala, to correct i made stronger brackets. That is why they changed design of 3 link in 59.

 

generally speaking the three link is a great rear suspension set up. I think the new mustangs went to a three link, but I'm not for sure.

 

Just some observations....
That high link would give it an equally high roll center in the rear.
Combine that with a ground level roll center in front and you've got some potentially weird handling.
The later Panhard bar setup lowers the roll center to the height of the bar mount on the frame.

 

You can put the center link on the bottom as well.
Correct me if I'm wrong but the roll center height for a panhard bar is the average of the mounting points. Thats a bit simplified but for a general idea of where it is thats pretty close.

 

59 chevy parts book says 58-59 use different lower arms.

 

'58 Chevys really do have an interesting rear suspension. New 500 horsepower Shelby GT500 Mustangs have a very similar arrangement and Dick Jesse's Altered Wheelbase MatchBash '65 GTO also had a '58 Chevy rear suspension. Back in the Nineties I can recall even seeing a Pro Mod Drag car that had a single Triangulated upper arm that attached to the rear axle housing at one central pivot point at the very top center of the housing. Add some gussets for strength and I've always thought that there might be some great potential in that rear suspension.

 

I just put Global West rear arms on my '62. They are listed for '58-'64 on the lowers. The upper is '59-'64 of course. So GM may list a different # for lowers, the aftermarket arms interchange.

 

If the lower arms are the same length, then I have no problem reinforcing the top arm to get it all to work. I just need to know for sure that I can use 59-64 lower arms on a 58 chevy.