Starting a T roadster project and have a complete 46' front axle I would like to use in some way. And ran across this. Looks like a survivor maybe? Anyone have any info on this car? Thanks Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
maybe just a pic from early days of R&C - may not look like that any more. sounds like you want info on using the frontend that you have - maybe change title of thread to get help with that subject
the spring ahead of axle pushes the front wheels back in relation to the grill and headlites... the guys here will elaborate...
Yes I would like to do something with it. I like the way Wally Parks did his A V8 and this T doesn't look to bad. Just wondering how the loss of a few inches of wheelbase might look from a profile view. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Just relocate your front crossmember for the wheelbase you want. The car pictured looks to have a Model A frame judging from the front horns but those could have been added to a rectangular tube frame, and the front 'member is from a much later V8 Ford. Is your plan a factory frame or custom?
Many early hot rods ran the spring-in-front setup. We may not like the way it looks nowadays, but we shouldn't deny the historical record. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Like to keep it simple and use the A frame with stock crossmembers with a bit of a kickup in the rear. Thought about bobbing the horns and hang the spring out in front of the crossmember like on Parks roadster.?? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
And this is why I kinda want to use this axle setup. Kinda unconventional but use what you got right? I'm leaning more towards hanging the spring off the front of the crossmember. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I'm sorry but the spring in front looks awful(to me).. Can't even see that nice V8 60 axle... Most run spring on top or behind for a reason.. Move the spring on your front end to behind the axle off the wishbones.. Your car will like the couple of inches longer wheelbase and you won't have to buy a dropped axle to get it low.. I'll stop.. I'm rambling and it's only my opinion... Rock-on....
How about hanging it in front of the crossmember? Like the pic above? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Spring in front allows you to get more room in the engine bay, moving the cross member and radiator forward, while keeping the original wheelbase for aesthetics?
I don't hate the idea at all. Lets you get it a bit lower than mounting on top. gives more engine bay room (providing you move it forward) doesn't give it a super long wheelbase. An idea I'll keep in mind for my T for sure
As to the car in the first picture, looks like what they did was bolt the axle to the front crossmember in its stock location then shift the engine and body backwards to compensate for the change in wheelbase, something that usually wasn't done on cars built back in the day. IMO the car would be improved by using a track nose to hide the spring.
yes... mount your spring shackles off from the wishbones... will let you put the grill wherever you want.
Like some others mentioned already, it was popular thing to do on the east coast. Most likely because it's what they had and they wanted cars to be low. Here's one my uncle built around 1971. He built it when he was 17.
Yes,I'm east cost,{right cost}an built my 28A rod in 1959 with a 1948 front axle set up,for high school. Those that don't like the look,maybe don't understand, that its better then above or behind axle spring set up,beside being lower,the best part is you can use a softer spring{ then any other place} an get a better ride by having spring out front.= it's better engineering. I still drive it !
I think Henry would agree, he moved the spring to front on purpose. I have a 32 axle with 37 bones, spring in front. Sent from my SM-G930V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
spring in front... cause it was cheap... did that on my first rod, a '30 roadster pick up... you could get one out from under every '39 to '48 ford or mercury... you got the axle, wishbones, spring, spindles and brakes all in one shot... IMO ... ugly as sin.
I run a spring in front set up on my '30 tudor. If you go that route and are splitting the bones you will have to "adjust" the spring mounts/perches. most people just pie cut and bend the bones behind the forged mount area to get the correct mounting distance for the spring. I heated and reshaped the forged area, I think it looks better than the cut and sharply bent bones. The one good thing about cuttinig and bending the bones is it leaves more room for turnning radius, Tire not hitting the bones.