Pic request: suicide-mounted '37 Ford tube axles

Really love the look of the front end on Tommy Ivo's T, but can't find a decent detail shot of the front axle setup. Has anyone got any? It seems to have the ends of the original wishbones to mount the spring, but using a four-bar setup with welded-on batwings in-board of the spring mounts?

Found a thread from a couple of years ago that included a pic of Jim Unruh(?)'s T with a similar-looking setup: Paul (tech editor) asked if anyone had any close up photos, but none materialised in that thread. Can anyone come up with some good photos of this type of axle setup, please?

 

I'm probably totally wrong on this one but I thought TV Tommy's T had hairpins.

 

I've seen that setup several times before in early 60's HRM issues, on both 37 tube axle and later I-beam. I dont have pics of Ivo's setup buy I can probably dig up 2 cars; one is Hy Rosen's T, from April 65 issue. These 2 pics are Rosen's. The hairpins utilize tie rods ends in his build. If this is what you are looking for and you need more from other issues, I can dig them up for you.

 

Thanks, that's a good start - I guess the mounts for the hairpins (you're right, porknbeaner, my mistake) are inboard of the spring mounts to get a decent turning circle? It looks a bit busy there on the Hy Rosen T, but if you can get more pics, lik2writ, it would be appreciated.

 

Here's an earlier one from HRM August 62. I've always liked the look of this, so I have a few issues seperated out of the pile. It's on a I-beam this time. I think the tie rod ends on the brackets make it look awkward. The hairpin mounts are always inboard for the reason you stated. Sorry for the quality.

 

This might help..



















CC

 

It looks like they took the ends of the A frame[ brain freeze, can't think of the right name for it ] from a 41-48 axle and put the spring behind the axle then made radious rods to hold the whole thing in place Maybe?

 

I copied that same setup over 35 years ago when I built my 27 T roadster pickup. Used a 35 ford front spring in the back.Heated the shackel ends to get square with the tube axel and put the spring on.I don't remember what year the wishbone was that I cut up to use the spring hangers and turned them around on the opposite sides and hung them in back of the axel.

 

Wow, thanks ProEnfo, they're exactly the pics I was hoping for.

And the bottom photo shows it is a four-bar afterall, although when Porknbeaner said they were hairpins I looked at a side view photo in a book and it did look like "upside down" hairpins, although partly obscured by the headers. I'll have another look when I get home - perhaps they were hairpins originally, but were swapped out at some point?

Love that black T as well.

 

You might be able to find more examples searching for pics of sprint cars and track roadsters of the period.

 

Rosen's car IS Ivo's car and Rosen bought it from Bill Rowland ( it was blue).

 

Yes, I just read about that in the Hot Rod Milestones book, and when you look at those magazine photos you can see the parts that hadn't been changed.

The book also mentions that the car used the running gear from a '40 Ford initially, including the front axle before changing it for the '37 tube and adding the four-bar.

Anyway, thanks for the info so far - anyone have any close ups from other cars, like the black or the blue ones above? Or on any period race cars as Bruce suggested?

 

That classic four-bar with tube axle and tie rod ends is pure big car-sprint-Indy car of a certain period, but I don't know squat about those things...where are the people from Scary Larry's neighborhood, the Lattimore race car museum folks?? I'm pretty sure they cab show you some, and that many of these cars used that Ford axle.

 

Grabowski's is the best example I've seen.

 

Thanks again Bruce, and Johnny. Scary Larry or anyone with more?

 

Here a few old fuzzy pics.