I am struggling with what front suspension system to put in my 40 pickup project. I know the 4 bar system is commonly used on the 28 to 34 Fords. But has anyone used one of these on a 40 Ford? Speedway sells a 4 bar system for the 40 Ford but I have never seen one installed.
On my '40 pickup I put a Heidts crossmember with Mustang ll suspension parts and a manuel rack. It is a smooth ride and tracks great.
Stock Henry style works for me with modern touches. Basic dropped axle with stock GM power steering, disc brakes and split bones. Daily parts hauler goes great at 70+ hwy driving.
You don't have to split the wishbones depending on what trans you plan on using. I've got a Muncie 4 speed behind my flathead in a '36 pickup with an intact wishbone. I used a Chassis Engineering center and reworked the bottom plate to accept the ball mount. With a rebuilt '40 steering box, it rides and steers great.
Here's a dropped axle with 4 bar. I'm still trying to research how this came to be.Components all seem to be Chassis Engineering. Jim at CE spotted the fact that the brackets to tie the perch caps to the axle were missing and found me some.
I know that Butchs Rod Shop used to have a four bar/tube axle set up. A friend used one on a 40 coupe many years ago. Worked fine. Joe
My '40 coupe has one of the old Butch's Rod Shop four bar setups; it has worked well for over 20 years. A panhard bar improved the steering response. My '41 pickup has a dropped axle and split bones (I think we sourced them from SAC, but it was over 25 years ago) that also work well. My experience tells me that either will work fine.
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