I presently have a '34 Plymouth with the original front suspension.This car was rodded back in the late '50s.A Desoto hemi now replaces the original six.{more weight}How suitable is the original king pin design set-up for sustainability and driveability today once rebuilt?Should I think about upping the spring rate?The entire car needs to be rebuilt,the frame to be boxed,possibly, etc.,but I don't really want to cut up the original frame.Car will be a cruiser,not a racer,for roadtrips etc.Any advice is appreciated.
How does it sit? Look? Is the front squishy or does it have decent rebound? Do the springs have/show any damage? Is there excessive slop in either the spindle or axle? The DeSoto v-8 is not all that much heavier than an L-6 so a rebuild may be all that is required. Typically, early Mopes had better designed frames than most. Don't overthink a problem that may not exist.... .
How durable is a design from the thirtys,for today's speed limits?The king pin design may have worked well in '34,{Chrysler used a different design in '35}but how suitable is it for today?The last thing I need is a collapsed front end at 65.Am I being paranoid?Thanks.
I have a '32 MOPAR. I'm running new springs based on the '32 specs. I run an axle out of a Speedway dragster package and '39 Ford spindles. Lot of early Fords on the road with Hemis and no problems that I know of. MOPAR stuff is just as tough. I boxed my frame. I think if you are running a Hemi you should box yours as well. MOPAR frames are a lot stronger than Fords. Nice heavy X member and all. I don't think you'll have a problem once you've done the boxing. Oh I'm running a blown sbc but you don't have a great deal more weight when you factor in my blower.
All the big rigs still use beam axles and kingpins so the design didn't go away...its just seen on the heaviest machines that drive our roads! Its still used because its stable with a heavy load. Then again...if you wanted you could always put in an independant frontend based on the front suspension of an early 70's 4 cylinder sub-compact. Would you feel safer with that holding up your HEMI???? I'm giving you a hard time but I'm just kidding around. Rebuilt and with good brakes I think your fine with the beam...and cooler too!
It'll be fine, much beefier than most IFS that you would swap under there. Just rebuild it with new pins, bushings, tie rod ends, and bearings. Check your springs out carefully though, I've had two of those old mopar tube axles in my hands lately and both of them had at least one cracked leaf. A spring shop can usually make you a new pair of leaves to stock spec or lower for a surprisingly low price.
From what I have seen of old mopar stuff it is plenty tough , just remember they used to put straight 8's in them. I have just such an engine and they probably weigh more than the hemi. Rob.
Mike, you didn't mention if if was an original IFS or an I beam, I believe either Dodge or Plymouth or both went to IFS in 34 then back to Ibeam in 35. Maybe can you check the plymouth bulletin http://plymouthbulletin.com/smf/index.php for the weight spec on the 6 and get the weight on the hemi. Those 6 were boat anchors the the weight might be comparable. You may just need all new bushing, springs and a rebuild. Definately box the sections of frame. There is a guy here that makes a disc kit for these mopars. Most people use a Maverick rearl. Check out butch's cool stuff http://www.butchscoolstuff.com/ , ask for a catalog or something, he's got a lot of good stuff for these mopars. Also http://www.windshieldframes.com/Products/Plymouth-Dodge.asp for other cool stuff.
I've got a '35 Dodge axle under my roadster, on the original springs and steering. It handles great, tracks straight, and is perfectly comfortable and stable at highway speeds. If the kingpins and bushings are tight, the tie rod ends and drag link are tight, it'll be fine. The brakes are marginal, at best.
I have a Peterbilt with an I-beam front axle, parrallel leafs and over 1,500,000 miles on it... it's gear'd for 98 mph... is that sturdy enough for you? Have you even LOOKED at the cars that members of this forum drive cross country? C'mon man... do a little research.
I put a Heidts under mine, but I had another with an amazing drivable, original frontend. MOPAR was ahead of their time.
I have the original IFS in my 34 with a 354 Hemi. I rebuilt the front end, had Apple hydraulics rebuild the shocks, put a lowered spindle kit from Plydo, and disc brake conversion. Bruce's Rod Shop here in Spring, Texas put a Chevy steering box and mounted the engine, tranny, and rear end. The car sits very nice however it is still not done so I can't tell you about the road manners.
In 34 Plymouth and Dodges were available in short and long wheel base versions. The short wheelbase cars used a straight front axle with parallel leafs. The long wheelbase cars used an independant Front suspension. Either front end should work well if it's rebuilt. I have a 34 Plymouth PE that will have a 354 chrysler hemi in it, and am planning on using the stock independant front end with dropped spindles.
Hi, I have a 1933 Plymouth and i'm thinking of going to a 354 OR 392 Hemi. Can you post a few pic of how the Hemi fits in! I really wanted to keep the hood on but, with the Hemi i know the head will hang out! Just wanted to see what it might look like! Also, thinking of going 425 nailhead! So this might help! Thanks Spig.
Spicolli, here are some more pictures of my '34 Plymouth with the 354 Hemi. Mine is a long wheelbase PE so I'm not sure if that makes a difference from the firewall to the grill shroud. I plan on running the hood without the sides. I want to see the engine but I don't want to break up the lines. The head is going to stick out unless you recess the firewall and set the motor way back. If you are going to run fenders and don't want to cut into them the motor need to be set high enough that the headers clear the fender. The firewall is stock and it's a real tight fit behind the distributor. Bruce's Rod Shop here in Spring, Texas did all the drivetrain fab. They mocked up the front, suspended the engine, and custom fabbed the motor mounts. Passenger side top view here. And from the bottom. They also fabbed the trans cross member for the 727. They located the new steering box. The steering arm connects to the stock center link. They mounted the 9" with new springs, mounts, shocks, and cross bracing. Here is the lowered spindle set up. I used the stock steering arm but I had to machine some material off around the back bolt so that it wouldn't interfere with the custom upright. Thanks again to the guys at Bruce's for doing such great work!
Mopar Mike the original IFS on these 34's are fine to use but check for cracks around the lower a-arm bushing mounting holes and center steering arm mount, cracks and out of round holes are common in these areas. The good thing is the frame is already boxed from the x-member foward and is plenty strong. I decided to not use my chassis because I went fenderless, but if running fenders I would have kept it.
The Jalopy Journal
