had this chassis built since im not a fabricator like some of the great work i see on the hamb, had a thread on running my brake lines and had a comment about my panhard bar not correct, maybe you guys could give me some opinions on it since i plan on drag racing this car some..... thanks BT
Its common on prostreet type cars. That panhard bar, combined with the right rear lower four link bar makes a triangle to locate lateral movement. Nothing wrong with it. Just another style. No rear bump steer, which is good.Options, lateral link from chassis to rear end, watts link behind rear end, or a wishbone style down where yours is. You could look at chassisworks or other websites to see options.
I've never done one like that but I think it's a common set up for drag racers. may not be called a panhard bar. there's several ways to locate a rear. clark
thank you, is my diagional link o.k. ?, call it apeice of pipe, i dont care im mainly concerned if its safe for me and the guy in the other lane..... as usual , the H.A.M.B. has come through again.... thanks guys....
I really studied these better pictures, The only worry I would have would be that the forces exerted on the panhard from the side would not be limited and could twist on the rearend and could cause the 4 link brackets to crack at the welds. It really comes down to how hard you punish your stuff, A bolt and spacer in the adjustment hole just above the bottom 4 link hole would make me feel a bit better if it was mine. I would put in some longer bolts for the pan hard connections, the one in the picture does not seem to be captured by the nylock nut, seems a little short. Always better safe than sorry. Inspection is your friend if you drag race, go under it on a regular basis and check it out, even the best pro set ups can crack under racing conditions.
i like the bolt and spacer idea and the longer bolts also, i dont think it would be to hard to relocate it to the rearend and frame if thats better. this car is only about 300,350 hp, my main deal is safty for everyone . and i want to say i really appreciate the info and ideas from everyone, again thanks BT
Looks like a track bar setup to me...I dunno......I'm no suspension expert... Here is how the panhard bar is designed to be installed on my No Limit Fat Bar made for my '56 F100...gonna swap in a 9" and not use the Dana 44/Spicer......but that dosen't really matter... This is a file photo I have saved on my computer from a Classic Truck's magazine article on a install done by Rob MacGregor, the owner of No Limit Engineering, showing the positioning of the panhard bar & axle tube bracket running parallel to the rear end assembly The other end of the bar (not shown) has a simple bracket that gets welded to the frame rail <O</O <O</O I liked this setup cause the panhard bar mounts BEHIND the whole rearend out of the way... Gives me much more room to figure out the mounting & plumbing for the air bags....& I think I still have enough room to mount a '70-ish Mustang or Bronco gas tank at the end of the frame rails...... Of course...I have no plans on drag racing this truck...... FWIW... -
Right Lucky 3...........pretty standard setup for drag cars. We use this configuration all the time. I try to NOT use it on street setups though due to it's low position and the possibility of being hit and bent or knocked off if you run over something on the highway. We substitute a panhard rod in those setups. Either one will work fine. Mark
I use this same set up on my 49 Chevy P/U, the only advice I give is to make sure your connection points at the diagonal are TIGHT! those bolts need to be a little longer with some thread showing and there is a spacer inside your bushing to bottom out on. That bolt is next to impossible to get a backup wrench on so I welded a piece of round stock out to the side of the bolt head to catch the bracket as it swings a round (think 1/2 of a "T" bolt) now you can crank er down with no back wrench. Just my 2 cents worth.
Sorry this does not work, its time for a re design. Panard bars control the lateral axis component or side to side movement. If you look at the configuration this design is commonly used in drag race suspensions. The problem exhibited with this control rod application is that the index of the spherical rod ends is on the lateral or side to side axis of rotation meaning that this bar really doesn't locate any thing sideways as it rotates on that same axis plane as the axle and doesn't do anything. The only brackets locating the rear is the 4 bar mounts. In addition your control rod can only travel up or down the degree of misalignment that the spherical ends can rotate in the vertical axis. In this case after about 10* travel this bar binds up. One of the disadvantages of this application on a street driven car is that under severe bump it skews the rear axle due to the geometry change. Take this back to the shop that did the work and reposition the panard rod brackets so they are 90* to the position they are mounted in now. The control rod must mount so the rotation of the control rod is on the vertical axis plane and every thing should work better.
Dick, I'd agree re: the alignment of sphere to ball issue and binding. The diagonal brace aspect was likely to be the original reasoning that brought this approach to drag setups.
boy dick, you blew me away on this one, let me see if i understand, do you mean that the heims need to be turned 90 degrees, iapologize for my ignorance but thats why i am on here but i really am thankful , and i think i understand,,,,, BT
Yes, it looks like a rotation of the forward (see pic) rod end on-its-axis, would achieve what he's describing. If both ends were done then the rod could then articulate up-and-down w/less bind.
I think you have already talked to Pop but still don't worry about it, it's installed as it was designed to be installed. All that bar does is keep the rearend from moving rt or left. Unlike a panhard bar which forces the rear to travel in an arc when moving up and down a diag. link keeps your rear square under the car. As far as turning the heims thats not nec. If it weren't for the driveshaft loop My rear suspension moves freely enough I could remove the rear tires without removing the fenders! You know Mine and Dads are the same setup and we have been twisting on them for more than a few passes! BTW Did you ever figure out what you were gonna do about your cage?
These are direct quotes from Art Morrison http://artmorrison.com/homepage.html who knows a hell of al ot more about 4 link suspensions that most people on the planet; "The diagonal link is designed for racing applications only and works extremely well under those conditions" "A diagonal link used on the street will fail, it's only a matter of time. The stress caused by the cornering of a street car puts too much bind and tension on the ends of the link and either the clevis or the rod end will fail, you just don't know when" "For a street use vehicle a Panhard bar is tough to beat." If it's a street car go with a Panhard - if it's mainly a drag car, then it's OK.
Looks like it'll be awfully hard on those heims if your springs aren't stiff enough and you have much up and down movement
man, a great pic, thanks, yea i'll keep it as it is, if you can't twist it off in that bad ass hudson, i don't think that naught 2's motor will, as far as the roll cage, i've cut ou most of it and i'll need a new one installed, but i want to get the floor in first, i know your dad is excited about retiring, and the season is comming up, ican't wait, maybe i'll hire you and jody to put the cage in, again THANKS for the ride in the 47, it compares right in there with my charlotte nascar ride..... BT
We're so slow at work right now if you were closer I'd say bring it over and I'd have it done in a week.
I have bult many setups like that for dragracing and no one had failled yet in 15-20 years and the heimjoint have enough movment. they dont move many degres under the ...i gues 3-4 inch suspension travel you have
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