Gassers...Successful Suspension Designs, Theories, or Pics...Lets Discuss!!

Here are a few pics of where I am at the moment;











I just moved it into our new shop last sunday. I am really excited that I have in the shop again. I have a tube front axle and some hairpins. I'm also planning on a transverse front spring with the mount hanging from the engine cradle. It will have the axle slid forward 2 inches. My biggest dilema I'm having is steering box mounting and shaft clearance.

Just thought I would post up some pics for you guys to analyze and critique.



BloodyKnuckles

 

You can relocate your steering box to where it needs to be. Be certain that your front tube axle is a heavy/thick wall unit and that it's welded good.

 

What are the opinions on the stock GM rear link set up? 2 lower links, 1 upper offset to the pass side of the differential and a panhard bar. I have a feeling that it will have a tendency to twist the body and not launch straight.

Am I right?




BloodyKnuckles

 

Anymore pics of recent builds related to Transverse front ends on modern cars. European cars used parallel leafs in racing and low slung. I want to know if someone has used transverse leafs in more modern cars? Corvettes in 63 had them in the rear...but what of Front suspensions? Has it only been used in early fords and gassers?

 

This is what I am talking about ...How about this on a Falcon wagon or Round body falcon?

 

Great post thinkin of doing same to my wagon by the way best of 11.7 at 118

 

Maby it's in here and I just did not see it, but why is it so common to use a dropped axle with high arch springs rather than a true straight axle and less spring arch?
Is there a benefit or is it just personal taste?

 

It's what came on the trucks the axles were robbed from. It kept the ride height down on the truck but gassers wanted weight transfer to the rear.

 

Butt for some good discussion.



BloodyKnuckles

 

I like the transverse leaf. Blair's built a beautiful 55 called tabasco with a transverse leaf. On the cover of Hot Rod in 66 or 67 I think. I used a transverse leaf on my 57. Works great.

 

A couple pics of Tabasco. One of my favorites.

 

Agreed!

Your '57 is pretty bad in it's own right.



BloodyKnuckles

 

wow I like that

 

Great thread with a LOT of great info!
bloodyknuckles, what part of NC are you from?

 

Thunderbolt, I agree with the info here, great!

I'm in Concord.


BloodyKnuckles

 

That's where I got my two Henry J's from about a month ago.
I started a thread about this same subject but it really hasn't taken off.
I didn't want to wreck this thread & I'm looking for info for my Henry J gasser build.

 

Building a 1957 Ford Custom 300 with my dad right now.....

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=462619

 

I have been throwing up the idea of doing bars like what was on the back of the Thunderbolts on my Henry J. The issue that I'm wandering about is with the full frame would they be streetable? Would I have to make the rear end a floater?

 

In about '75 I did a '66 Fairlane GT with the gasser thing in mind. No tube axle...Econoline. Ladder bars made from 1" square tubing. 428CJ, 4 speed, JR headers, 4.11 Traction Loc. Fun to drive but a little squirrelly at the high end.
Only picture I have of the car.

 

Here is a 60"er that I make up and sell for the guys wanting the ole time gasser deal. I use a new Comp Eng. cross member with drive shaft loop to complete the deal...stout enough for some serious HP. Zilla.

 

I really like those.



BloodyKnuckles

 

Being that I have started back on the Buick after a few years off I wanted to bring this topic back to the top.

More discussions please.




BloodyKnuckles

 

As mentioned a couple pages back, parallel lader bars turn your rear end assembly into a anti-roll (sway) bar. Entering a sloping driveway at an angle will try to twist something that cant twist, the rear end housing. Maybe on a very light car you can get away with, but in time, something has to give. The ladder bar brackets will probably tear away from the housing or tear the housing tube itself. I don't plan to use ladder bars because my Henry J will be a mostly street car.

Blue

 

That's why I fabbed shackles and urethane bushings for the front of my ladder bars on my Henry J.

See Post #380 under Finally Got a Henry J.

 

That takes care of the fore and aft movement of the axle as the leaf springs flatten going over bumps but doesn't keep the housing from getting twisted when 1 wheel goes over a bump.

Blue

 

60" ladder bars were not a big success, very short-lived, and not used much. Coil springs or coil-overs with short (around 30-34") ladder bars dominated gas class from the mid sixties well into the seventies, when 4 links and coil-overs became the system of choice on gas class cars for pretty much the next 20+ years. So you would pretty much have to say the most successful gasser suspension was coil-overs and a 4-link.

 

<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5; COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1> <!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->
Quote:
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset" class=alt2>Originally Posted by Clik
That's why I fabbed shackles and urethane bushings for the front of my ladder bars on my Henry J.

See Post #380 under Finally Got a Henry J.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
That takes care of the fore and aft movement of the axle as the leaf springs flatten going over bumps but doesn't keep the housing from getting twisted when 1 wheel goes over a bump.

Blue

I beg to differ. Look at the length of the ladder bars, the length of the shackles and factor in the bushings. If four wheel drive off-road trucks get away with it climbing rocks I'm sure the street won't be a problem.
<!-- / message -->

 

What a great thread, so much information & inspiration.
Thanks