You know I think I would just straighten out the front radios rods and weld a couple of braces across them. Or something like the brace on mine in the picture below. Then paint everything that is yellow black. I love the front shocks. They are aluminum. Just remove the paint and polish them. I really don't know much about them but they might be adjustable and if they are set for hard they might be responsible for the hard front ride. Your spring doesn't look too big/heavy. You can install some plastic spring liner. That would make it slide better. This might be a little harder but you should find a way to mount the front steering link behind the axle. I really don't hate the steering column either. Chip had a point a T wheel reversed or for now just reverse the one on it now. More stuff to chew on. Gary
A 5" difference in hairpin length isn't gonna make or break your front suspension. I'd be all for straighting them and welding on a brace like Gary says...except for those nuts welded to the ends of the tube and the top clevis being unscrewed so far. I think those welded on nuts are the only threads anywhere near those tubes! Not the best idea in the world really. Anyway...you can go to someone like Ron Pope http://www.eztbucket.com/ and have a set made to fit your car for a good price. Most fabricators will make those to a custom length if you request it and add a stiffening gusset. It's not a big issue at all. The other things Gary mentioned I also agree with. Looking at the shock brackets, I see the fabricator took the time to match the bracket to the shock shape. Little things like that can be a good indication that the frame is well built!
The front hair pins are probably long to get close to the pitman arm on the steering sector. The closer the rear mount on the radius rods to the pitman arm the less bump steer.
Looks to me like the wishbones are a little on the "skinny" side, maybe why the right one is bent. 7/8 x .156 DOM is commonly used to construct hairpins. Nothing wrong with longer 'bones if built properly, usually look better in many cases.
I prefer long hairpins but what you want to do is replace te ones you have and not reinvent the wheel. If you change the length of your hairpin you will have to change how your steering box is set up or you'll get bump steer. look at as many bumpsteer threads as you can. What you need to be able to do is draw an imaginary line from the center of the steering arm on your front spindle through the pivot point of the hair pin and the center of you drag link location on the pitman arm. That may not make any sense unless you can see it and at least one bumpsteer thread will have a diagram for you.
"The closer the rear mount on the radius rods to the pitman arm the less bump steer." It looks as if I may have done something right. Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while....
Lanterns are gone.....Now I have to rewire the whole lighting system. The wiring was crazy. Tons of connectors connected to like eight different colors of wires. Four inches of red connected to eight inches of brown connected to a loop of yellow, etc. I just ripped it all out and started fresh with nice uncut wire. I understand using what you have but having 3 connectors with three different color wires for a 24 inch section is maddening! It's on its way to being wired properly. You guys are right and have made me chill out about the 32 inch pins. Gary, I like what you have with the gussets. I think that's what I'm going with. I was headed straight for the front axle but the wiring has given me a nice distraction. I cut out a new front riser for the seat and placed the old switches back in for now. I just have to ditch the wire jungle. The higher front riser, angling the seat downward, has made seating so much more comfortable. I'm even much calmer about the steering column. I reversed the ugly ass steering wheel and can see what you guys were talking about with the reversed Ford T wheel. It takes so much height off the column. Everyone is giving me advise thats right on. It's much appreciated! Thanks Chris
Here is a pick of my front end. Ackerman angle may not be perfect but it seems to be OK. You can see that the inside wheel is angled more than the outside wheel. You may know this so don't be offended. If you draw a line, with the wheels pointed straight, through the tie rod end and the spindle, from each side, the lines should form a V that intersects at the differential. Suicide front end the tie rod ends are further apart than the spindles are. If you know this I apologize!! I didn't draw the pic but I hope you get the idea.
Look how much cleaner the back looks. Much better. Those front radius rods have been on there for a long time. All they need is a brace to keep them from bending. I try not to reinvent the wheel. Keep up the good deuglyfing work. Good advice on Ackerman above. Gary
I'm concerned that it appears there are nuts welded to those hairpins to provide the threads for the clevis ends, instead of actually tapping the tubing itself. That, combined with one of the hairpins being bent already, makes me think you would be better to get some new, correctly made hairpins for the car...just for peace of mind.
Long T.....I know NOTHING about ackerman. All the help I can get I'm all for. Thank you! Hackerbuilt.....I think I might buy new pins and start fresh. Is the front axle supposed to be leaned back towards the car or should it be straight up and down?
It's supposed to lean back slightly to give you your Caster angle. 5 - 7 degrees is usually good but some like a bit more.
Many times it easier to start over instead of working with whats there. I just got through doing that with my T. The guy had wired it without one fuse and the light switch was a toggle. I took it all out and put in a Rebel Wire kit. Some of the fuel line was not up to what I wanted either so it was replaced also.
So I'm stuck. Does anyone know the wiring for this aftermarket turn signal? I can't not figure out what the hell was happening here. Look at the second pic where two wires, yellow and blue, get twist tied together to a single red for eight inches and then get twist tied to a red and black for the next 36 inches. WTF! If anyone has a clue on this blinker set up, please let me know. It is the turn signal stalk and the flasher which has three terminals on it......Thanks, Chris
My advice would be to strip every bit of wire out of that car and start fresh. If you've never wired before I'd suggest a good wiring kit.
My girlfriend used that same turn switch new and she had the sheet that broke down the wiring on it, I'll see if I can find it, unless someone else has it handy. Those switches are still being produced and are standardized.
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