Rear suspension pic.s

Here are some pic.s of my rear susp.the ladder bars I custom made shorter than the usual Comp.Eng.bars I use on customer cars,because I did not want to notch floor for clearance,the "patch" in the front of the w/house is to make clearance for the tires,I've got 10"tread M/Ts(12") section width on 8" Cragars and have lots of room for clearance.The rear crossmember is attached to the 2x2 "subframe connectors"and the rear roll cage hoop(it goes through the floor to boxing plates in the front spring perch)Any questions on details just ask.Jack

 

nice, looking good,

 

Nice work!!

 

I like it!!!

 

Looks great!

 

So what does a a job like that cost?

 

lovin it!!!

 

Looks nice, can you post some pics of the roll bar?

 

Good work. I was wondering if anyone had used shortened ladder bars.

 

More Photos of everything please!! Very nice work. A few questions for you, Jack.

#1 How long do your ladder bars measure?

#2 No worries about the top bars hitting the floor boards?

#3 What about pinion angle changes through the length of travel when using these bars? How much is OK?

#4 Also it seems that there would be a lot of stress on that single front heim end and I would worry about it breaking. What brand and quality of heim would you be using? I plan to use mine on the street only.

Thanks, Bob

 

If you wanted to do adjustable coils, how do you come up with the size to fit the car. What does adjusting the suspension do to the pinion angle?

 

Rear Susp.

Bob,In the first photo that is at ride height,ladder bar clears frame rail and goes up behind it,travel clearance is about 6-7 inches,which should be plenty.The bars are approx.24" + heims and housing brackets=approx 27",regular Comp.Eng.bars are 33",and yes the pinion angle changes a little faster the shorter the arm,but don't forget on launch bars lift chassis and pinion angle comes up (0 to -2),your biggest change comes when you hit dip in road which in not as critical because your not under severe acceleration.I usually set most drag cars and steet/race rears at 3-5 degrees down,so on a short bar like this I go a little less as 2-3.The heims are Comp.Eng.3/4 by 3/4 pemium grade,no cheapies!And by the way this IS a steet car,I may race it occasionally,but it's a street car.Thanks for all the compliments guys. Cost?My motto....enough time and money we can do anything....Jack

 

Bob...I meant the first photo in the first batch of photos at the beginning of thread.Steetrod77....Rule of thumb,the coil overs should be just heavy enough to support weight of vehicle sitting still,thats for a race car,a street car should be a little heavier for changes,such as fuel,passengers ect. A Mav is so light that even 100lb. springs are a little stiff for all out racing,but good for street car.Ladder bar lenth,rear percentage of total weight,HP,Torque all change that spring rate on a race car.The rear susp. is set while building so as there is no real adj.needed later,other than maybe a little rr preload to keep lf down if it really hooks up at the track,so pinion angle won't chage any,again this is a street car not a race car.

 

Jack, you say the heims are 3/4 thread and a 3/4 bolt hole then what size material are you using to make the ladder bars (ID & OD)? Are you using the threaded inserts that weld into the ID of the tubing? If so are they also available from Comp Eng? I was interested to hear the answer to the rear coil over spring rate question. I am running coil overs all around and wasn't sure of the rear rates. After I talked to Stock Car Products about the front coil overs, I chose a 450 pound rate but I'm running a Cleveland which is heavier than a Windsor.

Thanks a ton for the help:Handshake

 

I have a supplier called Coleman that has tubing that is sized inside for 3/4 tap in a couple different ODs They have it for 5/8 also.I'll probably run V-8 Must II coils in the front because of the Windsor,450-500 sounds about right for a" Cleaver"No matter what when done theres always some tweaking needed.