No rear suspension ratrod

[59 wagon man]

All of the advice to not do it was very good. Years ago I had an Austin Bantam altered drag car with a solidly mounted rear axle. The rides back up the return road were pure torture and I was only running 11-13 pounds in the slicks. On the street you would be sitting on a lot of cushions before too long, not to mention the ill handling qualities.

But you are thinking, and that is always a good thing.

Don

as the saying goes i am still wet behind the ears here just joining a few days ago but i must agree and give all you guys an attaboy for being helpful and not cutting him down .it is quite a relief from some other hot rod websites where attitudes rule thanks and have a good new years

 

[Unkl Ian]

You also don't want parallel Ladder bars.

 

[jayzx6]

Thank you everyone for the professionalisim. When I asked this question on the HAMB, all I got were insults. If you seach for my posting there, you will not find it since they deleted it. One guy from Australia even had the nerve to insult the state of Arizona where I am from.
Anyways, I took a look today under my 2004 Tacoma double cab to look at the rear suspension. What a simple setup with the parallel leaf springs. I can easily setup something like that for under $100 excluding the cost of the axle. I would get the leaf springs from a S10 with all the hardware. Seems like there are quite a few guys parting them out. The axle I have for this project is a ford 8.8 from an Explorer with rear disks. I would still like to see a picture of what Chopper Tom proposed before I go down the leaf spring route.

 

[chopper tom]

jayzx6,this is an aftermarket vesion of what i'm talking about,just with air bags on the arms .It's kinda like a 60's coilspring chevy truck just on a smaller more compact low rider scale !?!
But if you have room for and if you can get it low enough,then i would by all means go with leaf springs,i actually like leafs best myself!

 

[jayzx6]

Thanks chopper tom. I got it now. I like this setup. Looks easy to build. I can use some adjustable coilover shocks I have left over from my last sandrail build.

 

[Blue]

It's kind of hard to see it in that photo, but if you go with 2 trailing arms like the picture above, don't forget the panhard bar

My thoughts, is it can't get any easier or cheaper than leaf springs

Here's how mine started out

Simple... or course I added some bracing to the outriggers

 

[jayzx6]

Looks Nice Blue. Are those Jeep springs?

 

[Blue]

Looks Nice Blue. Are those Jeep springs?

Yes, CJ7..
I figure the weight would be close,
we'll see how they ride

 

[pablo]

i dont think its a good idea on a motor cycle or a car. the spring in the suspension and the roll of the body is what keeps the tires in contact with the road. on your rigid ( which I have owned in the past) has it ever got really sketchy in a corner when the roadway is not perfectly flat? now imagine that same force ampliphied 100 times due the centrifical force of a full size car. Zing the frame and hanging coil over shocks, is not that hard, hell I did it and had never done it before.

what ever you decide good luck.

Pablo

 

[jayzx6]

I tried no suspension on a forklift. Boy it was hell at 10 MPH on a flat floor! What was I thinking!! Anyways, I found a great link describing what Chopper Tom was talking about. Basically a Truck Arm suspension like the Winston cup cars:
http://projects10.freeservers.com/coiloverrear.html

 

[Willowbilly3]

When I was in high school we would get into town early and put blocks between the rear end and frame to cruise around, then take them out before we drove home. It was a novelty and rode like crap just cruising slow around town. That was in the days of fat biasply tires too.
I would also suggest you block the suspension and tie it down on something and go drive it before you dedicate a car to rigid status.

 

[donsrods]

There is a learning curve in hot rodding. We all learned by making mistakes, those are the best lessons because you never forget them. When I was about 16 I wanted to drop my '56 Ford in the nose, so I made four J hooks with threads on the ends, drilled some holes next to the front springs, and torqued the hooks down to pull the coil spring flat. Looked bitchin'. I was so proud, then I took it to the local hamburger joint that night and as I went around the parking lot the J hooks on one side broke free and the car looked like one of the airbagged ones that they put on an angle sometimes.

A friend of mine did a similar thing with a '50 Ford. He wanted to raise up the rear end, so they unbolted the springs and turned the rear axle 180 degrees over so that the right tire was now on the left and vice versa. They then remounted the springs to the perches which were now on top of the axle.

It looked pretty cool, but as he attempted to back out of his driveway for a test run he found out he had 3 speeds in reverse and one forward! We all fell on the ground laughing over that one.

Yep, we were not exactly Rocket Scientists.

Don

 

[jayzx6]

Great story donsrods. I have a few myself. So I have decided to atleast use a suspension. Now it is just a question of which one.

 

[Old Gold]

There is a learning curve in hot rodding. We all learned by making mistakes, those are the best lessons because you never forget them. When I was about 16 I wanted to drop my '56 Ford in the nose, so I made four J hooks with threads on the ends, drilled some holes next to the front springs, and torqued the hooks down to pull the coil spring flat. Looked bitchin'. I was so proud, then I took it to the local hamburger joint that night and as I went around the parking lot the J hooks on one side broke free and the car looked like one of the airbagged ones that they put on an angle sometimes.

A friend of mine did a similar thing with a '50 Ford. He wanted to raise up the rear end, so they unbolted the springs and turned the rear axle 180 degrees over so that the right tire was now on the left and vice versa. They then remounted the springs to the perches which were now on top of the axle.

It looked pretty cool, but as he attempted to back out of his driveway for a test run he found out he had 3 speeds in reverse and one forward! We all fell on the ground laughing over that one.
Yep, we were not exactly Rocket Scientists.
Don

Nothing like sitting at your computer and just bust out laughing. My family is looking at me quite strangely now!

 

[Bonehead]

Many years ago in the midwest Tractor pulling was born. Years later 4 wheel drive trucks got their own class. Some guys that I did some welding for had a truck that usually did pretty good. One night they destroyed a rear axle, housing and all. They were military gmc 2 1/2 ton axles. Which can be built forwards, backwards, and upside down. The center section drops in from either side. At any rate the guys wrenched all night and got it re-built for the next day. When it came time to run it, it just killed the motor, one axle was running forward, one in reverse. We were all sick about, but it was laughable a little later.

 

[Bob the Ferret]

I used to drive street sweepers with no rear suspension . DO NOT DO THAT !!! You will REALLY regret it . And it can do weird things to the handling too . Trust me on this

 

[Perx Motorsports]

this morning at the the local JY, i bot 4 link bars and 3 panhard bars for $55. they are 24 inches long and the panhard is 40 inches. they were from a late 90s Kia Sportage (it took 2 Kias to get that many). there is also a 3 link in a mid 90s Isuzu Trooper. Build some brackets out of 8 guage plate and you have yourself a 4 link suspension for less than $70. W/o bags or spring perches of course. so add another $20 for springs and $10 for the metal for the perches and you have your whole rear susp. for $100!!
My .02!

 

[YoungBlood]

Glad to hear that you are going to go with rear suspension on your rat. Besides a hell of a better ride, your rear suspension will come into play when setting your pinion angle on your rear. Nothing worse than a car that takes off like a slug and runs out of balls at 60mph. If you truly wanted to drive the car, then you would have been pretty unhappy very quickly! Good move man.

 

[winr]

Rear suspension

http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s201/winr1/?action=view&current=IMG_0664.jpg

Prety simple, it is a 55 Chevy frame.


I saw this at the Friendswood Texas Extravaganza car/truck/scooter show this weekend.

It was at the "Haase's Classic Auto Restorations" trailer.


Richard.

 

[donsrods]

Couple of things that '55 frame needs IMO. First of all, the crossmember is way too light to support the load, especially a full size car like a '55. Secondly, that panhard could have been extended to make it really work. If you look at the arc it will be swinging through, it will force the axle to move to one side then the other as the car bounces.

Not picking it apart, but I just wouldn't want some newby to think this is a good way to build a car and duplicate it.

Don