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anybody runing a Vette rear end

Off the line at full-throttle with a 500+ hp 6-71-blown 355 SBC, Jag IRS with no posi-traction...
ashlockburnout4.jpg
 
Said it before and I ll say it again
That looks so sweet.

IF YOU WANT THE BEST GET AN IRS
Gerry

PS Course I am a little bit bias
 
Like I said, tire smoke and tires tilted over, so not a full rubber pattern on the ground... Lee, if you had a straight rear axle, you would not believe the difference on launch... :) I myself have raced many a T with IRS units, not even close... :) But they ride GREAT! and look super! I am probably going to still use a straight axle in my new T as well, I like my tires square with the road at all times, just me here...
 
Like I said, tire smoke and tires tilted over, so not a full rubber pattern on the ground... Lee, if you had a straight rear axle, you would not believe the difference on launch... :) I myself have raced many a T with IRS units, not even close... :) But they ride GREAT! and look super! I am probably going to still use a straight axle in my new T as well, I like my tires square with the road at all times, just me here...

Ted
Do we have to get in to Tyre deflection at the point of contact under hard acceleration and the prefromed contact patch designed to adhere to the surface while power is applied. In other words does it lay rubber???

ONLY JOKING!!!
Gerry
 
They do lay rubber if there is not much traction, what can I say? I used to get paid good money to stop that tire burning, with engines that have a lot more HP then anyone is using here... But for the street, Lee's ride is super, and I think Gerry's will be outstanding also... Time will tell :)
 
I am just finishing up the fab work on my C2 corvette IRS and I think it is going to work fine but it took alot of work and alot of time..I have about 100 hrs in it already.If you decide to go with the corvette I will try to help you with deminsions and more pictures. Good luck Kip.

tbucketwillysjeepdeweysbike021-1.jpg
tbucketwillysjeepdeweysbike022.jpg
 
I would drive it before making more of that design myself.. The side stress on those lower Heim joints will be great... Drive it naked for 1000 miles first, before any paint or whatever you are planning to do in the end for looks, so you can tune it up without much cost... Drive safe :)
 
Geeze Lee ... looks like there was a few practice run before the pic was taken.
:)

Ron
 
Geeze Lee ... looks like there was a few practice run before the pic was taken.
:)
That pic was taken at a T get-together outside Columbia, MO a couple of years ago. The location was way out in the country and there was no other traffic on that road but us Ts. A bunch of us were doing drag-race launches just to see what our cars would do. I was actually pretty impressed with how my car hooked. Saw 5# boost on the gauge on that particular launch!! :hi:
 
I am just finishing up the fab work on my C2 corvette IRS and I think it is going to work fine but it took alot of work and alot of time..I have about 100 hrs in it already.If you decide to go with the corvette I will try to help you with deminsions and more pictures. Good luck Kip.

tbucketwillysjeepdeweysbike021-1.jpg
tbucketwillysjeepdeweysbike022.jpg
 
And I thought there was a lot of work in a Jag IRS. I think I will stick to jags and give the Vettes a miss. My hat off to you for all that work and fabrication. You have spent a whole lot of time and I hope it works out great. Looks a million dollars to me
gerry
 
I am just finishing up the fab work on my C2 corvette IRS and I think it is going to work fine but it took alot of work and alot of time..I have about 100 hrs in it already.If you decide to go with the corvette I will try to help you with deminsions and more pictures. Good luck Kip.

tbucketwillysjeepdeweysbike021-1.jpg
tbucketwillysjeepdeweysbike022.jpg


Pretty cool torsion bar set-up. How's the body going to sit on the frame?
 
turnleft65,

Nice work and some interesting out-of-box thinking on your design. I'd be interested in seeing some more pics of the hub carrier attachments. It looks like you have changed the geometry of the rear from an unequal length non-parallel arm to a equal length parallel arm style...kind of hard to see in the angle of those pics. That will cure the problem that shows in Lee's pic. Of course the trade off is some loss of traction when bending them through corners with that style if you have body lean. Straight line traction or cornering? ...the choices. Are you using (or planning to use) a mount for the nose of the pinion?

It isn't hard to see where your "handle" comes from...cross torsion bars spell a circle track heritage.

Yes, the Corvette is not the easiest IRS to install but you will have a unique piece that stands out from the crowd.

I guess that I will have to do a "Ted" and point out something that would concern me if that is the finished product design and I am seeing what I think that I am seeing. That is the use of clevises for attaching the linkages to the hub carriers. They are not made for that type of service. They are for a solid mounting connection that needs the ability to change length. Yes, you can use lock nuts and leave the bolts and clevises free to pivot, but you will soon have elongated holes in the brackets. If the clevises are temporary or a figment of my imagination, please accept my apology for bringing this up. As Ted says "be safe"

Again, nice work.
 
The general idea is good,and nice clean work, but I would love to see you using the big 4 bar bushings at all mounting and pivot points throughout, for greater safety and ride-ability... Just me here.. :) Leverage is the King of thought...
 
I would drive it before making more of that design myself.. The side stress on those lower Heim joints will be great... Drive it naked for 1000 miles first, before any paint or whatever you are planning to do in the end for looks, so you can tune it up without much cost... Drive safe :)


Ted I am deffinatley going to drive it before things go off for chrome and powdercoat.Idont know how far but it will be plenty far to know everything is working alright .I dont know how famillar you are with these rearends but when I looked at the original lower control arms I was less than impresssed and so I built new ones,that I believe are alot stronger than the originals.With half of the weight of the vette I dont think I have a lack of streinght issue .I know alot of people have problems with using heim joints but I have never had any problems other than crashes .I use them on my sprint cars ,latemodels and modifieds.I think most of the failures people talk of are caused by lack of quality in the heims they use. I dont think there is going to be alot of side stress on the lower joints that is what the radius rods are supposed to support the lower controll arms are designed mostly to hold camber in the tires.Thanks for your input.Kip
 
turnleft65,

Nice work and some interesting out-of-box thinking on your design. I'd be interested in seeing some more pics of the hub carrier attachments. It looks like you have changed the geometry of the rear from an unequal length non-parallel arm to a equal length parallel arm style...kind of hard to see in the angle of those pics. That will cure the problem that shows in Lee's pic. Of course the trade off is some loss of traction when bending them through corners with that style if you have body lean. Straight line traction or cornering? ...the choices. Are you using (or planning to use) a mount for the nose of the pinion?

It isn't hard to see where your "handle" comes from...cross torsion bars spell a circle track heritage.

Yes, the Corvette is not the easiest IRS to install but you will have a unique piece that stands out from the crowd.

I guess that I will have to do a "Ted" and point out something that would concern me if that is the finished product design and I am seeing what I think that I am seeing. That is the use of clevises for attaching the linkages to the hub carriers. They are not made for that type of service. They are for a solid mounting connection that needs the ability to change length. Yes, you can use lock nuts and leave the bolts and clevises free to pivot, but you will soon have elongated holes in the brackets. If the clevises are temporary or a figment of my imagination, please accept my apology for bringing this up. As Ted says "be safe"

Again, nice work.

Thanks GAB I will try to get some picts of the outter hub attachments in the next few days I am going to change the clevices and build double shear brackets so I can use the big radius rod mounts like I have on the front rods.Tthe front end of the rear rods will have heim joints .Correct on the equal leingth parallel arms I wanted more to have the correct camber at all times than varying camber I realized that I was giving up some cornering ability but I am not building a race car just something I can go crusing in. I will try to get some picts. of the front pinion mount. Thanks for your input, Kip
 
And I thought there was a lot of work in a Jag IRS. I think I will stick to jags and give the Vettes a miss. My hat off to you for all that work and fabrication. You have spent a whole lot of time and I hope it works out great. Looks a million dollars to me
gerry


Thanks Gerry I just wanted something alittle different.Kip
 
Fireball, if you search corvette rear in the search engine and look for my post {OptimusPrime} you will see the way I fabed up a customer's car that's got a 70's vet rear in it. Hope that helps
 

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