I want to build a rat rod

[raze44]

I wish I could find a flat head like the one in that pic.... those are awesome.

 

[YblockT]

Hi Raze44 and welcome. You asked a question regarding front suspension and the picture you referenced is likely to make most people wonder, "how'd they do that?" Here's a close up example:

They got that cool look of just the axle all by itself hanging out in front of the radiator by mounting the front transverse spring on the split radius rod arms:

That is a very unconventional way of doing it in the world of T-buckets where most use a suicide front spring perch and mount the spring behind the axle (rather than on top, where it was in a stock configuration). You'll see here that you can get a bucket nice and low with the spring behind the axle and an elevated spring perch.

In addition to the other good advice already given, I'd recommend you spend some time closely examining as many pictures of T-buckets as you can with attention to the frame and suspension details. It won't be long before you see how it all comes together because they're really rather simple. Good luck and Happy New Year!

 

[LKE]

They got that cool look of just the axle all by itself hanging out in front of the radiator by mounting the front transverse spring on the split radius rod arms:

That one does not have the spring mounted to the wishbones. Look at the two nuts sticking thru the crossmember. Those are pivot bolts. There are arms going from there out to the shackles. And there are air bags inside the crossmember, pushing down on those arms. Those small black hoses you see are the air lines

 

[YblockT]

Thanks for the correction. I was just assuming this pic was more typical and the bolt in the wishbone now appears to be the shock mount. Thanks again.

 

[donsrods]

Hehe, I did a double take when you posted that picture of the air bagged front end. That was my Kids car in it's first incarnation. He built it first as a Fordor sedan with bags, then he turned it into a roadster pickup on the same frame, then one day he took a sawzall to the whole thing and cut it up to start over. He wasn't happy with the proportions and 3 years work and umteen dollars went into the dumpster. Luckily, I dragged the roadster body to my side of the shop and am going to use it for some future flathead powered project.

In case anyone would like to see the stages the car went through, here are some pictures:

First, as a chopped and bagged Fordor sedan.

This was the chassis he built for under it:

Then he cut up the sedan body and made it into a roadster pickup:

And that ended up looking like this:

It was about ready for paint and he decided he didn't like it, so he cut it all up and ordered a new Brookville body and bed and we built this new frame for it:

And today the car looks like this:

I've hidden the sawzall !! :lol:

Don

 

[raze44]

he must be loaded , I like the sedan (but don't tell him that) I wish I could get ahold of one of those, there so mean. Thanks for posting those two pictures of the front suspension, Im guessing the one with the leaf spring behind the axle would be more for me (cheaper, possibly easier?). Is there a mount or a bracket that you can buy to mount the leaf spring like that? Or do you have to fabricate it all up? Im kind of in luck if I need to get anything fabricated that is beyond my skill level, because the University in town has a very good mechanical engineering department, and I have had things made in their macine shop before. I plan on taking mechanical engineering when I get out of high school, I was on a tour of the department just a few days ago.

 

[raze44]

Okay, looking at those pics again, I can kind of comprehend what is going on. In the first example, do you really need those air ride cylinders? To me, they look like they are just there to make a smoother ride.

 

[der Spieler]

You can get just a good ride with just about any type of suspension. I had coil overs on the back of my T and it rode great. Air ride is there mostly to provide for some ride height. The air ride lets you raise or lower the car based on driving conditions, etc. As you can see the car sits way too low for normal street driving. Some people drive their cars that low but going over any bump in the road can tear things up. When you build a car no part of it (especially the oil pan) should be below the scrub line. That's a height equal to the lowest part of the wheel rim. This doesn't necessarily guarantee that you still won't bottom out from time to time, especially in a long wheel base car, but your survival rate will be a lot better. Can you imagine finding yourself facing a speed bump in the sedan pictured at the top in donsrods' post? The car looks good static but I would want a couple more inches of clearance when driving it on bumpy roads, especially up north where roads are crap anyway because of freeze/thaw cycles.

 

[donsrods]

No, the airbags were there so he could lay the car flat on the ground when parked. He originally owned a few bagged S10's and when he started building this rod those influences came into play. in the latest form the car is not bagged, but rides on a single cross spring in the front and a pair of Posies quarter eliptic springs in the back. I think he finally outgrew the airbag phase of his building and wanted the car to be more traditional........not in the strict sense, but sort of traditional.

Here is how the rear suspension is set up.

Don

 

[LumenAl]

I know I've said this before, but when I see the work in this frame... I just go wow!

 

[Nas T]

Did you just say that outloud! :hide:


Raze...



I can't contribute any additional wisdom than what's already been shared with ya... Come back and check in often and ask lots of questions!

all i can say is you can save money and time and put a SB Chevy. You will be a lot happier and the parts don't cost as much and you will be able to drive it instead of sitting on the side of the road. Plus they look much better also,
save your money ask lots of questions and get into autoshop at school and you will be able to have lots of help FREE.
sorry about the chevy stuff but it just makes more sense and you will learn that later on in life just ask lumenAL. :lol:

 

[raze44]

Actually, I was at my friends house the other day, and his dad said that I could have a 302 that he has over there. And sorry, but its ford. I have heard that before, that parts for chevy motors, and cars are alot cheaper than ford, but hey, the actual motor is free, so it's not a big deal if the parts cost a little more.

 

[raze44]

Im going into town today, so I was wondering if there are any good books, or maybe magazines that I could find in Chapters that would help me out.

 

[der Spieler]

There is nothing wrong with a 302 Ford. A C-4 transmission will be fine behind it. The preference to Chevy I think is based on the fact that there more choices available. Most parts suppliers sell everything you need for the 302. The only real expense comes when you want to build a killer motor. Those parts will cost a little more in most cases.

Actually, I was at my friends house the other day, and his dad said that I could have a 302 that he has over there. And sorry, but its ford. I have heard that before, that parts for chevy motors, and cars are alot cheaper than ford, but hey, the actual motor is free, so it's not a big deal if the parts cost a little more.

 

[LumenAl]

A free 302 is a good thing! Still keep looking for the donor car for rest of the drivetrain, and other usable items as well...

 

[der Spieler]

Look for "How to Build a Cheap Hot Rod" by Dennis Parks. ISBN 978-0-7603-2348-9. Plenty of good info there.

Im going into town today, so I was wondering if there are any good books, or maybe magazines that I could find in Chapters that would help me out.

 

[raze44]

Thanks, Ill make sure to look for that.

 

[raze44]

I picked it up, and also got a magazine: "street rodder presents a guide to building a street rod".

 

[Todd]

Did you also get the pdf from Der Spieler of the T bucket build?

 

[der Spieler]

I sent it to him this morning