rear leaf spring help
- Thread starter Mcunning
- Start date
Mcunning
Good morning---- and welcome
Let's see if I understand your question correctly
you would like to use a standard set of leaf springs off of a Ford or Chevy product----- is that correct
I don't know if that has actually been done yet but it could be done, if you were to use a Ford or Chevy standard spring I think they would be way too long. I would be looking at a small pickup truck or even an MG you need to get the shortest spring you can. I think a standard spring would end up being at the front of your door. They are just too long
Options
Have you considered a coil spring with one lower trailing arm
you could take a standard spring and cut it in half and use half a spring on either side, I think one of our members did that and use them on the front end of his t bucket.
I have seen quite a few T. buckets and rat rods with sharks and a coil spring around them.
I would give your ideas serious thought---- but---- if that's what you want to do----- I will throw ideas at you if you would like to discuss it.
bob
Good morning---- and welcome
Let's see if I understand your question correctly
you would like to use a standard set of leaf springs off of a Ford or Chevy product----- is that correct
I don't know if that has actually been done yet but it could be done, if you were to use a Ford or Chevy standard spring I think they would be way too long. I would be looking at a small pickup truck or even an MG you need to get the shortest spring you can. I think a standard spring would end up being at the front of your door. They are just too long
Options
Have you considered a coil spring with one lower trailing arm
you could take a standard spring and cut it in half and use half a spring on either side, I think one of our members did that and use them on the front end of his t bucket.
I have seen quite a few T. buckets and rat rods with sharks and a coil spring around them.
I would give your ideas serious thought---- but---- if that's what you want to do----- I will throw ideas at you if you would like to discuss it.
bob
old round fart
Well-Known Member
Also most springs designed for twin spring applications have unequal distance from center pin to spring eye. This is not the place to save money.
baddawgcustoms
Active Member
You can get a model A style transverse spring from RPM for about $100 and the mounts for it to weld to your rear for about $40 if you want it old school. Do a search for hot rod quarter elliptical spring setup and you will find a lot of setups using a regular parallel leaf spring cut in half as Bob mentioned above. I'm doing my sons rat truck frame that wAy and it's a pretty simple setup. It does usually take 2 springs as old fart mentioned because most springs are different front to back.
fluidfloyd
Active Member
If you are planning on cutting a spring in half you might want to look at the Mopar replacements. They had a noticeable length difference as they truly used the front half as a lower control arm in their drag racing days. That way you would have the option of a longer arm if needed. If you can't find any in the salvage yards they still are available from the aftermarket. One lower spring half and an upper tubular arm and you have a 4 bar suspension with the spring built in. Only have to add a pair of over the counter tube shocks and probably a panard bar and your ready to go. Fairly cheap and easy and I like cheap! Hope this gives you something to think about.
George
George
My car has a 1/4" elliptical spring set up on the rear. The springs are WAY too stiff, so I a going to remove a few leafs. I wish I could tell you what these springs came out of, but I bought this car as a project already in the works. I hope this helps generate some ideas for you!! Good luck!
fluidfloyd
Active Member
Here is a link to an online spring rate calculator that might help you see what you actually have. Just looking at your rear suspension reminds me a lot of my like setup back in the mid '60s. Mine road just like a hot rod as it should have. Really wasn't bad considering the the bare boned concept. I did have hydraulic shocks and you to will need them. Don't even think about that friction shock. You can't build them anywhere near as cheap as you can buy some Sears lifetime tube shocks. You can use some pretty cheap units and they will be miles ahead of the friction design. I didn't have a panard bar mainly because I was young, inexperienced and didn't know any better. In a half spring setup like yours I would definitely have a panard and would make it full width as possible. Somewhere in the introduction lounge area is a thread better describing my old roadster but it will take someone way smarter then me to find it. Hope this will help you out.
George
http://www.calculatoredge.com/mech/leaf_springs.htm
fluidfloyd
Active Member
Just a quick follow up as I meant to link the following information regarding panard bars. Hope this will give you something to think about.
George
http://www.timskelton.com/lightning/race_prep/suspension/panhard.htm
George
http://www.timskelton.com/lightning/race_prep/suspension/panhard.htm
Bucketman
Member
Wow I love it. It really does need a pan hard bar, which would require an extension of the frame. Unless, you made your radius rod longer and moved it towards the wheel forming a triangle with your radius rods and springs. I'm putting triangulated radius rods on mine. (not installed yet, but already purchased) I don't know if it would work or not, the combination of springs and radius rods, so I'm not recommending to do it. Just noodling on it. Hopefully somebody that knows more about suspension will volunteer some information. I'd like to try it. Already have the radius rods. Thanks for the picture and making me think.
Hello, can anyone help me? I'm trying to setup the rear leaf spring on my t-bucket. The rear spring has five leaf. The car came with a rearend that measured 45in from eye to eye on the shackel bracket. From what i've read your suppose to put the shackel on the spring and measure the distance between them. Well I came up with only 43in. Not sure what to do?
roadmonster
Member
Your spring will spread out when weight is applied. Those measurements sound about right for the spring to hang correctly under load.
fluidfloyd
Active Member
TonyC...Would sure like to see a close up view of your roadster!
George
George
I posted an answer earlier, but I must have not hit all the buttons. Take a 2x4 that will fit between the eyes of the spring, use a couple of ratchet straps to draw the 2x4 toward the arch of the spring. The spring will lengthen enough to get the shackles bolted up.
hello, Not sure if I'm asked the right question. I'm trying to figure out where to weld the shackel brackets. The distance between the leaf spring brackets. How do i come up if the distance of the brackets so my shackels comes out to be at a 45degree. Does anyone have any photo.
roadmonster
Member
I thought you said the brackets were already welded. If your shackles measure 43", it means your eye-to-eye measurement is 39", which is correct for 45" brackets.
fletcherson
Well-Known Member
There is a picture of mine with the spring setup you have on the photo album under fletchersons T.
fletcherson
Well-Known Member
I just went out and measured mine and it is 44" center to center on the brackets on the rear diff.
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