Watts or panhard bar

[putz]

I currently have a panhard bar on my rear axle. But as axle moves with panhard bar it does an arc.Would watts be better.

Second one has a bearing and slot to control upward travel

 

[stroker]

Theoretically, the watts linkage gives a truer straight line as the axle moves up and down. There are trade-offs however. The watts linkage is more complex and only works correctly if the center pivot is in the center of the rear end, both left to right and up and down. The first picture on your post had the pivot high on the rear end, thus the rear end would swing left and right if both wheels did not travel over a bump at the same time. In a turn with body lean, the rear end will not stay centered.
As for the panhard rod, it is very simple (one bar, two brackets. The longer the bar length, the better. Th best set-up is attached to the frame on the right side and to the rear end on the left side (NASCAR). Keeping the bar parallel with the ground at normal ride height minimizes the effect of the travel arc. If you check you rear end travel it probably is only about 4 inches anyway.
Hope this helps.
stroker
PS- Putz, I am from Wis. Rapids. My father had friends in Phillips named Merkel.

 

[putz]

They own Merkel Electric been to their cabin in my old septic business.

 

[EX JUNK]

Why go to all the trouble of making a Watts Linkage, a wishbone locator acts exactly the same but is much simpler. I believe in the K.I.S.S. principle.

Jim

 

[Rick]

As usual i'll catch it but here goes.Your unit is nice but the watts is better at keeping the side ways back and forth movement of the rear end its a more positive way of doing it.Yours you can still pivot off the forward mount.Just my opinion.

 

[EX JUNK]

As usual i'll catch it but here goes.Your unit is nice but the watts is better at keeping the side ways back and forth movement of the rear end its a more positive way of doing it.Yours you can still pivot off the forward mount.Just my opinion.

With all due respect for your opinion Rick, but if that were the case there would be evidence of bending at the pivot point and there is none. The rear end moves up and down in a perfectly vertical path with no side movement.

Jim

 

[Rick]

Jim i stand by my original statement but it is refreshing to be able to agree to disagree in a civil manner.Still love that car of yours.

 

[stroker]

Rick, You are correct if the only linkage in play was the wishbone. However, EX JUNK is also using a 4-bar. In order for the rear end to move side to side, 2 bars on one side of the car would have to fail at the same time. Not likely.
stroker

 

[Rick]

Stroker as i said before the side movement of Jims rear end will be more regardless of how many bars he has as the bushings dont have the rigidity as a pahard bar or watts as they restrict the move ment big time side to side.Sorry to argue with you guys but just think about it and look at jims pic and then at the watts set up and tell me wich would control side to side movement better.

 

[Francis Blake]

Rick you make a valid point but if you look at it from a different perspective it works like a triangulated four link.

 

[Rick]

Rick you make a valid point but if you look at it from a different perspective it works like a triangulated four link.

Your right my statement was not questioning the valididy of his system just the merits of the two and in my opinion the watts and panhard bar are better at controling side to side movement of the rear end .

 

[Francis Blake]

In that respect you are absolutely correct.

 

[ellis8500]

Lets add a mathematical perspective to all of this. You have a 19" long panhard bar that is parallel to the ground at normal ride height. You hit a bump and the axle attached end rises 2". This will cause the frame [body] to shift 0.106" toward the axle center point when measured at the panhard attach point. Now I'm going out on a limb here, but I think that wouldn't even be noticed compared to the bump that caused that much lift. What do you guys think?

 

[Ted Brown]

Lets add a mathematical perspective to all of this. You have a 19" long panhard bar that is parallel to the ground at normal ride height. You hit a bump and the axle attached end rises 2". This will cause the frame [body] to shift 0.106" toward the axle center point when measured at the panhard attach point. Now I'm going out on a limb here, but I think that wouldn't even be noticed compared to the bump that caused that much lift. What do you guys think?

Bill you are right about that bump, hehe... A strong Watts link, that pivots at the connecting ends, so no binding will happen when either up or down, is a real good choice, but as you said, most T Buckets do not move up or down enough to make much of a difference... and we (all) can argue all day as to what is BEST, that is what makes the World go round. Ride safe one way or another :ffart:

 

[Ted Brown]

Theoretically, the watts linkage gives a truer straight line as the axle moves up and down. There are trade-offs however. The watts linkage is more complex and only works correctly if the center pivot is in the center of the rear end, both left to right and up and down. The first picture on your post had the pivot high on the rear end, thus the rear end would swing left and right if both wheels did not travel over a bump at the same time. In a turn with body lean, the rear end will not stay centered.
As for the panhard rod, it is very simple (one bar, two brackets. The longer the bar length, the better. Th best set-up is attached to the frame on the right side and to the rear end on the left side (NASCAR). Keeping the bar parallel with the ground at normal ride height minimizes the effect of the travel arc. If you check you rear end travel it probably is only about 4 inches anyway.
Hope this helps.
stroker
PS- Putz, I am from Wis. Rapids. My father had friends in Phillips named Merkel.

If you have a car that always makes it's hard turns to the LEFT, you would try and keep any tubing in a pull position, it can pull the world, but not that great at pushing... Ride safe :ffart: