front suspension i.d.

[volksnut]

I'm new to this forum but have been a VW and T bucket fan forever, and as of just recently I finally purchased a Volksrod. The guy that built it in the 70's was a chassis builder, and designed it to run a mid engine type 3 VW power plant. There's lots of cool stuff on this car but one item has got me scratching my head. I've seen the transverse leaf spring front suspension before, but where did the other components come from? production car ? Now I do know the front wheels look to be 4 spoke BWA Fiat wheels, so spindles might be Fiat..... any clues

 

[blyndgesser]

No clues, but it looks like fun!

 

[railroad]

Looks like the spring acts as a lower control arm. Does the upper arm have a hydraulic damper on the inboard end? Have no idea whose product it is, but very integrated for simplicity. How about some more pics of the whole car?

 

[volksnut]

back in the day....and as it sits today

 

[T-Odd]

I have seen that front suspension before - was a L O N G time ago, the junkyard had a few Crosleys and some other old import stuff but I don't recall exactly what that is from right now. I DO know that we had a golf cart made with that front suspension and it used a motorcycle engine mated to the golf cart rear end, and it hauled butt around the gravel junkyard. I'll dig around until I find a photo, or until I remember what it was from.

BTW, there are a couple of owners of the old T Bucket style Rear engined V-Rods that are on volksrods.com, but neither are using the same suspension you have.

 

[T-Odd]

Alright, I got it - 1960s Fiat 500F.

It could be later, they made the 500f up until the early '70s.


I knew it would come to me. Trying to do a google search right now for some pics, if I can find some.

 

[Youngster]

Jeep also used that set up around '50.

Ron

 

[donsrods]

I like that little bucket a lot, pretty cool. If you want some info on that front end, and if it is a Fiat as T-Odd says, there is a forum devoted to those cars. I remember that Brent who is the Administrator of Club Hot Rod is into those cars and heads up some forum about them.

Don

 

[volksnut]

Thanks for the responses guys, I thought 500/600 Fiat also but have yet to find any pictures, I hope to have the car home soon as it's still waiting pickup. I'll get more pictures of it when I get it home. Until then keep scratching those heads

 

[volksnut]

I did some more research and the dampner connected to the upper control arms are Armstrong lever arm units, but appears there connected to a custom built upper control arm. I also found out he liked to use Fiat spindles and Opel leaf springs on his off road cars

 

[volksnut]

The car is at the house now, so I did a bit of checking, the spindles and calipers are 850 Fiat units, so that and Armstrong dampeners, home made upper control arms make for this tighty little T suspension.