Hey everyone,
I'm new to the forum and have a question for you.
I'm actually investigating this for a friend who has a "new to him" T-bucket.
he's not very mechanically inclined so some of us are trying to help him get it to a point where it's safe to drive.
the bucket was basically something some one threw together without doing a lot of research first.
it's a home built frame with a fiberglass bucket on it
here's what I know about it so far:
SBC motor
TH-350 tranny
ford 9" rear end with motorcycle coil over shocks for the rear suspension
1961 ford econoline I-beam axle, spindles and drum brakes (best I can tell)
transverse leaf spring on the front
when he got it, it was pretty much un-drivable. I changed the caster from 0* to 8* neg. then squared the front and rear axles to the frame, the I changed the toe from 1" in to 1/8" in. all this got it to where it steers ALOT better.
we went through the brakes, adjusted the shoes on all four wheels, then bled everything, seems to stop pretty well for being 4 wheel drums
the biggest issue right now is the ride quality, I know these don't ride GREAT but I think it should be better than it is, from reading on here, I'm sure the rear coil-over shocks aren't helping but the biggest thing is the front end, it's kind of scary when your driving down the road and hit a bump the front end jumps and the tires leave the ground for a moment, when they land the car pretty much goes where it wants to. I also think the front spring is WAY to stiff, and honestly I'm not sure it's even the right length.
can someone give me some insight on how to properly size the front leaf spring. I'd like to help him get this thing right.
thanks,
I'm new to the forum and have a question for you.
I'm actually investigating this for a friend who has a "new to him" T-bucket.
he's not very mechanically inclined so some of us are trying to help him get it to a point where it's safe to drive.
the bucket was basically something some one threw together without doing a lot of research first.
it's a home built frame with a fiberglass bucket on it
here's what I know about it so far:
SBC motor
TH-350 tranny
ford 9" rear end with motorcycle coil over shocks for the rear suspension
1961 ford econoline I-beam axle, spindles and drum brakes (best I can tell)
transverse leaf spring on the front
when he got it, it was pretty much un-drivable. I changed the caster from 0* to 8* neg. then squared the front and rear axles to the frame, the I changed the toe from 1" in to 1/8" in. all this got it to where it steers ALOT better.
we went through the brakes, adjusted the shoes on all four wheels, then bled everything, seems to stop pretty well for being 4 wheel drums
the biggest issue right now is the ride quality, I know these don't ride GREAT but I think it should be better than it is, from reading on here, I'm sure the rear coil-over shocks aren't helping but the biggest thing is the front end, it's kind of scary when your driving down the road and hit a bump the front end jumps and the tires leave the ground for a moment, when they land the car pretty much goes where it wants to. I also think the front spring is WAY to stiff, and honestly I'm not sure it's even the right length.
can someone give me some insight on how to properly size the front leaf spring. I'd like to help him get this thing right.
thanks,