Rear Panhard Bar hitting pumpkin

[mrcs4u]

Good Morning! I'm going over the T for the spring and I noticed that my rear shock lower bushings are shot after 10K miles and the panhard bar has hit the pumpkin a few times. My question, do you thnk the coilover shocks are finished, wrong size, too soft or set-up wrong and that is causing the panhard to hit? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Michael

 

[EX JUNK]

There are several things that need to be considered. Some things to consider are that the panhard was not installed correctly, spring or springs are too soft, or heaven forbid, overweight people. Perhaps if you posted some pictures we could diagnose things a little better.

Jim

 

[donsrods]

Sounds like too many pit stops at Burger King to me. No, actually, it sounds like the coil overs were too soft or maybe installed on less than a straight angle. How did the car ride? And as Jim said, pictures are helpful.

Don

 

[Francis Blake]

There was a picture on here sometime back showing a rear panhard with an arch in it to clear the pumpkin.

 

[Youngster]

Do you know the spring rate on your coils? I have a pair of 140's here that I don't need. Without seeing the car I would guess a slight bend in the sway bar, as Francis noted above, would cure that problem.

Ron

 

[mrcs4u]

Thanks men for all the replies. PanHard bar does have a bend in it. I wish I knew the spring rate of the coil over shocks! I should have taken some pics before I repainted the bar.

Don, I prefer bubba burgers LMAO

 

[mrcs4u]

 

[mrcs4u]

 

[mrcs4u]

Thanks again in advance for the help!
Michael

 

[PotvinGuy]

Huh. Are the bushings rubber or urethane? Urethane lasts forever, it seems. Now if the shock was bottoming out or the coil binding that could really tear up the bushing, and this should have been noticeable as a really hard jolt/bang when hitting a bump in the road. Are the upper bushings in the same condition as the lowers?

 

[mrcs4u]

I think I might of had the shocks on to much of an angle because when I hit a bump in the road my back teeth would rattle. Also, I noticed on one of the shocks that the coil rubbed on the shock body. Would that make a difference? (Could be a stupid question)

It was just the bottom rubber bushing on the left side that wore out and heck I'm only 210 lbs. Thanks again.
Michael

 

[mrcs4u]

If you look at the picture of the shock, I had the top installed in the lower hole which would of put the shock on more of an angle.

 

[PotvinGuy]

Don't know why the coil would touch the shock, that's not right. The shock angle doesn't look that much in the pic. But coil rate would be the real number to know. If they're too soft, you could be binding or bottoming, and hitting the Panhard rod, and beating up the bushing. Lots of clues there pointing to that one culprit. A suspension shop should be able to test the coil rate. Then try stiffer coils. And urethane bushings are nice. Wish I had some magic numbers, but I don't know mine either...
Is this a new thing? Or has it been around since the build? How old are the coilovers?

 

[RESINATOR]

The coils do not look like they have been painted, they will have a color dot on the end of the spring (or two colors) , if you could see that I can tell you what your spring rate is. The bushings being worn out on those All- Americans is unusual but not unheard of. We can get new bushings, they are a bit difficult to get out, but not impossible. Also, the coils, if too stiff, are easy to change.
The coil touching the shock is an indicator that the shock may not be in alignment, check by unbolting from the rearend brkt. ( with car supported on stands of coarse), the shock should line up and the bolt should push thru easy. Make sure the lower hardware is correct also...bracket-spacer-washer-shock bushing-washer-bolt head.

 

[RESINATOR]

One more thought, most of the time we see damage on suspension pieces is when a car is bottoming out, not so much being too stiff. This can be tested by putting a zip tie tight around the shaft of the shock, driving around and checking to see where the zip tie moves up to on the shaft. If this is at the top or gone after your ride, this would indicate the spring rate is too soft and the shock is bottoming out. Every car should have bump stops set up so the shocks never fully bottom out, this is also what causes most shock failures, and the manufactures wont warranty them in that situation.

 

[mrcs4u]

Thank you so much for the info Jerry! I'm running a CCR body and frame.
Michael

 

[Youngster]

To me the most obvious problem is the coil hitting the shock body. That's the issue I would adress first.

On the question of the panhard bar. One thing builders of new chassis might consider is moving the bar in front or behind the axle. These cars don't have much suspension travel so anything you try to crowd into that area is a potental headache down the road. We all have heard to make the bar as long as posible and in the case of cars with 10" of travel that is benificial. But a T-bucket's travel is most often only around 4". Therefore the bar can be considerable shorter and still work well. Just my 2 cents.

Ron

 

[jmr122848]

generaly speaking Ron, your 2 cents is usualy worth a dollar!

 

[mrcs4u]

I've moved the shocks to a less of an angle to see if that works out. Waiting on new bushings to arrive and then we'll see what shakes out or doesn't! Thanks again men!