Torsion bar suspension question

[Frankenrod01]

Would like to know if there is any manufacturer that makes a torsion bar suspension for t-buckets. I saw an article in the January 1974 issue of Rod & Custom that referenced a company called Street Rod Engineering. I googled that company but their website says they started in 1989, so not the same company. Anyone know of a company out there that might make one? Thanks.

 

[Baby Huey]

Would like to know if there is any manufacturer that makes a torsion bar suspension for t-buckets. I saw an article in the January 1974 issue of Rod & Custom that referenced a company called Street Rod Engineering. I googled that company but their website says they started in 1989, so not the same company. Anyone know of a company out there that might make one? Thanks.

Speedways has Torsion bars in their Dirt Track catalog for Sprints and Modifieds, might be something there you can use. Check out other dirt track chassis builders..
There are some Torsion bars used in T-Buckets, usually a splined bar thru the front crossmember, with arms attached to the front axle. "BH"

Speedway Motors - Street Rod Parts, Race Parts, Ford Flathead Parts, Sprint and Midget Racing Parts, Pedal Car Parts

 

[Todd]

This isn't specific for a T, but the torsion bars from a early Honda CRX are compact enough to hide under a T chassis.

 

[LumenAl]

I saw one that used old VW bug ones... made sense to me as both are light cars... looked real clean too.

 

[LKE]

I built one with a torsion bar front end once...

The torsion assembly came from S&W Race Cars ( www.swracecars.com I think ) Nice parts, about $350 IIRC. Rode a little stiff, but wasn't to bad. The air bags on the rear easily made up for it :yay:

 

[meangreen]

I have built several cars using torsion bars. I like them for their clean looks and adjustability. The first set I used were VW bug rear bars that I used on the front of a C-Cab delivery (built on a T-bucket frame). I mounted them inboard of the frame rails so they passed through the front crossmember. The problem was that they were in the way of the radiator at the bottom and I had trouble finding one that fit. The ride and handling were great.

The next two that I built (also C-Cabs on T-bucket style frames) I used the front torsion bars out of mid-80's Nissan pickups and mounted them inside the frame rails. They, again, had great ride & handling characteristics. Mounted inside the frame rails, as they were, a lot of people thought my frontend had no suspension at all.

My '31 Ford coupe (pictured in my avatar) has mid-80's Nissan pickup torsion bars mounted inboard of the front frame rails ('32 style frame) so that the torsion arms come out just under the front crossmember right behind the front axle. Again, the ride and handling are superb and ride-height is fully adjustable.:yay:

If you want to set up a torsion frontend using junkyard parts, let me know if you need help...

 

[Todd]

I have built several cars using torsion bars. I like them for their clean looks and adjustability. If you want to set up a torsion frontend using junkyard parts, let me know if you need help...

How about some pics and a little tech article? Sounds like you've had great success with this.

 

[meangreen]

OK, I dug up a few pics that may help a little. The first couple aren't very good quality; they were regular pics that I scanned. I wasn't doing any tech articles back when I took these, so they aren't really in detail of what we're looking for. Maybe they will do, though...

The first pic is the frontend of my first C-Cab. You can see how the VW rear torsion bars are mounted inboard of the frame rails, anchored near the motor mounts, and pass through the front crossmember. The torsion arms are actually the VW arms that were trimmed down to the appropriate size and shape. Each arm was retained in place by a pair of two-hole exhaust flanges; one welded to the frame over the hole and a second bolted in place with spacers so they wouldn't pinch the arms. This setup caused clearance problems with the bottom of the radiator, so...

The next one I did (2nd pic) I used the torsion bars from a Nissan pickup truck. I used the splined arms off the Nissan lower control arms to make the rear anchors that fit inside the frame (Unfortunately I have no pic of that piece). I used a section of the splined sleeve from the Nissan rear adjuster and some 1/4 x 3 flat steel to make the torsion arms. I also used a piece of the sleeve from the Nissan truck frame for this arm to ride in. On this setup I used the exhaust flange retainers again, but this time I fabricated some nylon washers to sandwich in place and act as friction shocks. This system worked really well and I duplicated it exactly on two other cars I built for other people.

The last two pics are of my coupe under construction. I used mid-80's Nissan bars again on this application. I modified and used the Nissan adjusters at the rear of the bars and the adjusting bolts are under the frame near the rear of the radius rods - virtually invisible (wish I had a better pic of this assembly). The stock splined arms from the Nissan lower control arms are used for torsion arms. I merely drilled the end holes out to 1/2 inch and use shackles to attatch them to the batwings on the front axle. In the last pic you can see the sleeve attached to the frame rail that the arm rides in; the arm reaches under the frame rail to the shackle.

Wish I had better pics; I hope these help.

 

[Todd]

Thats cool. Makes me think I wasted a bunch of time on springs.

 

[VegasBruce]

Thats a clean setup.

 

[LumenAl]

Hey MeanGreen...

Would love to see some additional shots if you can get around to them at some point... nice job!

 

[YblockT]

The next two that I built (also C-Cabs on T-bucket style frames) I used the front torsion bars out of mid-80's Nissan pickups and mounted them inside the frame rails. They, again, had great ride & handling characteristics. Mounted inside the frame rails, as they were, a lot of people thought my frontend had no suspension at all.

If you want to set up a torsion frontend using junkyard parts, let me know if you need help...

Thanks. Great, informative post!
About how long are the Nissan bars?
Would love to see a "head-on" or any other front end pics of one of the C-cabs.

 

[meangreen]

OK. Here is a frontend shot of the second C-Cab. It's not exactly a head-on shot, but it's the closest thing I have. You can see both torsion arms. Notice that there are no shock mounts (because friction shocks are built into the arm retainers) and no spring perch or anything cluttering up the front crossmember. I used to get a lot of comments on how clean the frontend looked.

The second pic is one that I edited from a larger pic of my coupe because it's the only one I can find that shows any details. You can see the torsion arm coming out from under the frame rail, the shackle that connects it to the batwing, and just a hint of the adjuster bolt under the frame rail.

The Nissan pickup torsion bars are 36 inches long.

One thing I didn't mention before, the effective spring rate of torsion bars can be changed by lengthening (softer) or shortening (stiffer) the arms.

 

[Youngster]

Great tech MG. That ought to get some gray mater workin'.

Ron