Unusual front ends

[Zandoz]

This is the setup that Ted Brown wanted to do to make a Bucket road worthy for long highway trips. He wanted the front spring to go from kingpin to kingpin and long leaves in the rear parallel with frame and the frame under slung the front and rear axles. Age and medical problems prevented him from his objective before he died. RIP

I feel very lucky to have bandied back and forth suspension ideas with Ted for close to a year. We frequently agreed to disagree, but the exchange was still intriguing. Unfortunately the whole thing was abandoned when he decided it was way beyond my fabrication abilities...and I had to reluctantly agree. Now I wish I had kept the emails so I could at least assemble the results on paper.

 

[old round fart]

That's what I figured , 2 bars..wish someone had a single bar arrangement ala FED's
dave

I think the one for funny cars from Mark Williams will work. That is what I'm thinking about. The $400.00 price for an experiment has me concerned.

Mark Williams Enterprises - Detail

 

[Gerry]

I feel very lucky to have bandied back and forth suspension ideas with Ted for close to a year. We frequently agreed to disagree, but the exchange was still intriguing. Unfortunately the whole thing was abandoned when he decided it was way beyond my fabrication abilities...and I had to reluctantly agree. Now I wish I had kept the emails so I could at least assemble the results on paper.

Me too, for about 5 years. He had a thing about my T and said he used the pics I sent to him as wallpaper on his PC. Backed this up by posting a pic of his PC with a pic on my T on it. We had many many chats about suspension, 2 bar, 3 bar, 4 bar, opposed coils, 1/4 epicyclic and some ideas not know outside of the idiots that proposed it.

I have a lot of stuff from Ted, which will remain with me as a matter of respect to the guy.
Gerry

 

[Zandoz]

I think the one for funny cars from Mark Williams will work. That is what I'm thinking about. The $400.00 price for an experiment has me concerned.

Mark Williams Enterprises - Detail

I toyed a bit with trying to use these Ultra-Tow™ Stub Torsion Axles — Pair, 1000-Lb. Capacity per Pair | Trailer Stub Torsion Axles| Northern Tool + Equipment
Also abandoned to insufficient fabrication abilities

 

[Zandoz]

Me too, for about 5 years. He had a thing about my T and said he used the pics I sent to him as wallpaper on his PC. Backed this up by posting a pic of his PC with a pic on my T on it. We had many many chats about suspension, 2 bar, 3 bar, 4 bar, opposed coils, 1/4 epicyclic and some ideas not know outside of the idiots that proposed it.

I have a lot of stuff from Ted, which will remain with me as a matter of respect to the guy.
Gerry

The main ideas I was toying with at the time was using a Satchell link rear setup, with a Curtis style trailing 4-link front for a T track roadster....later more about watts links and isolation methods for more conventional 4-bar fronts and rears.

 

[choppinczech]

I think the one for funny cars from Mark Williams will work. That is what I'm thinking about. The $400.00 price for an experiment has me concerned.

Mark Williams Enterprises - Detail

THAT is cool. If I were doing my front end right now, I would use it.

 

[old round fart]

THAT is cool. If I were doing my front end right now, I would use it.

Your opinion is a good excuse to maybe try it. It would be just the thing for what I'm planning.

 

[fletcherson]

If it worked out it would save more than it cost. It would sure clean and simplify things.

 

[choppinczech]

Double 1/4 elliptical springs act as a 4 bar set up.

 

[2old2fast]

I think the one for funny cars from Mark Williams will work. That is what I'm thinking about. The $400.00 price for an experiment has me concerned.

Mark Williams Enterprises - Detail

That's perxactly what I was looking for about 18 years ago ...oh well
dave

 

[2old2fast]

I toyed a bit with trying to use these Ultra-Tow™ Stub Torsion Axles — Pair, 1000-Lb. Capacity per Pair | Trailer Stub Torsion Axles| Northern Tool + Equipment
Also abandoned to insufficient fabrication abilities

My older brother has those on his boat trailer , work great !!
dave

 

[409T]

The picture of the red T-bucket in post #4 by @choppinczech was taken at GoodGuys in San Diego (Del Mar), CA quite a few years ago. If I remember correctly, when the car was parked the owner had a sign in front of it saying that he had $135,000 invested in it.

 

[Don'tCallMeJimmie]

This one used to be mine, with many thanks to @RPM and his network, it is now probably on the road. This can be had from Old Dog Streetrods as a frame kit in two different versions.

 

[T-Test]

That split tube front end would be akin to a Twin I Beam that Ford started using in their F-100's in 1965.

Fat Man Fabrications here in N.C. made those for awhile. Don't know if he still does.. I'll check his web sight.

 

[fletcherson]

Fat man has some nice stuff, I helped my buddy install a rack and pinion set up in a '47 gmc from there. It fit and worked nice.

 

[Zandoz]

This one used to be mine, with many thanks to @RPM and his network, it is now probably on the road. This can be had from Old Dog Streetrods as a frame kit in two different versions.

Just this morning I ran across a couple of new generic IFS setups on ebay auctions. I immediately had visions of something like that. Too pricey for my wallet.

 

[tfeverfred]

 

[PotvinGuy]

I liked the idea of splitting the front axle:

No need for a Panhard. Fat Man made a kit for this, but dropped it due to low interest.
Also like to try a composite monoleaf spring. There is a company (can't recall name) that makes them for Corvettes and I called them a few years ago and they would make a custom one for the bucket. Supposed to have some advantages.
And just added Houdaille rotary hydraulic shocks:

They're adjustable. And I like the low profile.

 

[Francis Blake]

Flaming river made a split axle front end for a while Summit racing carried it but I haven't seen it lately

 

[RESINATOR]

It was manufactured by Dominator Street Rods for them, we supplied the tube axles to them and they split them in half similar to a Ford Dual I beam on the trucks. They have not ordered in a few years so I assume they no longer build them