Hi all. my son Bill (13) & I are building this Roadster out of bits we have collected over the years,we are making ok progress,just doing things as money allows. We just need some advice re the front end set up. Details are ,Model A chassis,4inch dropped axle, running split wishbones. We want to mount front spring onto wishbones,so therefor front axle will run out front of the cross member.We havent got our steering arms yet,but I believe we need the extra dropped version's as to clear the wishbone,therefor the tie rod will run under neath of the wishbones. I just want to ask roughly what distance the axle will need to be from the front face of the cross member, remebering that there has to be clearance for the tie rod. Also what seems to be the optimum distance between the top of the axle and the bottom of the chassis rails,dont realy want to notch the chassis at this stage,I guess im asking how much travel I will get,I understand that there are many things that will dictate this. Engine is a 4 banger,not sure of weight ? Hope the photos make for a better understanding of what we want to do. Thanks Kuztom & Kiwi Hot Rod Kid
First, you guys are making great progress. That 4 banger is nearly as wide as my nailhead, just get a 425 and be done I like the EJ steering wheel...an underappreciated resource IMO. I am not really following your questions. Put the axle as far forward or back as you think looks right. It isn't going to effect your tie rod as far as I can see because the tie rod will be lower than almost everything. I'm not sure about spring travel. You see a lot of rods with 1/2" between the spring and the frame in a spring over set up. I don't think that can be good. I set out with a plan to have 4" travel back and front. I ended up with around 3" in the back and probably 2" in the front but with my front end I can get a heap more travel by simply putting a drop in the tie rod if I need to. Maybe I'm missing something about your description? Pete
Pete Hi , good spotting on the 'Aussie' wheel.Untill I get my steering arms, which have to be the extra droped type ,standard ones are ok with 4bars & hairpins(eg .tie rod travels in between the upper & lower bars)With Wish Bones ,they would hit,different dropped axles can be challenging. We wont really know for sure the correct position that every thing has to be place untill I get these dropped arms. Sorry if it all sound confusing Pete. Tomorrow I will go back through your build to see how you done things. Cheers Steve
You are right that the steering arms will tell you the position of the tie rod but as long as the drop is big enough for them to clear the bones everything else will be good. The nice thing with attaching the axle to the bones is that you are not bound to a fixed mounting point. You can move the axle forward and back and also set the axle higher or lower without compromising your spring rate and ride quality. the only thing you are really bound by is frame clearance. I even avoided that one by hanging the axle just in front of the frame horns. If I drop my tie rod I reckon I could get 6" of travel, not that it would ever move that far. Post more when you get those steering arms and have it all mocked in place. Pete
In locating the front spring to a position behind the axle,you will know that it will be necessary to relocate the spring hangers ( from the stock location for an A) . I am assuming you are using the spring perch bolt method to relocate the spring mount point. To Locate the correct location for the spring hangers it is necessary to obtain the correct angle for the at which the radius rods will mate with the axle. I see you have your spring in place already and bolted to the front perch? Be sure the spring is parrallel to the front frame cross member . Just measure from the cross member to each end of the spring . Are your radius rods attached on the rear yet? With front end in it's approximate location and with the radius rod ends in the hanger brackets for the chassis loose .With the axle in place ,Align it so the spring is 50mm behind the axle secure the radius rod hanger brakets to the chassis to insure alignment . Be sure the axle,spring and crossmember are all parallel. Measure as closely possible the angle the radius rods make with the axle : It should be approximately 83 Degrees. This is angle that must be kept when drilling holes for the spring hangers through the radius rods.The mounting holes must be drilled to keep the spring hangers and spring parallel to the axle > The shackles will wear real fast if the alignment is out. In other words,the radius rods are not heading straight back from the axle but point back at angle where two centerlines would intersect at an imaginary point some distance behind the car. This is why the centerline of the shackle holes of the mounts for the springs needs to be at right angles to the cross member and as accurate as possible. In order to provide clearance between the axle and the frame the new holes for the spring hangers should be drilled 3" back from the radius rod mounting bolts in the axle. For maximum strength drill in the verical center of the side of the radius rod. When you have your spring hangers mounted and the whole assembly bolted up place the weight of the car on it's wheels or stands. Check for clearance of the tie rod and spring shackles by flexing the spring up and down ( total movement is usually only 2" or 50mm in normal driving) If you have contact with the tie rod,radius rod you will need to heat the tie rods on the spindles . It's seriously frowned upon but you have no option in most cases .So ,heat the arms completely and evenly with the oxy and push down to the required clearance. I hope this of help to you ,and the distance as I can see it looks plenty. In most suspensions the amount of true travel is quite small.
Love the way your RPU is looking. Some great ideas there. Look forward to seeing the finished product. That's one of the coolest things about hot rodding. We all have our own ways of getting the job done. Lots of Yankee or New Zealander ingenuity going on. Gets me fired up to do a RPU.
Hey ,thanks for your time to reply,ive taken everything onboard. Axle should be set at 7 degrees also ?,I have a magnectic degree finder now ,so should all be good,cheers Steve
Very nice work!!! Most of the people I see running that front end setup bob the front framehorns---then there is really no limitations on ride height.
Ive been asked many times now 'is that a F-Glass Body'........Its all steel ,cut down from and ol 4 door A cowl ,doors we got years ago at a swap meet,narrowed the cowl,cut up the doors,grafted a 34 Ford Y rear body panel ,still retains door hinges,but doors dont open.We are trying to keep every thing traditional from the out side,motor will be covered etc,this will be my son's first 'toy'.
Yeah, so many options,but I did want to retain the original A Chassis 'look',the attached photo is very much how I want/need the front end to look,but with frame horns. Cheers Steve
some updated pic's Bill my son ,got a full page article in the New Zealand HOT-ROD mag ,he was stoked !
George Hi ,Thanks,the pitman arm is VW Kombi,along with box,colume etc.(from early Kombi) Cheers Steve
Good start, best thing is that your building it with your son. Teaching him about the build and getting him interested in the old hot rods. Keep posting.
Built a home made version of a 'Moon' Tank, the end caps I believe are from truck air cleaners that I got many years ago from a GM dealer,would have liked the real thing ,but we have to double plus some, what your list prices are.
Awesome build. It will be a real show stopper when finished... Hang on.............. It is already...
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