Roth Style Front end set up?

I'm having a hard time figuring out how Roth set up the coil spring front ends on his show cars?

... how does he keep the springs from bouncing out?... at first I thought he might have tied them together with shocks but in most of the picture I can find I don't see shocks running though the middle?

Anybody know?

Thanks in advance!

 

The honest answer is that most of the Roth cars were non-functional...

 

They functioned they were just not meant to be driven.

That said I do know that some of the guys back then used a little clip on both ends of the spring in the spring pocket.

 

Best be talking to Mr. Moriarty.

 

Okay... I figured that might be how the springs were held in place... a little sketchy... but that is true... most of his cars wern't meant to be driven... What about the A La Kart?.... was this done the same way?

 

Pretty sure the Ala Kart had air bags inside the coils that were probably double pin type and retained everything.

 

Ya, I realized after I posted that the first Roth car I thought of with front coils was the Mysterion. And I know that never moved under it's own power.

 

On the T bucket project that Car Craft did in the late 60's, they used Corvair coils all around and they made the mounts so the spring sat down in a deep pocket. The shocks were inside the coils and I think their length acted as a limiter to keep the springs from popping out of those pockets on hard bumps.

They made those mounts by cutting some large round tubing (slightly bigger in diameter than the coil springs) about 3 inches high and welding those onto the base of the mounts.

Not sure how Roth did it, but some of those suspensions were just good enough to push or drive the car from the trailer into the show floor and back out again.

Don

 

Just found a press release about the Beatnik Bandit in the June 1961 Popular Mechanics. page 78. they claimed it was "radio controlled". No mention of suspension, and the picture is to fuzzy to see the shox.
Google "popular mechanics ed roth"

 

The shock does not have to be in the coil as long as it limits the rebound.

 

built this in 65-67..............

when did this style appear at shows?

parts from chuck finders..........


has been raced hard on street &strip pulling wheelies on 1st to2nd shift of bm hydrostick........stillin use....have always planned to in stall limit chain

 

X2. if anybody knows, it's probably going to be him.

 

You got shocks so you got limit chain..??

 

There's a thread about that set up. I couldn't find it, but I it's here.

 

Here it is. Hope it helps.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=396035&highlight=bucket+coil+spring+front+end

 

The Outlaw has shocks inboard of the springs that limit the down travel.
Ala Kart same deal, behind the springs.
Pretty simple and reliable.

 

Notes on Roth's coil spring suspensions;

The Beatnik Bandit was undrivable. There is no way to lower the top with a person sitting in the car. It was a piece of art not an automobile.

The Mysterion had a fighting chance of being drivable but it too was never intended to move under its own power. The impractical spring mounting was just one of many, many of its impracticalities. That being said, I am building a clone of the car and I found that the horizontally mounted shocks actually limit the downward suspension travel enough that the springs won't leave the pockets. The rear end is a different story. Ed didn't even try to use shocks on the rear and those will jump out if the car ever grabbed air. Again, that car was a sculpture not an automobile.