WHEELBASE 100" or less- pros and cons?

I'm building a tub of sorts, more like a tudor phaeton. More of a modified than anything.

Just wondering how many of you are running a wheelbase in the 90"-100" range? The way I've done my measuring it looks like i'll have somewhere between a 96" and a 98" wheelbase.

Flathead w/toploader, and gas tank and battery over the rear end, in an attempt to help balance it out.

My first car was an Willys CJ5 with an 80" wheelbase. It could get pretty squirrely at certain speeds. Then again, it road a bit higher than this rod will.

Just wondering how this will be on the street. I want it to feel like driving a go-cart on the highway.

 

Mine is at 91.5"

 

Early corvettes were about 100''. Most early sports cars were in the range you mentioned.
Squirrelly isn't all about wheelbase.

 

Not trying to be off topic and I will apologize beforehand but, my Mini Cooper has a 91.7" wheelbase and it is definitely NOT squirrelly. It is very low to the ground IMHO but I don't think a regular car should have a problem with handling if it is set up right. I do know longer wheelbase makes a difference in towing...

 

Put together a Bantam for a client that is at 92" with a mild Chev smallblock... Goes arrow straight.

 

Thanks for that Mini Cooper reference. I've never thought about that. Back to work, and try to stop over thinking everything...haha

 

MR SHORTY drives fine with a 91" wheelbase - and it's pretty tall at 7' 5" tall...

The wife's new MINI has a longer wheelbase than that, at 97.1"...

 

Next question: any tips on how to get the best handling possible out of an "Av8" style car with a 96" wheelbase.

Right now I have a reversed model A spring mounted behind a '47 Merc banjo rear(the wide banjo rear), frame kicked up 3" in the rear, reversed So-Cal model A spring up front, with Tardel lowering shackles.

 

I made my Model A the same dimensions as my Mini. 10.5' x 4.5', similar wheel base (My Mini has an 80" wheelbase, but it's a real one).

 

Be absolutely fanatic about things like shackle angles (45 degrees at ride height) and also about spring set up. I generally find an "A" V8 roadster likes about five leaves in the back and about the same up front. Some will call me Street Rodder, but I like teflon strips between the leaves for a clean friction free ride. I usually head out to an electronics supply place and purchase some shrink tube that fits over the spring to seal it from moisture and dirt, plus keep the teflon in. Make sure your caster is at 7 degrees, too. I like the lightest tube shocks you can buy and have had good luck with both Pete and Jakes and So Cal stuff. I have also used Link pin VW units with good results.

 

mini coopers are squirrelly ---but they drive ok

 

Depends on what you mean by "squirrelly", I suppose. If you mean agile, responsive, and chuckable, then (real) Minis are squirrelly. If you mean unstable, no, they're not.

(Notice how the late pseudo-Mini panders to a very superficial awareness of Mini history? e.g. the way every Mini is a Mini Cooper these days; the way the Clubman is a station-wagon rather than a pig-snouted saloon, because it is ***umed that nobody who matters will remember that a Mini station-wagon is an Austin Countryman or a Morris Traveller. And don't get me started on that five-door ocean liner ...)

My DD VW Golf Mk1 has a 94½" wheelbase and is dead stable at 125mph - despite running a tad less toe-in and front camber than stock.

 

wrong forum for that esoteric drivel ---but your A might be interesting---morris minors can be cool also----mini's not so much

 

My Austin g***er is 89", sits a little high, has a straight axle, and handles great! Goes straight as an arrow down the dragstrip, and at freeway speeds it drives great. I put 6,000 miles on the road last year, and even cruising through winding country roads it did great!

 

While I agree that real Minis are not HAMB friendly, if you dont find them interesting, I'd bet you've never driven one...

 

Actually it is way off topic but real original mini coopers are cool to the bone.

Now back on topic an over powered short wheelbase car has a tendency to want to swap ends with ya. While that is pretty cool with a chick but it is not cool with a car.

You want to work with your weight bias and your spring rates. I like to get close to a 60/40 bias on a short wheel base car, that is going to be driven on the street. I like the feel of them better, but I also like to drift in a corner. If I am running a bigger tire (tread patch) I prefer a ch***is that is a little wiggly, *a ch***is that flexes will let you keep the tires well planted.

You don't want to be over sprung, you want your springs to work with you. A short wheelbase car is a ***** to drive if it is bouncing all over the place. A softer spring and good dampers make all the difference in the world. Panhard bars or watts links help as well.

On a light car I can give or take an antiroll bar (sway bar). I think they stiffen up the ride too much.

I also do the same deal as Need louvers with my springs, I take them apart deburr them to the point of polishing them and add teflon strips. If you want to retain a traditional look to them wrap them with tape or a leater cover. The shrink tubing also works wll and it probably lees maintenence.

A drag car is setup quite differently but I am going on the ***umption that the car in question is not a match basher.

*Carol Shelby's theory on the first AC/Cobras, and it does work.

 

Question about the 5 leaf spring packs. Are you just relocating the springs to the bottom of the pack, or tossin them in the corner?

I plan to run 500-16s front and 7.50-16 rear. '47 merc rear located with '46 Ford bones. Stock A spit bones up front. Still undecided on steering setup.

Really not looking to get a "straight line" kinda car.

 

Extra wheelbase buys you time if the car gets out of shape. If a short wheelbase car starts coming around, it snaps quickly. Thats why real fast cars usually are long. Unless you think you can outdrive Willy Borsch.

 

I usually just leave them in the corner! I have a complete rack of random "A" spring leaves around this joint because of that. I usually will extend the spring retention clamps to compensate so the spirng stays tight in the crossmember.

 

While I don't think I can there have been a could of times that I was sure that I did.

 

Might sound a bit heady, but I'M DAMN SURE I have a couple of times!!!

 

I spun a T around just past the tree once, managed to miss everything and finished the p***. Of course it would have been more cool if I had done it on one wheel.

My little brother and I were on I-44 once in the snow and took my short bed C-10 into the median made at least 360 heading the wrong way in the other lanes, g***ed is and got it going in the right direcion. I looked at him and grinned and said Steve McQueen, even inebriated like we were he didn't see the humor in it. .

 

Joe... 99". Handles like a go-kart.

 

Andy, I love it. What can you tell me about the front end setup on that? I'm seriously considering flattening out my front crossmember right now

 

Bill's Rod & Custom was stuck on 95" wheelbase on my T and since I don't have it on the road yet I can't validate if his insistence was warranted... Some one mentioned Cobra and I believe Cheetas were 90" and the Ferrari 250 Spyder was around 95" If sports cars were under 100" the they must handle well if they are set up right

 

Lots of great info on this thread for me as we're building an 88" wheelbase car. Kind of afraid to post it up here for the "clown car" bashing I may receive. Will look a lot better when the 4" chop is done I think.


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90" wheelbase ........ hooks hard, but has a tendency to "wander" above 100 mph, but that may be because of the 4-link adjustments I have on it for comfort ....... plus, it's about as aerodynamic as a shoebox

 

AC Cobra is 90" WB
Early and current Corvettes 102"
Stingrays were 98"
I think there was and may be a minimum WB for (NHRA) drag racing.

 

You mean sorta like the modern use/abuse of the word "hemi"?

 

Damn,that's pretty nice!