Hot Rods 30 Pickup rear suspension issue.

I picked up a 30 pickup the other day for a great price but it has some issues. The biggest being the shackle mounts on the rear. I belive they where installed upside down and then hacked so the shackles would fit. Or should the spring sit above the braket? I'm not sure. The shackles in their current position rest against the mounting post and allow for zero travel. I'd like to use the leaf spring with a similar mount but installed correctly. Has anyone seen a mount like this before or know of a better way to do this. The axle sits just beyond the leaf spring so a mount of the same style would work without relocating the axle.

 

They look upside down to me, how are the shackles not binding when loaded?

 

I haven't driven it yet but they certainly will bind. I don't get how someone could have thought this was fine. Have you ever seen a mount like it before?

 

If it belonged to me I would cut that out and start over,,that looks like it was poorly designed and executed. HRP

 

Everything about that is fucked up. Some people should not be allowed to try this stuff. And yet another "I picked it up for cheap" story.

At least you realise there is a problem.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you are new to this or want to get an idea of how things ought to be done, go the the Pete&Jakes website and study their chassis and suspensions. They sell good parts that work. It's not the only way, but it will at least see you in the right direction.

 

I totally agree. Don't fault me for picking it up cheap though. It's total in parts is worth way more then I paid for it. I plan on doing it right but I'm still curious if anyone has scene a leaf spring mount that sits in front of the axel like that.

 

Those mounts are on back-asswards. I believe they are supposed to be mounted behind the axle like on later Ford 30's-40's chassis, where the spring is behind the axle, not in front like these were done incorrectly, incorrect parts for the intended application. The spring could be mounted on top but you'd need different mounts than these. My guess is the guy was trying to lower the rear of the car and got a little confused on how to do it right.

 

Never seen anything like that.

He was obviously trying to compensate for the trailing arm being to short. HRP

 

Ok, thanks for the replies. I've seen top mounted before and I thought I'd seen them front mounted but it was probably rear mounted. Thanks again.

 

No but you can put the spring in front of the axle! Gary

 

Do you have a picture of the center section and how the wheel line up with the fender well?

 

This is one way to correctly do it. Flipped axle bells for rear spring clearance for the quickchange.

 

Yes, you can mount a spring in front of the axle, but what that guy has done is use P&J or SoCal hangers and shackles and mounted the hangers UPSIDEDOWN in front of the axle.

The rectangular box ladder bar thingy is another matter altogether and should be cut off and thrown away. I see it's also bolted rigid to the diff housing and no doubt attaches straight forward on the frame rail somewhere. There are better, proper ways of locating the rear axle.

 

Rear mounted. HRP

 

These look similar to the mounts that are on your axle.

 

Only mounted backwards. HRP

 

And upside down, as I said.

 

Cut all that shit off, and start again.

 

The bed still has to come off, but I'll take more pictures when it does. The ladders bars are another concern. Like X38 says, they attach to the frame rails and if the spring mounts had been placed in the down position, then the spring may have made contact with the bars.

Yes, that looks like them. The guy must have added extra supports then cut the out afterwards. Thanks