When building a new frame .One has a choice of 2 different components for the front end. One is the hairpin (radius) rods/curtis style( radius rods) and the other choice is the( 4 bar.) Looking at pictures of cars on this web-sight I see members with both . Is it just a cosmetic preference or is one better and stronger than the other ? Gene
They both have different pluses and minuses. Traditional guys prefer the hairpin, or maybe a split wishbone.
Gene ach has its own merits, I am one to believe that nothing is actually better just different. The 4 link will give you better steering geometry when properly set up. They are also more adjustable as far as caster angle is concerned.
When building a new frame you only have two choices? Pfsss, can of worms just opening. Here is my opinion, 4 bar says street rod with a capitol S, especially with a tube axle. Hair pins are better, with a tube axle kind of street roddy, but much more traditional than 4 bars especially with an I-beam axle. The best is Ford wishbones, chromed, painted, drilled, smooth, split or un split, you just can't go wrong with them and a beam axle, original axle preferred. All the original parts are out there to build a great traditional rod, it just requires abit of effort on the builders part. Source them up, frames, axles, wheels, spindles, bones, etc., clean them up and put them back into service. Hunting the parts dow is as much fun as building, and can save you $$$
Phtttttt Just for dramas sake I prefer hair pins and tube axles or radius rods and beam axles. Personal preference on my part but never ever pass up a chance to disagree.
Another question related Per Speedway: The 4 bar front end is engineered to allow the front suspension to travel freely thus providing better ride quality and handling characteristics but..... A Panhard rod should be considered Mandatory and recommended on all cross-steer systems with ( 4 bar systems) and to control side to side motion ???? Sorry still learning bear with me...
I personally like a traditional Corvair front end stuck on with big ol stick weld globs. Nothing compares to the looks or ride that can be had with one of those.
I've put many miles on a 4 bar front end, I-beam, cross steer 29 Coupe and don't have a panhard on it. It rides fine to me. Likewise, my split wishbone, I-beam, side steer 28 PU handles pretty decent too. I don't think either rides better or worse than the other. Therefore go with what you like looks and $$ wise.
Did it back in the 60s, best handling street car I ever drove. Bolted it in with rack and pinion, but just make sure you are running fenders. But seriously, a four bar setup on a beam axle? wuga
When building a kit car from one catalog choices will be limited. Do lots of research before you invest. Nothing wrong with your approach, especially for a first build but, please be aware this board is focused primarily on the traditional. Talk of anything else will get a less than positive response.
A 60's styled rod could pull off the look of chromed hairpins, I don't think I've ever seen any period pictures of a 4 link front end setup, although it'd be interesting to see when those appeared. To me it depends on what era you're trying to recreate. An early flathead with '35 wire wheels and a 4 bar? It's going to look awkward. A chromed out 283 with 3 2 barrels, chrome reversed wheels and chromed hairpins? I could see that. My car has split bones and a dropped beam, that's my personal favorite look.
i've been told that you shouldn't run split bones with a tube axle because the tube twists more than a beam. so run a 4 bar set-up if your'e running a tube. run what you like and can afford and you can't go wrong!
Grabowski and Ivo ran 4-bars in the mid-'50s. But ---- they did it with tie-rod ends. They also did not have to have a Panhard rod. Corvair, Pacer, Moustang 2, don't cut it in the good looks department!
I think the theory is that the four link is a parallelogram and so castor does not vary with suspension travel. The four link set up allows you to adjust castor however. Hairpins or split bones because they pivot at the rear mount will induce more camber as the suspension compresses. This if i understand correctly slightly increases steering self centering forces under braking as the front suspension squats. Camber adjustments are very limited if at all with this setup unless you start cutting and welding either mounts at the rear or the angle of the knuckle at the beam axle. Can you feel these effects when driving? As others have noted earlier, probably not. Let's be honest both suspension setups are, shall we say, rather agricultural in origin. That being said, I agree, four link setups are a little too modern aesthetically for my taste. Split bones and a beam on my ride. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Old parts cast off from all the street rodders are the way to go. Or salvaging them from old trailers built from early Ford stuff. To date I have salvaged axles and bones from 6 trailers.
My first build and I did dropped beam axle with split bones. My mentors insisted on a pan hard bar. Adjusted camber by sectioning the Bo nes and welding them and position of mount to frame. My earliest welding experience! Car handles,rides and steers great. Sourcing the parts,building and learning is a great part of the experience! Personal opinion but after much looking I understand why four bars work well but they just look awkward to me.
I know everyone looks at Speedway catalogues and their website, but there are other players who are arguably better (although not as CHEAP) so look to them too. Try Pete& Jakes. They provide a lot of useful information. For some reason when first timers come here asking for help after they've started a build, the word Speedway is never far away. Or so it seems. Must be something in that, another reason why I say to look beyond them.
Lots and lots and lots of threads on the HAMB about all these issues. Try a few searches. A recent thought about the tube-and-split-bones thing: there is such a thing as a hollow torsion bar, so the idea that a tube axle is absolutely rigid in torsion is patently false. It's a lot stiffer in torsion than an I-beam axle, though. For some perspective, compare the torsion-beam axles at the back of a lot of front-drive hatchbacks. The one under my VW Golf Mk1 is a fairly deep thin-wall T profile which, though the idea is that it is to add some roll stiffness at the rear, can't be all that stiff as anti-roll devices go. The effective arms acting on it are a lot shorter than on a split-bone front end, however. Not really saying much one way or another; just something to think about.
Dident the Pete from Pete and Jake, build the farthers day rod, for his farther. A mix of track roadster and dry lake era rod. And ran 4 link in front. And I liked that. Be you own judge. Where do you plan to go with the rest of your build? Because if you plan to run a LS motor, purple flake and ghost flames, you might be I'm the wrong place. But if you plan to build something like the green one above, most people can learn to live with the 4 link.
The green T above looks real nice, I think the key to that one is the bars line up with the frame nice (or maybe what looks like the frame is some kind of extra bodywork?) I saw an A recently with 4 bars and both bars ran below the frame, attached at the rear to a piece of tubing that stuck down from the frame, and it really stood out as unattractive. I guess it's that kind of stuff that gives me my prejudice against 4 bars. This thread has taught me that when done correctly, it can look good, and it can be traditional, too.
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