The bracket I have is to tall. About half of the bracket will need to be cut off. But the frame will drop more when I put the hemi in. So I’m thinking of cutting the bracket and tacking it in place then put the motor in and see how things line up and adjust the bracket. Does that sound right? Is there more distance created in between the bracket and batwing when the frame lowers and levels the spring?
The hairpins are used to adjust the proper caster into your axle after the car is done. Maybe you can adjust the front clevises enough to get your caster, or maybe you need to pay more attention to where the back end of the hairpin sits, up-and-down. You will need to mock the car up at final ride height and rough in the adjustments, before you weld anything. If your hairpin pivot point is exactly center of the arc compared to the spring's caster (the face of the spring), then you wouldn't have to worry about the length changing. If the clevises are adjusted to make the hairpin end upward or downward from exact center, then the length will change slightly as the car "bounces".
I bought that same bracket and cut off at least 1-1/2" after initially tacking it to the bottom of the 1934 frame rail and then putting the motor and ****** in but no body on it. It hangs too low if you don't modify it in my opinion.
The concept is to have the spring/axle rotate through a constant arc with suspension travel. In other words there should be no bind or bend front or rear in the spring from fully open to fully compressed. I've found on a typical deuce ch***is, with a reversed eye spring the pivot point on 31" eye to eye hairpin is 2 1/4" to center, from the bottom of the frame. As a side note, The SoCal brackets are way nicer and more substantial, along with somewhat better looking than the Speedway version, (which I ***ume is the ones you have there). Nothing the matter with them, just a little ugly to my eye. If you are reasonably handy you can make your own brackets of 3/8" P&O and add a 5/8" long sleeve drilled to 5/8" for the crossbolts or reamed 1/12 taper for early Ford ends. The early Ford ends don't fit the 5/8" Speedway hairpins though so you're kind of stuck with the crossbolts. I really like the way you have the crossmember in there. Neat project!
Yes there is " some" caster adjustment , but not much without exposing too many threads or changing the wheelbase and the arc in the axle travel in relation to the spring
Get rid of the hair pins and get you some wishbones, then mount them under the ch***is.... looks so much better https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/one-of-our-new-projects-another-32-ch***is.300262/