No. Only application I can name is Morgan, though there are likely other really old applications... Imagine an early A-arm suspension with kingpins. Imagine that A arms, frame, and kingpin are now welded together immovably... The kingpin is now the PILLAR...put on the spindle so it can slide up and down and also steer on that kingpin, and wrap the kingpin with a small coil spring.
No, its different. Imagine a ford-like spindle sliding up and down on a long kingpin with a spring and you get the idea. Used on Morgans from 1909 til present day. Do a search for Morgan front suspension.
No its not. Do a search for Morgan sports cars. They used and may still use sliding pillar front ends. The design has a pillar that the steering knuckle slides up and down on as opposed to control arms with some type of pivot. One could imagine the plus side would include simplicity and light weight. The negatives would be stiction, camber changes at same rate as body roll and maybe noise.
"Used on Morgans from 1909 til present day..." Note that "present day" at Morgan is approximately 1937...
Early Morgans were 3 Wheelers ( pic ), and when they started to make 4 wheeled cars they stuck with the same type front suspension. The Silding Pillar isn't a very good design because the stiction cornfieldrodder talked about. It doesnt work very well as a suspension for the same reason it does work as a VW Bug floorjack... I've seen these cars bounce around corners at vintage races ( the later 4 wheeled versions ), and decided I wouldn't try and own one.
Here's a sliding pillar setup on my teardrop. There is no axle, the suspension units are welded to the frame on each side. Someone told me this setup may have been fabricated from some industrial or agricultural idler setups. Nice soft ride. Mine slides vertically on 24 large ball bearings on each side. http://ncarter819.photosite.com/Teardrop/004_1A.html
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