I just bought my speedway axle if I were to run it spring over like the set up came my nose would be WAY to high so I converted it over to spring under and I have about 3" between the top of the axle and the bottom of the frame, will this be safe or should I build a 1 or two inch spacer between the spring hangers and the frame? Also as far as steering goes I'm using a vega box, when I install the steering arms so I ser ti up for front or rear steer? Does it matter if the pitman arm goes off the front or the rear of the steering box?
If the pitman arm faces to the back your steering is going to be backwards... When you turn the wheel left your car will turn to the right...
I think it would depend on how stiff your shocks are and how much weight you have on the front to bounce up and down. Three inches will probably be plenty unless you hit a pot hole or some real rough road. Do the John Lamb test and jump on the front of the frame and see if it bottoms out and go from there.
Three inches should be plenty of space, I have sen cars on here that have the mono leaf cross spring setup with much less even with a C notch that doesn't seem to be an issue. (although it doesn't make it right) I agree with Mr48chev and perform the bounce test. I did that to check my ride as well. What is the motor you are using? Also I guess I missed what type of vehicle some where... This may help in the decision.
If I understand correctly, you are relying on the u-bolts (which are kind of chinsy) to carry the full load of the front end, engine etc.. With the axle on the bottom of the leafs, the springs take all the load while the fasteners just hold the axle to the leafs with little force need to hold the axle. Without a close picture to decide for sure, this sounds unsafe. Some people lower the rear of their cars by doing the same thing, however, those u-bolts are much thicker and stronger. Good luck
some stock production vehicles had both front and rear axles on top of the springs take a look at jeeps for example. many people have lowered the front of there f-100s by putting the front axle on top of the springs. i seriously doubt this will be a safety issue. also, the 3 inch clearance on the front is that under full weight or without the engine and tranny. if its under full weight i would say you'll probably be allright
The car is a 63 Chevy II sedan all iron small block th350 10 bolt rear mopar leaf spring out back. I have not had the suspension under load yet, I just wanted to check before I made a big mistake. I'll post some pic s of what I have done tomorrow
I have seen a lot of cars setup like this... I'm not saying this is right or wrong, just saying I have seen a lot. Another good forum strictly for your car is http://www.stevesnovasite.com. I have got lots of good info from them (I have a '65 with a straight axle setup as well)
I decided to try some 2x2x.120 blocks between the mounts and the framerails this gave e a good 5" of bump from full droop, I'd think that this would be good. You can see in the third pic how I have the sprung under set up done, I need some 1/2X2" U bolts and fab a lower plate
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