On a solid axle front end, car or truck. When did 4 bars start to arrive. I know hairpins are a more traditional look and style. But when did the 4 bar come around???? Thanks
There was a dragster on the HAMB recently, I think it was featured on the Jalopy Journal. It was a '27 T with the streamlined nose, driver in front of the motor, trick paint. It was an early '60s car, I believe, and had LOOOONG 4 bars out front. I remember talking to a local rodder about his choice of a similar set up and we had both seen that car. I think it was about a month ago. If I can turn it up, I'll add an update.
Late '40's or early '50's. Early coverage ot the Oakland Roadster show had a picture of a roadster with 4 bars. Can't remember the issue of R & C I saw it in off hand.
so if someone was building a car with an early 60's themed Model A, would they be out of place?? The chassis in question already has them. I would hate to have to change them.
There was a thread yesterday where there was a picture of Kookie's T. If I'm not mistaken, I believe I saw 4 bars on the front.
I feel like they are right at home on a lo-boy, but I can't stand them hanging down on a hi-boy. I don't think they will look out of place if the rest of the car isn't obviously from an earlier time.
Certainly by late '40's-early fifties on rods. Probably earlier in the source, Sprint cars and Indy cars. These often used Ford type fronts, but could not accomodate a wishbone, and the 4-bar was the best route for a suspension without much binding.
Maybe not a 4 bar in the style you're talking about, but Millers used a 4 bar quarter elliptic on the front drive Indy cars in the mid 20's.
Have photos of forties midgets with four bar suspensions, suspect they go back even earlier. Need to get a scanner...
I think the 4-bar movement got started for street runners when the white 29 highboy roadster built by Little John Buttera came on the scene. It's also known as the John Corno roadster since he bought it perhaps a year or so after Buttera built it. You'll note that the bars are quite long and are what I copied the 4-bar setup on my 32 from. It is a pretty good handling setup.
The 4-bar setup was used on BOTH the Grabowski AND the Ivo roadsters and likely many others prior to them. They used early Ford tierods and Ford tie rod ends rather than the bushed eyes seen on todays setups. But, ooooooooooooo, they're not traditional.
Jim Jacobs put them on his 34 coupe in early 1970's, when he and Pete started Pete& Jakes they came out with the kit you see today with the batwings and mounts for the chassis. That development is what started all the street rodders using them on most of the frames from then, until everyone jumped on the Mustang II bandwagon. I think Jim used the mid-60's Chevrolet rear trailing rods with rubber bushings, which were non-adjustable.
My A had long 4links in the rear in 65-67 build ...kit from chuck finders ...just recently re placed but will reinstall sap
"would they be out of place?? " Evolution was I think so: Early ones used tierod ends or sometimes Heim type joints. P&J popularized them as a kit item in the seventies. I think they started with some Ford wagon anti-sway bar that was just a rubber end bushed rod, almost an exact equivalent of today's fourbars, then introduced the harder plastic compunds used now. So four bars would not be out of era, but the ones the car probably has would be.
They were around LONG before Lil John used them on the white car - WAAAYYY Before. Others are correct in stating that Indy, Sprint, and Midget race cars used them as early as the 20's. And there is plenty of photo documentation showing them in the 40's and 50's on hot rods although that was still pretty rare. Pete & Jake really are the ones that popularized them for rods and that would have been Early 70's (maybe late 60's?) if i remember correctly. Most likely 70's for them
This reminds me of a quote from my grandfather when he was telling me about getting a blow job from a judge's daughter in 1920. "you guys think you invented this shit????" If you trace it back, they had 4 bar suspensions on buggies in 1750
Re: 4 bars.... when did they start showing up? I would assert that a racer thought of them first, not some aftermarket supplier. Individuals invented them and adapted them. No doubt earlier, I first saw them in the '50s on the track and on street machines. My only point is anybody that thinks they came later, are mistaken.
4 bars using Ford tie rod ends = traditional Been around longer than I have. 4 bars using '60's Chevy Panhard bar Black rubber bushings or Delrin or urethane bushings ≠ Traditional, but the Black rubber ones are pushing 50 years and that's antique enough an idea for me. 4 bars using flimsy-ass made in China or brittle stainless metal to metal clevises cotter pinned to batwings = scary! This question was going on around the time I went to the Justice Brother's Museum and I made a point of checking out the late '40's- early '50's Sprint cars and midgets for these. About half of them had hairpins and half had 4 bars.
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