rear suspension idea for my f-1 (would this work)

i know some of the shit i'll get saying the "B" word but i am going to be putting my f1 on air bags this winter. originally i had decided on a triangulated 4 link but it had dawned on me that early sixties through early seventies chevy 1/2 ton's have that coil sprung 2 link in the rear. maybe it's just me being a total cheap ass, but i was thinking of yanking one of these out of a truck and putting it under my effie for the rear suspension. it would be cheaper then a 4 link, and im not that concerned about pinion angle downfalls of a 2link because i really dont plan on lifting that much to drive it, maybe 3"?

so am i just being ridiculious thinking this would be a good idea or have i found a cost effective way of recycling old parts back into my truck.

tell me what you think guys

 

that should work , those arms are strong. i believe there is a company selling kits with them

 

Two link suspensions aren't a shortcut. They really work well in the right application. They don't have a pinion angle problem when used as designed. The trouble you are having is you want to operate your truck outside the normal parameters. That would be your deviation from proven design, not the two link. A smart man would set up the suspension with proper geometry and driveline angles for ride height at road speed and be prepared to pay the price when deviating from the norm. You can make it cruise at a reasonable height, or slammed on the ground, but the opposite will suffer. Anything else is a compromise. If you're into compromises, you are all set.

 

well yeah, that sounds about right, setup up my pinion angle at my desired ride height, and have the control arms set at the proper angle, if you think about it, it only gets aired down when im parked, even so like i had mentioned; the difference in altitude between my ride height and being parked would be minimal. to be honest it's more practical then just doing a static drop and having my runningboard 2 1/2" from the ground at all times.

 

You can get around the pinion angle issue by using a Double Cardan (CV) drive shaft. I am not talking CV joint here but this:

http://www.4xshaft.com/Cherokee/Grand_ConvDC_OEM.jpg

The two u-joints in a row are articulated. The geometry of these differs from a regular 2-joint shaft, where you want your yokes parallel. Here, the drive shaft angle and pinion angle are set about equal, and stay that way throughout suspension travel.

http://www.4xshaft.com/rubicon/Double_Cardan_driveshaft.gif

So long as the control arms and drive shaft are about the same length, you can operate it at any height.

I run these on the front and rear of my Jeep and on the rear of my '29A, where my output shaft is BELOW the pinion. I am running radius arms (two link) and a panhard bar (and yes, bags) on the rear. The Jeep runs radius arms and a panhard bar on the font.

No vibrations, aired up, aired out, or anywhere in between. No compromise required.

If you've got questions, don't hesitate to ask.

 

Truck arms are rad!!

 

i liked the idea so much.. I just used the entire chevy truck frame!

http://images105.fotki.com/v514/photos/2/206474/1779162/Mvc056e-vi.jpg

it caused front suspension issues (width) which we overcame.

but the rear! rocked.

 

oh damn! ya that would seem like a great idea if you were looking for IFS as well. makes a lot of scence. well cool im gald im not as crazy as i though i might have been. thanks guys!

 

thanks man! so would i have to cut my DS down to fit one of these mofos in?

 

screw it, im gonna start calling around to get a price. maybe put up a progress thread for my truck too...why not right

 

Or have a whole new shaft made. I've use the guy on the links for all of the four-ex-four stuff I have build over the years, so I had him make the one on my A too.

Any drive shaft shop shop should be able to pull off a mod of your shaft or a new shaft.