Customs Those of you with a 4link in your 50's Chevy Cars

Gentlemen,
It's time for me to decide on my rear suspension setup.
First I was set on a 4 link in the rear with air bags
Then, I wanted to use some C10 truck trailing arms and retrofit them to build a trailing arm rear suspension
Now, I am considering the 4 link again. I don't know why, but I keep going back to it.

HERE IS WHY I DON'T LIKE THE 4 LINK. I hate that the abck seat of the floor had to be cut up for the mounting points of the linkage arms. I know the rear seat angle does not change, which I love.

But, I haven't seen a 54 Chevy car with a 4 link that hasn't had to do some serious modifications to their rear seat.

I talked to Alex at Gambino customs and he was telling me that most of the modification comes from the modification of the driveshaft tunnel. But, I have seen pictures of some 4 link installs where the "ass" cushion floor needs to be hacked up to make room for the mounts.

SO MY QUESTION IS THIS:
Has anyone installed a 4 link in the rear of a 50's Chevy car, WITH an open drivetrain and still utilized the factory rear seat? Pictures are proof

 

71 Views and No responses?

 

sounds like you answered all your own questions

 

I can shoot some pics of the floor area and of the seat mods I did if you would like. My seat is a bare frame right now so it is easy to see the mods

 

Never could see anything wrong with parallel leaf springs myself.

 

I would love to see some pictures.
Email: Pokerface@roadrunner.com

 

I don't see an answer to this questions, do you?

 

Heres a pic of 2 link kit we sell for chevy cars and trucks.
no matter what way you go if your trying to get it on the ground you will have to install a step notch which requires cutting into the floor behind th back seat. Advantage of 2 link trailing arm is that you dont have to cut in the floor under the seat and using a 2 piece drive shaft eliminates making a long tunnel. If you want it on the ground you need to cut a 6 inch long tunnel .
P.S we will be in next months Rod & Custom installing a 2 link kit on a 47 fleetline
JIMENEZBROSCUSTOMS.COM
JIMENEZBROSCUSTOMS@HOTMAIL.COM
951-781-1268

 

Proof


I used the GM triangulated 4 link, and made my own upper crossmember for the mounts. There are a few more pics in my album.

The back portion of the seat pocket went forwards 1". The bottom of the seat remains in it's stock position, but the back rest moved forwards a little bit.

I put bump stops in mine to keep from having to cut up the drive shaft tunnel.

 

I am definitely going to Notch the car. I don't mind cutting up the floors at all. That's no biggy.
I was just concerned with the factory rear seat.

 

What do you mean you used a GM trangulated 4 link? Like something off a Chevelle?

What you describe with a little bit more detail about how you moved the back rest of the seat forward? Did you just cut that flat section of sheetmetal strips that act a support for the back rest of the seat and move everything forward?

I am having a hard time invisioning how you can move the backrest forward without affecting the seat cushion section of the back seat.

Sounds promising though...

 

Thanks for the tip.

 

Exactly! The axle and upper bars are out of a big b body cadi while the lowers are off a monty Carlo for the rear sway bar stuff
Fwiw I'm using s-10 4x4 wheels all around to fix the front sub frame width problem, so a wider rear axle was ok for me(but I also had to redrill the bolt pattern) DOH!

If you have the rear seat installed, there's a bit of room behind the bottom seat cushion and the floor where it kicks up. Just enough to squeeze it all in there.


Sent from my iPod touch using TJJ

 

You should look into the 2 link that Jimenez bros sells. give them a call.

 

you can do a triangulated 4 link w/o loosing the seat u just need to play with it like u play pocket pool.... just like everything it takes time

 

I will post up the pics of mine when I get home on Sunday so you can check out the slight mods I did and still kept the back seat with very little modifications

 

not a chevy and no pics right now, but 52 buick special, custom made truck arms, and it will lay the frame and not a cut to the seat or floor under, only a small section out ofthe tunneland of coarse the notch cover, and if you wanna lay the frame and come up to a reasonable ride height, the stock stuff on the gm`s is way to short, they work good for stock height and nothing else, for airbags, you`ll have to have the triangle four link or 2 link.....i like the 2 link cause of the length of the arms and no cutting of the back seat.....

 

Sorry, but 2 links are garbage and do not belong on an adjustable suspension.

I know the 2 link guys will bash me but sometimes the truth hurts.

Guys are going to say "but it'll work" Well yea, you can make anything "work" but that don't mean it's correct and will work the best possible way. Look at the things most guys will do just to make a crappy 2 link work instead of doing the correct way. It amazes me everytime.

I've mounted 4-links in just about every way possible. I've never done chevy of that year but you say the big issue is the rear seat clearence with the upper bars?

Have you tried flip, flopping the bars? Mounting the angled upper bars below the rearend, and the lower straight bars on top?

Like the other guy said you can make it work. I've done a few that were some head scratchers. This sound pretty simple.

 

Jimenez bros for me.

 

this is a 4 link in a '50 chevy and it did not take any rear seat... had to cut into the trunk a little for the top of the shock bracket.. send me a pm if you would like to see more pictures..

also have one useing a tri link... if you would like to see it.. wayne

 

Cwayne, I like that 4 link. Do you have a panhard bar? Does the mount drag the ground?

 

Yes, cross link..

 

What four link kit is that? It looks like one of those generic 4 link kits. But that's a clean install!

 

It came from TCI there in So. Calif...