What used this suspension?

Got done working in the shop at school today, and went to take a break in the old cl***room. Cl***es got too big, so they just keep all the OLD books that no one wants to use anymore in there. I stumbled across a little red book ***led "Fundamentals of Automobile Ch***is and Power Transmission," the copyright date is 1952...

so it's interesting. I am looking through what they used to have for high tech way back when, then found this little setup...called a sizaire system...



Now, what in the world ever ran that? It's probably something really common, but I haven't ran across one as of yet.

There is a lot of other stuff in the book that is useful, im going to see if they can let this book go, where it was sitting and judging from the dust on it, it hasn't been opened in years.

 

I have no idea what the picture is from, but I know some circa-1950 Studes used that system. I think their trade name was "Planar" suspension. I know I've seen pictures of such a setup transplanted into an early Ford, even.

 

AC Ace and first generation Cobras had a similar design front suspension.
I think a lot of smaller European cars used it in the 40's-50's-60's.

 

Planadyne. But the Studebaker system used two leaf packs.

As for unusual suspensions, back when cars weren't quite so common, and computers weren't used to design every little thing, independent designers did some really weird suspensions:
Morgan's sliding pillar.
Full elliptics, with a supplemental 'frame' to keep the axles in line.
Cantilever elliptics.
Anything with a Citroën badge on it.
Dubonnet's "Knee Action", the 1934 version.
Allard's split solid axle.
DeDion rear axles.
And that's just for starters.

Cosmo

 

Yea. The ONLY instance I've ever seen of a "backintheday" hiboy with a IFS had one of these. I'm guessing it was in Hot Rod Magazine in the very early 50's.

 

I've seen this on an Anglia (it was an obvious transplant in this case.) and another homebuilt frame that I went to look at for another HAMBer.

Seems to me that the leaf spring would allow for some undesirable fore/aft movement of the lower end of the spindle upright in hard bumps and such. Or am I missing something? I would think that you'd need something like a wishbone (or the equivalent of split bones) mounted to the bottom of the upright and to the frame to avoid this fore/aft movement?

 

Late '60s,early '70s Opels used a similar front suspension.

Smokey Yunick used a transverse leaf for the upper A-arms on
the front of his Capsule Car for Indy.

 

i think a willy's jeepster used a front suspension like that

 

A lot of the Fiats designed by Dante Giacosa used that type of Front suspension.
Fiat 500, 600, 850...

 

Actually, it's much older than 1952.

It dates from 1905! Sizaire et Naudin was a French light car manufacturer. They produced this independent suspension at a time when most cars had little or no suspension at all.

Sizaire won the 1906 Coupe de Voiturettes race using this suspension at the remarkable speed of 36.2 mph!

 

Nice!

So I gotta ask the question - didja just know that or didja google it...

 

I believe that Fiat Topolinos, and 1960ish Cooper formula cars used it too.

 

My 48 Studebaker had one something like that

 

The Fiat Topolino was one of the first designs Dante Giacosa did for Fiat.
But if I remember correctly it had the spring on top ( maybe even top and bottom, but I'd have to look that up ).

Those Coopers were built for a Cl*** that used 500cc Motorcycle Engines, and actually used Topolino Front Suspensions at the Front and also for the Rear Suspension.

 

I had a golf cart that used that same front end. Took a bunch of leaves out and it was hammered.

The main problem with this set up is the sway from the twisting leaves.

 

Odd you mention that, I'm designing a DeDion rear axle for a Bonneville car right now.

 

The official name for the design, from what I've heard, was a PLANAR suspension, and it was used by Willys from at least 1948 through at least the early 1950s in their wagons, trucks, and Jeepsters. I've heard later-model Corvette suspension described in the same way -- a transverse spring replacing the lower A-arms. Can't vouch for the Vette occurrence, but I can couch for the Willys version.

 

Jeepsters and 2WD Jeep Wagons/Pickups from the '50s used this suspension - I've thought for a while that a similar suspension, with the previously mentioned radisus rods added to the lower spring/kingpin mounts would make a neat, vintage-style front end for a road race rod.

Dave

 

That design was used on Opel GTsand some rear engine Fiats. saw one on a Puguot three wheeled thingie from the pre or immidieate post war era at a swap meet last May.

 

hrmmm,,, the 52 willys pickup i bought from Restorit/Rocky has/had the stock beam axle up front... i didnt think it had an IFS like this

 

thanks y'all

I thought it looked kinda neat too, but looked a lil bit prone to twisting on the bottom side...a wishbone or something would seem like a good idea.

didn't look too difficult to set up though, i may have to be my own guinea pig again to see how it would look fenderless

 

I knew of the Sizaire et Naudin car company and suspected that it was their design, given the Sizaire name.

But I looked it up in G N Georgano's book (book=trad!) SPORTS CARS OF THE WORLD, just to be sure. And there it was.

 

Mate, English vehicles from the 40's and 50's used this style of front suspension, such as Vauxhall etc. One of the posts mentioned 'Planar'. I've got a 1948 Velox Vauxhall which used a very very similar style of set up. It was prone to twisting and was eventually replaced in the 50's in model changes. Hope this helps. Cheers

 

Late model chevy luminas used that on the rear, with a fibergl*** spring...

Brian

 

them things make my spincter pucker... i know they are strong enough on paper, but still give me the willies

 

Opel GT, Kadett, and Manta.

 

I may be wrong about the Jeep pickups, but I've seen it on Jeep wagons.

BTW: My Opel Manta has coils and unequal-length control arms up front. I wouldn't doubt that Kadetts and GT's spoted the other front end - the Manta was known for being a much better-handling car, doing very well in rally and road racing in the early seventies.

Dave

 

Oh hell,,, you are more than likely correct about the PU's as well... i am only goin by pictures and from reading about the 2WD fronts on the internet... the 2WD was a rare breed in '52 on willys PU's so good info is hard to come by

 

Dang! I ***umed the Manta was the same.