Hot Rods Anyone using ladder bars on their hot rods?

I use to see them on a lot of cars back in the 60's but not so much anymore. HRP

 

I am going to use them or split bones because I can't afford a sway bar and I know from the internet that it turns my rear end into a sway bar.

I like ladder bars but you really want a locker or a spool if you have them set up properly, they don't articulate well. The shorter the wheel base the more that becomes magnified. They are more for a go fast junkies than a cruiser types. I think that may be the reason you don't see them as much now as in the '60s.

 

With rear leaf springs,the cheep way was to clamp all the leafs ahead of rear axle together.

 

The reason you don't see them nowadays is because they are tucked up to the middle of the car, ala' Pete&Jakes. Most of the rearends in "traditional" cars are set up with this style if they aren't using stock wishbones.

 

Only on about every "gasser" that was built on the HAMB in the last 15 years

 

My recollections of the 60's and ladder bars is that they were used on most everything except the Mopars for the simple reason that MaMopar definately had leaf spring system dialed in. We just had to add a pinion snubber to the muscle cars or, the more serious guys, would buy the super stock spring pack from Mopar.
The only cars of late that I have seen with ladder bars are the gasser-look street cars or '60's tribute' cars like the yellow Ford. It might be a regional thing like the street legal bumper cars........

 

I'm going to try CalTracks on the Fairlane this time.

 

Yep.

 

FYI..While you can use CalTracks with your stock springs CalTrack does have springs to compliment the bars.

 

I have a 48" wide 9" rear with ladders, and 35 spline Strange axles and discs and a Detroit Locker, might put it in the 56 Bird if it fits right. I also have an extra Competition Engineering 4-link, just in case

 

I'll run angled ladder bars with bushings to help with articulation on my street/strip build. Oh, and housing floaters with leaf springs.

 

Built these out of 4130 Chromoly, .058 wall, light and strong.

 

In the '60s, on rare occasion when I saw a car on the street with ladder bars, I just knew it was a more seriously performance-oriented machine.

So I like them for the badassedness they lend. And they're just one of the many components that can set the supposed era of a build. But now, as it was then, unless you're gonna seriously race, they're not needed or expected and they aren't really missed if a street driven car doesn't have them. And they're a bit clunky looking if you're trying to retain some style.

I want my Chrysler to have a performance-oriented personality. Debating whether to include ladder bars. Maybe not.

 

Some type of bar is certainly needed with a traverse spring but with a parallel leaf arrangement not so much. I have encountered, in years past, ladder bars that hurt more than helped a proper paraller leaf 'system'. But then I admit to my Mopar bias and perhaps the other guys found them useful. Dunno.

 

Have them on two of my current cars, and a third that I sold almost 2 years ago. Guess I didn't get the memo about any issues, so mine work great on the street or strip. Two with leaf spring setups, and one with QA1 coilover shocks.

 

I;ve got ladder bars on my 52 in my profile with homemade axle rotator/sliders on stock leafs

 

I love my Caltracs. More street friendly for sure and perhaps the reason ladder bars aren't used as much anymore on a dual purpose car.

 

Ladder bars & coil overs on my Deuce roadster. Rides good, handles good...what’s not to like?

 

While I only build 28-34 chassis I have done 100's of them with P&J simple ladder bars. Some with coil overs and a panard and some with a buggy spring and no panard. It's my favorite way of holding the rear end.

 

I got the springs and shocks.

 

I have used the simpler Pete & Jake style ladder bars on my '32 pickup with a transverse spring.

I was thinking about the more aggressive purpose built type of ladder bars that we really don't see too much on main street USA like in the earlier days. HRP

 

Technically, not 'ladder bars' but the same principal. Trailing arms from a '90 Land Rover Discovery attached to an 8" with coilovers and panhard bar.

 

There still around with a different name called trailing arms....

 

yes, 30" on a '30 Model A

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I have ladder bars. Been on the coupe since the 60's. Works great on the track and good on the street. Car launches like a tiger with it's ass on fire.

 

I can almost visualize a character tiger w/t his arse on fire painted on the trunk lid!