I figured I would post this on here to give a little update on a question I asked about solving a problem with the diameter of the rear end. My 53 bel air (with 54 nose) is mostly complete and Road worthy. That was until the leaf springs collapsed and the band scares the hell out of me when it happens. I had the choice to drop several hundred on a new set of springs, try to re-arch my old ones, or do what mostly everybody would do …..change the rear suspension. I chose to change the rear suspension to a truck arm suspension that I had in the garage for a few years. I think it came from a 1970 c10. I also had 2 new airbags left from another project , air tank and everything needed except a bit of hose and a compressor. So I feel I you might actually save a few dollars over going back to leaf springs. So here goes. This is only the second time I’ve done a rear suspension swap so I’m a little slow and a little nervous. If anyone has any input if I’m heading in the wrong direction, let me know. I have 2 - 18’ I beams that I set the car on. I leveled them out front to back side to side. I bolted down some steel where the rear end sits and some wood for the front tires . This way if I pick the car up, I will set it down in a pretty consistent spot each time. I also hung plum bobs from spots in the middle of the car and put a steel bar across the I beams where they landed so I can verify it goes back in the same spot each time. let’s move onto some pictures
Hung plum bobs off the rear end and measured to the steel bar that was in line with the plumb bobs coming from the middle of the car. I came right in on both sides at a little over 61 inches. So the axle seems like it’s in straight which I think it would be because it was just leaf springs with saddles unless it was mounted wrong or frame is off. I used a T square to go up and weld on brackets so that the axle will go back in the same spot. The axle actually has to move over about a quarter of an inch to the driver side. I also put two pipe stands with v pads under the axle … I still have to secure them just to be sure it doesn’t move front to back.
A couple of things to consider in this- You will need to fabricate a crossmember to attach the arms in the front or use one out of a C10. This set-up will also require a Panhard rod to stabilize the rear axle. Should you need to shorten your arms, stagger the u-channel welds on each side of the arms and don't weld the two sides together as it will eliminate the built-in twist of the arms. I used copper sheet to separate the channels and shortened them 3".
that looks like fun! I had to do some research to discover that's a 9 bolt F body rear end...I think...
I have the crossmember and the pan hard from the c10. I don’t think the pan hard will work though. Hopefully I don’t have to shorten the arms. Disc brakes and a posi .I can’t imagine the spring wrap i would have if I hit it hard with that in there and the springs inverting.
Panhard. It's one word, because it is a car brand, named after a person. Panhard et Levassor, founded in 1890, in France.
auto correct got me . I have seen your input on several of these suspensions and have learned quite a bit from it !
Since I am not seeing an x-member to deal with, you should not have to shorten them. In fact, you want the front crossmember as close to behind the transmission tail shaft as possible to eliminate driveshaft interference. New spring perches are available and are cut on an angle to match the track arm angle. I had an x-member to deal with and is the reason I had to shorten mine. I borrowed a fellow Hamber's design in the front to attach the arms to.
I have the cross member , but had to section about 3/4” out of it. The axle saddles I bought some new ones and also about 12” of dom tubing that I will weld the saddles to and then weld he tubing around the axle.
Got a little more done today. I set up the pipe screw jacks and locked them in place with some wood so they can’t shift. They still wiggle a little bit, but I have the steel that I welded to the frame coming straight down on each side of the rear that is keeping it positioned. I put the crossmember up in what I had measured out as the approximate spot. I won’t know exactly until I can put the trailing arms on the rear. Hopefully I can get the old saddles cut off the rear this weekend and start setting things up.
I have been chasing my tail for a bit , but finally think I made some progress. I realized that picking the car up and down that even though I tried to set it up to not move it still moved a little….. That was driving me nuts and frustrating for me. Plus I kept trying not to tack weld or weld anything up which also kept screwing me up. I cut the old saddles off of the rear and cleaned up the rear a little to prep for welding. I stopped picking the car up and down. I made little stands that the back of the car will be held up with no suspension and the front rested on the tires on the I beams. Once I set the car at ride height I started progressing. I centered the rear front to back , side to side and set the pinion at 4 degrees up as the engine and trans was 4 down. I tacked the rear into place so it wouldn’t move and set up the front crossmember just laying it in there. That basically set were the arms would connect to the rear and all of a sudden it just worked out. The crossmember for the truck arm is the same distance from the rear on both sides and centered in the car. I put a few bolts in the lower frame flange so I can remove it and finish up what I need to do before I make it permanent. The axle saddles welded to the steel tubing i split. 3” od with a 1/4” id because the truck arms brackets are for 3” tubing on the rears the little stands I made to keep the car at ride height when it sets down on the I beams. They level the car side to side. The rear tacked in place and hopefully tomorrow I can get more done.
I unbolted the front crossmember for the armies to day and prepped it for final installation. I welded extensions onto the crossmember because it’s not wide enough for the frame. I took my time welding about 2” at a time on opposite sides and got a little more than 1/2 done. I also put in some D.O.M tubing as an exhaust pass through because there is no room to get through the crossmember and body without them. I was pretty happy when I decided to let it cool and it fit back in the same location and the arms attached easily. Hopefully I get it fully welded by the end of the weekend. I had to make some filler pieces for the driveshaft hoop first.
Getting closer , but I’m still trying to figure some things out. I’m not looking to notch the car or cut into the trunk and I am at about 3” from the frame at estimated ride height. I made a crossmember to go in above the rear ,but I am starting to reconsider and think maybe I can use the stock upper shock mount and run the bags off the arms and put brackets off the side of the frame. I have everything including the front crossmember tacked in. I’m waiting on the parts for a Panhard bar and I’ll see how everything lines up.
The Jalopy Journal
