coil over springs for my A?

gonna be setting up the rear suspension on my 31 soon, so i'm looking for ideas. the car is going to be channelled over the frame and super low, so nothing will be visable.

the frame has a big ol 14" kick in the rear, and is running a chevy posi rear end out of a late model camaro.

don't want to run a leaf spring. originally i was going to go the speedway route and use there entire rear end kit with coils, brackets, hairpins, etc., but now i'm thinking maybe coil overs.

what options do i have? is the extra cost of coil overs worth it? where can i get what i need? (besides speedway)

any help or info is greatly appreciated.

 

with coil overs, i think you will have to make a 4 link setup. Not sure, but i think so. Are you going to use adjustble coil overs? Nate

 

I think with 4 bar, coil overs and a posi, you will be able to tune it for optimum traction and get a real nice ride. And if it's gonna be as low as you say, hardly anyone will know

 

well, i guess i'm also looking for simplicity. sounds like setting up coilovers may involve more than i had originally thought. 4 bar suspension, etc.

cost is also a factor. isn't it always? i'm trying to go the low buck route. i can get everthing except the shocks in the speedway kit for 325.00. thats their coil set up, with brackets, panhard bar, hairpins, hardware, bla bla bla.

this car isn't gonna be made for maximum hp or strip use. gonna run a mild 389 in it. just want to be able to get it down the road in a straight line, and have some fun now and again.

 

if you want coilovers instead of just coils, speedway has the same kit you are talking about with coilovers...but it is like 200 more
Here it is!

 

I'm using Aldans, after fifteen years one has started to leak.

I would not recomend the ladder bars if you plan on putting a lot of miles on it,

I don't know if you can see it here but, everything is adjustable, ladders, mounts, springs, and shocks.

Paul

 

coil overs and ladder bars work great together. pete & jakes has done it that way for many years.. just angle the front of the bars in like they do,study the pictures of their setup in their catalog,it really can't get any simpler than that. all their rear stuff is real easy to copy,and depending on you skill and access to equipment,the rear end set-up can be made for very little $$$$..


if you want to avoid the cost of coilovers, use regular coil springs and make pockets for them in the frame and on the rear end...chassis engineering used to make a kit like this


all the suspension in this model A chassis was copied fron P & J

 

I just finished setting up the rearend of my '31. I'm running Carrera adjustable (hate the chrome, but they have a good rep) coilovers on a Posi ford 9" with a TCI four-link setup and a panard bar. Haven't driven it yet but it seems like a pretty solid setup. Hope this helps.
Big Dirty

 

I'm running coilovers on my T with hairpins, work great, no complaints.
theres a place in Mass. that sells coilovers for $195 a pair.they advertise in R&C in one of the small ads, i think the more sets you buy the cheaper they are.
JimV

 

thanks for the help guys. just curious, what is the difference in ride and handling between coilovers, and just plain coils with shocks on side?

why would i pick one over the other?

 

i picked up a set of coilovers at a swapmeet for 50 bucks. the shocks were in great shape but i replaced the coils, i think i am using a 210 rating on the coils which were a hundred bucks new and the ride is great, considering the roads here in new england make almost any vehicle ride like a fuckin buck-board! good luck man, mike

 

Glad to see this post because now I know that if you can't see it, it's OK if it's not sacred...er, trad.
I've learned so much from the HAMB, lookin at the A frame in the old lady's garden in town, and the Ford wires on the old trailers..
Now speakin of 4 bars, can you use them on early ford axle housings, or does the welding distort the housings?

 

I built a homebrew version of the speedway kit for the rear on my Model A, it was pretty simple and very cheap. I built a set of ladder bars that look almost identical to the ones in the pic posted by 60's style. I re-used the rear springs out of my 85 merc donor car, and built pockets for them. I built adjustment into the ladder bars, and a panhard bar gives me side to side adjustment. One of the nice side effects of such a setup is that the upper spring pockets are welded tightly inside the rear of the frame, welded to both the side rail and the rear crossmember,helping to stiffen it up.