Hey all..... New guy to this "rod thing". I hope some of you "veterans" can point me in the right direction to determine the "approximate height" for a front transverse spring mount. I have the frame ride height established, & the rear suspension will not be an issue but I have NO idea how to get the front height determined, and would rather not have to re-do it several times. It's a Posie spring, & I have front wheel/tire combo.....but with not having an exact idea of weight of final car, how do I approach this?? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
What type of car are we talking about here? Reading between the lines I'm guessing you are not using a Ford type front crossmember?
You need to give a little more information. That being said, it is common to SAFELY take your spring pack apart and use only the main leaf for setting up your front end.
Let me "re-phrase" the question............... When you have your frame ride height mocked up, & you have your new axle w/spring & hardware, tires etc.............. How do you determine the spring heightto somewhat compensate compression from motor trans, body etc? There has got to be SOME sort of a way to simulate this to get frame mount halfway established. True it is NOT a factory A frame, it's homebuilt with 3" round tube, 4" drop axle, Posie spring & hardware; I am just asking basically I guess how much the spring will drop from "no weight" height to a somewhat road ready height. Simply removing ALL the leaves from the spring will not indicate this height. TRUE??? Would appreciate any advice.... thanks!
Ok, for clarification, do you intend to run a suicide style perch (T bucket style) or mount it to the front crossmember similar to what a Model A or 32 would be mounted? ***uming that you are going to be running a suicide style perch and want to know how much if any offset you need to get it setting right you need to take the following into consideration. Axle drop Where the spring is mounted in relation to the axle. How far the wheel tire combo raises the spindle off the ground. The size of the front tires is pretty important when you are trying to get the stance right. How much the spring compresses with the weight of the car on it. The spring supplier can probably give you a close estimate on that. Then build your spring perch accordingly.
The spring will be mounted "over axle" , not suicide style. Basiaclly I have the entire front axle ***embly COMPLETE (tires, wheels spring, shackles, etc.) I just need to determine how to figure the approximate drop from "no weight load" , what spring will drop with that of "road ready vehicle". For example, small block, auto, radiator, coolant, body, etc. Will not be full-fledged streed rod, more of a tudor shell onlyw/bare neccessities. Thanks for responses!!
I took a lot of pics of the arrangment I planned to use when roaming car shows n such. In short, mock up you axle based on tire and wheel diameter and set the frame so as to keep 2.5 to 3 inches of space between them for compression. If this messes with your ride height, raise it or change the wheel and tire combo to fit with your plan. When you install your spring, add or remove leaves to get back to this desired height. You can even have the spring pack re-arched if needed. (Unlikely)
False, most people use the main leaf by itself for set up. This approximates the front height with out the engine radiator etc. You said that you have the front end together and the frame block at ride height. Roll it to the front of the car and with just the main leaf will give you the bracket height. you are going to mount the spring to the bottom of the three inch tube, it can be done, but will raise the front end very high. Most people weld one quarter or three eight inch plate to the top front of the tube to attach the spring. This is a standard suicide mount. I added a picture of my car with a reverse suicide mount. Good Luck Duane
In setting up the simulation weight. I have used sand bags to aproximate the weight for ride height for all the components involved. Then used the sand from the bags for my grandaughters playground in the backyard. This is an aftermarket model A crossmember installed in a 27 chevy. I installed it as far to the top of the frame as I could, and I will have to notch my frame rails on both sides for spring travel, and it's still not gonna be low enough for me.
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