Ladder bars...what material to use??

I am sure this has come up before but I can't find any info. on it. I would like to try and build a set of Pete and Jake style ladder bars for the rear of my "A", what material should I use for the tubing? The end that bolts to the axle housing, should I thread the tubing or use the weld in bungs? Thanks-

Kinda hate to ask this again, I asked once before quite awhile ago but I can't find the info.

 

Don't do it....it don't work ! If you don't believe me, try to find any automobile in the world produced by any automobile manufacturer that uses that setup. You won't be able to.

It's an acceptable design for a car that's built to travel only in a straight line such as a drag car but not for a car that must turn corners.

 

black pipe from home depot

 

1/2" black pipe extra strong. $30 for 20 ft joint. Extra thickness allows taping for ends. I agree with SJFast. Build a P&J type with the ends as close as possible!! Read the teck stuff.

 

NEVER use gas pipe or "black pipe" for rollcages, frame pieces or ladder bars. It fractures unlike mild steel. Use a DOM tubing, that stands for "drawn over mandrel" no seams that way. It's not all that expensive and it will last forever. You can also tap it if you get the right wall thickness for your application.

 

the Pete & Jake ladder bar design will work just fine and is easy to copy. use 7/8" DOM tubing either .156 wall or .188 wall,both are available. drill out and tap the ends 5/8-18 thread for the clevis's. the front steel sleeve for the HD microfles buushing is right in their catalog(part #1208) 1-5/8" OD, 1-1/4" ID , 1-5/16" long. you could turn these on a lathe out of solid stock,or i could send you a couple out of my stock. the plates that weld to the rear end you can cut out of 3/8" flat plate,or just buy them from P & J, they are not expensive. the microflex bushing part #1205 and the clevis part # 1099 buy them also


i've used their rear ladder bar system,or copies of it on many cars with no problems. a ``29 ford sedan i built in 1987 with ladder bars now has over 40,000 miles on it ,and has been driven to every street rod nationals since it's been on the road . i know that there is a slight bind with ladder bars,but with the P & J design with the front of the bars angled in towards the center of the car,this is miminal

 

That's correct, 36. With the ladders close together at the forward end (the closer the better) and some flexible bushings where they connect to the frame the design will work. I tend to think of ladder bars as the type that run parallel to the centerline of the chassis.

I recommend a panhard bar with this design unless you're running a transverse spring with short shackles.