ladder bars

Looking for options/opinions on ladder bars for my 35 chevy coupe. Built 250 inline, 4 speed, and no plans for regular track use, so strength isnt a major concern- wear and binding is.
I have my eyes on the "old school 38 inch" ladder bars from speedway, but the axle mounting brackets attach to the rear of the axle instead of the front. Is this a concern with a couple hundred horsepower and no slicks?

 

i checked Speedway's website, those thing are ugly. i would use Pete Jake's ladder bars and components.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Old-School-38-Inch-Ladder-Bars,41984.html

 

Nice 36 ya got there. Pete n Jakes bars look nice too. Its too bad they dont make a weld in kit for the chebbies, looks like research and fab time.
Man it'd be great to see some ladder bar setup pics from you guys before I start hackin.

 

I think more info is in order.

with only a couple hundred HP and no slicks, there is no real reason for Ladder bars, so the question is are you doing this for looks or ?????

And how are you going to suspend it? Coil Overs, Leaf Spring????

 

You could look at some gasser builds on this site and find exactly what you're looking for.

 

Any body lean causes flexing or bending of the mountings, bars, or axle housing. The rear roll center is very high with ladder bars, and the roll stiffness is excessive. That compromises cornering and causes instability. Although people get by with using ladder bars on street cars, it sounds like you already know it's not a good option fior a street car.

 

I'd go with the other ladder bars at Speedway; they're not ugly like the old school bars. I like more cross bracing for looks, but that could be added. Or you could make your own ladder bars.:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Ladder-Bar-Kit-42-Inch,5347.html

If you're just doing them for looks, then you'll want a mount that is not ridgid. I've built mounts that allow the rear to pivot, and the front used a small shackle to keep the springs from binding.

 

look at some of the gasser builds on the HAMB, then build what you want.
use a hiem joint or a rubber/poly bushing on the front mount to eliminate binding.
you can solid mount it to the rear and still have plenty of swing/travel.
Using a small shackle mount on the front will also work very well if you dont like hiem joints.


Godspeed
MrC.

 

Whatever you do, don't buy those homemade ones off ebay. Scariest welding I've seen in a while. And muffler clamps belong on mufflers, not wrapped around an axle!

 

The bracket needs to be welded all the way around the axle housing not just along the back of the axle housing. Ideally for a street driven vehicle you want the bars to land in line with the front U joint and bars that are triangulated work better then a drag style bar that is run parallel to the chassis.

I hope that helps you make a decision.

 

thanks fellas, that's the kind of info I'm looking for, being a newbie to cutting and welding my own suspension and all. Ask first, weld last, right?
It doesnt have to be ladder bars, but I have a set of coilovers Id like to use-pops had em on the 12 bolt/factory A body 4 link that used to be in there. Something that installs somewhat straightforward with minimal chances of a screwup are what Im looking for, looks are not even on the list- It's sat in the corner and collected a couple dents and dings and has a nice coat of overspray I don't plan to buff off. Hell, I may not even wash it. Bare minimum and function before style!