As I finalize my plans for my 32 frame that is going under my 29 sedan. i am to the point where I need to make a decision on whether to go with transverse leaf or coil overs. I do not plan to run a 32 style tank so the back will be visable. I am leaning towards the leaf but would like to hear some pro and cons (or other options). I have had neither so I do not have anything to base my decision on (thou I have rode in numerous coil over set ups). If it is important I do plan to use a 9" ford rear, probably a 7" max width rear tire and I am leaning towards a P&J ladder bar set up Thanks Boones
One of the main probs with the transverse leaf is that it is adjustable mainly by varying the number of leaves in the pack which of course changes the ride height and the spring rate at the same time. You can chase the "right" leaf pack around quite a bit and de and remounting a transverse spring to fiddle with it several times in a row will severely test your patience. If you have a car that's pretty close to original weight then the original spring will probably work okay if it's mounted properly but the versatility of coil-overs can't be denied. As far as ride goes the 32 spring may be a little less aggressive than the Model A version but not by a whole lot. It's true that it looks cool but your sore tookus can't see the car from the back while you're going down the road. One thing for sure is that you won't save any money and for sure no time by opting for leaves over coils. I witnessed a friend do battle with a Model A spring for months before throwing in the towel and going for coil-overs with excellent results. In his case, a full fendered A sedan, the looks issue wasn't as important and he drives the car a LOT--10K miles per year or better so comfort for him is not a trival matter. I'd personally opt for coil-overs unless one is talking about a bucket or trad style modified roadster where the whole back end is completely exposed. Way different deal there.
The biggest advantage of coilovers is that it is easy to change the springrates by swapping out the springs, and the ride height is adjustable as well. But how many people actually go through the trouble to experiment with the springrates? Yes, with leafs it can be a lot more work to get the perfect setup ( springrate and rideheight wise, and then they will probably sag too...), but it can be done, and they look right on a Traditional car. To me, a coilover does not.
Look at the bottom photo. It is Johnny Walkers 32 frame. It is like mine (built in 88) Fabricated coil cans and Vega coils. Much cleaner from the rear...........and rides better too. Deuce.
Quarter elliptics have made a recent comeback, and offer a really clean appearance, but are not common enough to have a lot of examples to copy from. The roadster pickup built by Cornhusker to be given away at this year's NSRA nats is one example that has been shown in magazines recently..... I don't have any personal experience with this setup, but I am sort of intrigued by it; thought I would mention it as an alternative to the usual choices......
Rany, thanks for the alternative example. Question, with the vega coils, is there any adjustability for height? I guess i could use an adjustable upper mount, something like a jack screw that can be turned up or down from inside the car (I have two friends that have done something similar to make adjustable bumpstops It does make for a clean set up. Anyone else
When I worked at the salvage yard (part-time.......1975 to 1995 ) I checked the spring rate on lots of Vegas and Monzas. I found 8 basic different rates. The early notchback 4 cyl. no air Vega was the lightest. That's what is under my 32. Next was a GT Vega w/air, then a Vega wagon , then a Vega wagon with air and so on. The heaviest was a Monza wagon w/air. V8 and V6 Monza coupes fell in between. Some come with a removable 3/4 to 1 inch spacer under the spring..ideal for height adjustment ... A friends 32 5 Window had to go to GT Vega with air, another with a 32 Vicky had to go V8 Monza. The 5 Window and the Vicky are heavier than my Roadster. The Roadster weighs in @ 2240, so a Vega weight is close to what 32's and 29 sedans weigh. Two or three of the 32's around here have NASCAR type screw jacks over the spring pocket. Buster Henderson (BORO knows him) built all of them........including Johnny Walkers (shown). You can always cut a coil for adjustment too...... Randy aka Deuce Roadster .
Randy, thanks for the info. I did see one of the 3 you mention when I picked up my body...its a good idea.
We used 40 front on the rear of my 35 p/u,as the 40 is a lot heavier we had to mess with the spring rate and ride hieght at the same time which means taking springs out and putting blocks in to raise it back up.It took a hell of a lot of messing with but the results are astounding,get it right and it feels nice and handles well and looks cooler than a cool thing from cool land.I would go transverse leaf every time they work well and look fantastic........Marq
Some good points here about both sides of the coin. IE: Coilovers vs. Transverse. Thing I notice is no one talks about available travel with the coilovers. I'd be surprised if the Aldan's on my 32 had more than 5" of total travel. They're set up with the static loading at mid-point - which means 2 1/2" to bottom-out on the frames rubber snubbers. To my way of thinking, not enough for a good ride. Ride is ok until the road gets a little less than smooth. A not too uncommon thing around here and even more common in other parts of the country. Not talking about killer-rough either. I'm looking forward to seeing how the the transverse leaf spring on the back of my 32 framed 31 roadster works out. The only limitation to travel will be shock travel and right now it looks like about 6"+ travel will be available. Setting it up for approx 4 1/2" before bottom out looks like it will work out pretty good. You don't want to have the shock up against its 'top-out' limit and some travel for rebound is required. As far as making changes on transverse springs, it's not really too bad. The transverse leaf spring on the 31's rear comes out pretty easy and pulling a leaf is easily done with the correct wrenches, sockets & ratchets, couple of C-Clamps and a #2 Phillips for initial alignment. More than likely not too much more effort is required than what's required for the total removal of the coilovers and a coil swap. There's the expense of the coil spring as well. Additional expense shouldn't be a problem with the transverse setup cause more than likely you have all the leafs you need to set up a light weight car Gotta admit the coilovers look good, but the transverse leafs have their own good looks. Either way, it's not about looks, it's about performance.
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