I am building a poor boy 30 Ford Roadster---could I lower the rear end by installing a 40 rear crossmember and use a 40 front spring?
I think it would be easier and less expensive to do a reverse eye spring. You can buy the main leaf from a-springs.com for about $100. I assume you already have a stock a chassis. Pull the spring apart in rear carefully. Lots of threads on this do a search. Then reinstall the new reverse eye leaf first and about 4 of the original leafs put a spacer block underneath. Then draw it together and reinstall the spring pack bolt. Would will have to adjust as needed to get the ride and height where you want it. This can be dangerous because of stored energy but I did it by myself under my car in about three hours w hand tools
Something I was reading the other day may be of help.If you are building a poor mans car and have the 40 model parts you would have to at least do a bit of a mock setup "A Super Bell dropped I-beam up front and 9-inch mated to a '40 Ford front spring in the rear supports the pinched and bobbed 'rails. The '40 Ford front spring better matches the needs of the light rearend and reportedly rides great." Read more: http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/0606rc-1929-ford-roadster-av8/#ixzz3NEDvjZL6
Rudy's car is on a deuce frame so while that plan is O.K. for that, an A frame is different, the rear spring is over the axle.
Have you considered a T rear spring with a couple leaves removed? If that doesn't work, you could always have a spring shop do this (but it would probably ride like a buckboard);
A 40 Ford front end is waaay heavier than the rear end of a Model A...you may as well just weld the axle in place .....there would be no way you would get any movement with that spring without taking half the leaves out.A model A spring with reversed eyes ,as suggested, would be your better option.
I used a '40rear spring in a flat crossmember. Just replaced he spring with a '42 and shorter shackles. Rides great. Let me know if you need the '40 spring. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I used a '37 front spring which I think is similar to a '40 spring, but as with Devin it was behind the axle in a custom chassis - you'll have to extend the rails to put the spring back there to clear the banjo. You probably won't need all the leaves.
I forget I am building a "poor boy hotrod" I am 18 years old-- It is 1950--grandma died and left me here 1930 Roadster---I have no money---In 1950 dollars 20 is now 200. That is how I am building it.
Usually when you run a '40 rear spring on the rear it's setup in a spring behind fashion. It won't fit in a spring over so you'll have to move stuff around, stretch your frame and a bunch of work. The greatest thing about using a 40 ford front spring is it lets you run a narrow rearend without the springs into the backing plates. If it was 1950 on a tight budget you'd get a model t spring like Gwhite said.
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