Another Build Thread - My '32

[stovens]

Nice car your son has there

[figure8]

I run the track at Indianola Iowa (with a lot of help). I also run in senior class figure 8. Warren County Speedway - Warren County Speedway - DSN Racing Promotions - Warren County Racetrack - Indianola Racetrack - Warren County Fairgrounds - Indianola Figure 8 Racing - Warren County Figure 8 Racing

[40FordDeluxe]

Hey Figure8, do you know Rick Goldsberry or Steve Byers? I know Rick ran figure 8s out there for ever. I think Steve got out of it and went to a stock car last year.

[53 Chevy5]

Figure8 - The truck arms on my coupe are not readily visible unless you get down on your belly, so they would be a non-issue visually. I make them from 2 x 3 tubing and similar to the ones used in NASCAR. The big advantage to them is they provide good bite when "launching" plus they are really strong. The 4-bar system would provide just as nice ride and only the bottom bar would be visible on each side, which is common on fenderless Deuce roadsters and coupes. I have done both multiple times in the past, so I think it comes down to nothing but preference. I'll make a decision soon...

40FordDeluxe - Here's a snapshot of the Merc right after we finished the temporary paint job. We did the satin black so we can easily spot it in as we do the bodywork on it. It has some cracked welds around the rear side windows, some holes to fill where the dummy spots used to be, the front fenders are sagging a bit which makes hood fitment impossible, and there are a few dings in it that we'll straighten. Right now my son's plan is to paint it dark purple metallic with green and white flames and scallops. Of course that could change by the time we get that far.

Whoa, I gotta say it may be hard to improve on the Satin Black with the blue

[J. Robinson]

Figure8 - Aha! I thought that screen name might involve some "through the crossover" racing. What I like there is it's dirt. I grew up near the "birthplace of figure-8 racing", the Indianapolis Speedrome. I spent many an evening there from early childhood on up, but it is asphalt. I always thought it would be cool to see it done on dirt. I raced stock cars, off and on, both dirt and asphalt for over 30 years, but never tried figure-8.

53Chevy5 - I started doing bodywork when I was 15 and did my first complete paint job at 17. I've spent many hours behind a spray gun since then (I'm 69 now) and black just doesn't excite me. I love color. To me, flat and satin paint is primer. I don't care what color it is, if it doesn't shine it ain't finished. I know, that's just a personal thing, but having done so much paint and collision work over the past 50+ years has warped my thinking that way. The satin black on my son's Merc is an improvement over the 3 different shades of gray primer that were on it, but I look forward to seeing it finished and shining.

[figure8]

Hey Figure8, do you know Rick Goldsberry or Steve Byers? I know Rick ran figure 8s out there for ever. I think Steve got out of it and went to a stock car last year.

Know them both well. Steve drove for me for a couple years. Won a lot of races driving a truck I had built originally for my son. Rick is an exceptional driver and wins more often than not. We do both circle and figure 8. Circle classes are Hobby stock, front wheel drive and trucks.

[J. Robinson]

OK, finally I'm back on the Deuce. After much thought I decided to go with the 4-bar system. I am still vacillating whether to go parallel or triangulated (leaning toward triangulated), but either way I have some pieces to fabricate that are common to both systems.

This 4-bar set that I have was given to me by an old friend who has since passed away from his battle with cancer. He was cleaning out his garage a couple of years ago while preparing to move and he called me to come and get a load of bits and pieces. It's a heavy duty system that he had purchased several years ago and installed in a land speed car I was helping him build. About the time we got the frame built his sponsorship deal fell through and the project was abandoned. The kit originally came with two sets of brackets, one set for the frame and one set for the axle housing, but the frame set was cut up and modified for use in the "tanker" chassis. The remaining axle housing brackets are not suitable for my use, but with a little cutting and grinding I can make them work.

In the pics below you can see what I did. I cut one set of brackets and then used them to mark the remaining pieces. After giving my plasma cutter a workout and a couple hours of grinding, I have a set of brackets I can proceed with.

[jerry clayton]

Jim-your brackets are for parallel bars-if you want triangulated they need to be angled on the housing--- if you don't already have a rear end I would suggest looking at one from mustang that already has brackets on it--

[J. Robinson]

Hi Jerry. Yes, I know. This set of bars was originally like the ones in the attached pic below. Even if I had all the brackets I would have a hard time fitting it all under a Deuce frame. If I go with the triangulated bars I will have some further fabrication/modification to do to make the upper brackets work. I also have to make all new frame brackets anyway, as the originals were scrapped along with the frame they were welded to.

As for the rear end, I have a 9-inch Ford out of a '57 Ford Fairlane. I have already torched and ground off the original leaf spring perches and installed new bearings, seals, and lug studs. I got it for hauling it away, so the price was right.

[Matthyj]

those are 4 link brackets, plenty heavy for what your doing, Jerry is right they are set up to be parrellel, it will just take a panhard bar, i just fabbed out a set similar to what you cut up! check Welcome To Rodplans! Hot Rod Blueprints, Drawings and Tech Tips For The Hot Rod Enthusiast! he sells some nice plans and the engineerings already done if you need any other plans

[J. Robinson]

OK, so it seems this project already caused me to change directions on the front axle, so it should come as no surprise that the rear end would also undergo a change of direction. Actually, it's mainly a matter of me changing my mind. No big deal really; I mocked up the 4-bars both ways (parallel and triangulated) and decided I didn't like either layout! In triangulated configuration, the left upper bar would have to be up on the side of the "pumpkin" area of the housing and the right side would require bracketry that would elevate it to equal height. I can fab' the brackets OK, but then I would have to modify the floor to clear them. Nope, not gonna happen. In parallel configuration they simply hang too low and I don't like the looks, so... truck arms it is! I have built bunches of them over the last 40+ years. I have them on my coupe, they ride and handle good, and they are extremely tough and durable. Also, they launch a car like nothing else short of a fully adjustable 4-link in a pro-stock.

[J. Robinson]

Sometimes called "lift bars", "drag bars", or "truck arms", the configuration is simple and effective. I always differentiated the names according to how the bars are mounted and whether they are angled. In the '60s when I built the first few sets, they were welded solidly to the rear axle housing and were sometimes fairly short. I called these lift bars or drag bars; they were good for drag racing, but were stiff and choppy on the street. Later on, with more experience as a fabricator and several street rod chassis to my credit, I designed what I refer to as truck arms. Inspired by the trailing arms used in early '60s Chevy trucks and used in NASCAR for years, the difference is that truck arms are usually longer, they are angled toward each other at the front, and ,most importantly, they are rubber mounted at the axle. The rubber mounting allows the car's chassis to lean or roll (when turning or encountering uneven surfaces) without stressing the bars, the rear axle housing, or the welds holding them together. That little flexibility allows for a comfortable ride and good handling while still providing a strong "launch" when the necessity arises.

So.., here is a picture of the first of several components. I started by fab'ing the axle housing brackets. Four pieces cut from 1/4 x 5 flat stock. I used my plasma cutter to rough cut them, then clamped them all together to grind,.. and grind,.. and grind them to final shape. With them still clamped together, I drilled the 1/2" holes 3 7/8" apart.

[J. Robinson]

The pics below contain a lot of information. The first pic shows all the components. The bars are fab'd from 2" x 3" x .120 wall rectangular tubing. (The tubing looks a bit rough. A friend of mine was scrapping an old trailer and the trailer tongue was 2 x 3 tubing. It was free, so I can do a little cleaning up...) After making the axle brackets, I held one in place and determined the bars need to be 45" long. One end (rear) is cut off straight and the front end is cut at 45 degrees. I cut these on my chop saw. At the rear of the bars I hole-sawed two 1 1/8" holes, 3 7/8" apart on center to receive the sleeves cut from 3/4" black iron pipe. These sleeves will receive the rubber bushings cut from the 1/2" heater hose in the picture.

At the front of the bars I drilled two 1/2" holes (red arrow) so I can plug-weld the thread bung in place. The thread bungs are 3/4-16 fine thread "coupling nuts" that I bought at ACE Hardware. These will accommodate the 3/4" Heim joints. Also in the picture are the boxing plates cut from 1/8 x 2 flat stock, and the 1/2" grade-8 bolts that will attach the axle mounting plates to the finished bars.

The second picture shows one bar welded and one bar ground, primed, and assembled after welding. There is still one step to accomplish, though. After mocking up, the bars get a small pie-cut just ahead of the brackets so I can taper them toward each other at the front where they will attach to the (yet to be fab'd) frame brackets.

[figure8]

Now I see the difference between your truck arms and the "ladder bars" on my '32. The ladder bars are solid to the axle. I love the detail you give us.

[J. Robinson]

Thanks, Figure8. My penchant for imparting detail comes from my lifetime as a teacher. I have all this stored-up knowledge and experience and I like to pass it on. Also, I know there are a few beginners who look at this site and if I can help them with some of what I know that's good too.

OK, one thing I didn't elaborate on was my use of the heater hose to make my bushings. The sleeves I put in these arms are made from 3/4" black iron pipe. The inside diameter of 3/4" black iron is 3/4 inch. Half-inch heater hose has an outside diameter of 3/4" and an inside diameter of 1/2 inch and it's fiber reinforced to inhibit crumbling or splitting. It fits perfectly inside the sleeves and a half-inch bolt fits perfectly in the hose. So,.. I cut pieces of the heater hose to use as bushings. I put everything together with grade-8 bolts and self-locking nuts. The bolts are just tight enough to take out the slack - they are not overtightened, so the arms can move slightly. There is enough "squishiness" in the bushings to allow limited movement when cornering, etc., but not enough to allow wheel-hop.

Do these cheap bushings hold up? The ones in my coupe are 12 years old and just now needing to be replaced. If you spend every weekend at the drag strip doing hard launches you may need to replace them more often, but it's cheap and easy to do.