Thread: 35-40 Ford front split wishbone spring perch alignment

Tweet

Hi Folks,

I've looked over a number of forums, Google, etc. and haven't got a clue on this one.

When you use a bone splitting kit for the front wishbones of a '35-40 Ford and move them to the inside frame, how do you modify the spring perch at the front of the wishbone so it re-aligns correctly with the front spring? Do you cut a "v" out of it, apply heat, bend it, and weld it back together ? I get the feeling I'm missing something real obvious.

Thanks for any help.

OK, I reread your question, now I understand. You are asking because when you swing out the rear part of the bones the perches won't align. Heat them and bend them to the right plane, they bend pretty easily when heated cherry red. Let them cool naturally, not quenched with water.

Don

I probably haven't described it correctly, so I attached a pic to show the current front wishbone perch and shackle alignment with the spring. It was a 1980's hack job.

If I'm not mistaken, the original wishbone triangular setup aligns the front bone perch perpendicular to the spring but when they're split and each is moved outward to the frame, that's when the alignment is no longer perpendicular.

Thanks

That perch is a forging, as Pops said, heat and bend/twist, no need (nor desired) to cut. Be mindfull of both horizontal and vertical alignment with spring eye.

What you want to do is return the perches to the exact spot they sat at before splitting. Best way to do that is to take very accurate measurements before you split the bones, then simply rebend the perches after splitting them.

I would pull out that mess of old shackles so you can get a clean measurement, and perhaps even make up a temporary jig out of something like 1 x 1 mild square tubing that bolts onto the perch holes. If you made it so a long bolt will pass through the jig and perches before splitting the bones, it would be a simple matter to keep bending the perches until the bolts go back through those same holes AFTER you split the bones. The jig would also give you a place to measure to make sure both perches are in the same plane from the ground once you are done splitting them. A piece of box tubing long enough to span the distance between both perches, with a hole drilled in each end to accept a long bolt on both sides would be a 20 minute project and will make your job so much easier.

Then heat one side at a time, slowly with your torch, until cherry red in an area close to the axle. Use something like a large Cresent wrench or pipe wrench and massage each perch until it is back where it needs to be. You can reheat and bend a few times, and won't need to go far to get it done.

Don

Thanks guys, appreciate your help on this.

One other question.....besides a split wishbone setup, would a 4-Bar kit like the type Speedway sells offer a better solution?

sometimes the choice of methods/parts comes down to character of the build---old school, splict wishbones, later 4 bar--

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

What you want to do is return the perches to the exact spot they sat at before splitting. Best way to do that is to take very accurate measurements before you split the bones, then simply rebend the perches after splitting them.

Don

Looks like it's too late for this car, the bones are already split. That's why I recommended referencing from the spring eyes.

Let's back track a bit. Why were the bones split? If it was for clearance around, say, a later model automatic trans, then splitting them out to the frame rails is not necessary, nor recommended. Since you're already familiar with Speedway, look up their split kit for these years. You'll note that they split it only a few inches, which will swing the perches back out a bit, minimizing the need to twist the perches as much. It also helps with the axle swing over road irregularities as it stays close to the original design. The second problem you've got in your -picture is that the spring is now too wide for where the perches are. Bringing the rear mounting points closer together will solve part of that, but if I remember correctly, a narrower spring will still be necessary. If I were back at the other house I could look it up, but I'm not and don't have the reference material with me. A call to Posies will get you the answer: http://www.posiesrodsandcustoms.com/ They got me the right hardware when I did mine.

Geez, I learn more every day on this project.

I went to the Posie's link ....just using their catalog info as a reference I can now see that the spring is too long and it doesn't provide any support the way it's configured. I'll have the front end, engine + trans pulled soon as I need a much more detailed look and will give Posie's a call.

On the car's history, it appears that to get the 302 Ford / C4 tranny into the car, the builders did a brutal cut job on the frame X-member and re-welded steel plate and angle to patch it back together.....not a good or safe job. Their wishbone split was a cut+weld job to the side frame for trans and exhaust clearance.

I did have a professional rod shop look at it awhile ago and their opinion was pull the body (great shape) and use a new rolling frame & IFS. A complete frame and front end restore to their standards would probably cost nearly the same in labor & parts. Soooo, facing a $12-15K expense for that kind of work has me looking at just trying to get the front end and frame to where it will be a safer drive every day.

Once again, Thanks for your advice.

I'd forgotten about these guys, but they manufacture frame repair components. Might have what you need to un-hack your frame:
http://www.precisioncoachworks.com/

Originally Posted by Red87

I did have a professional rod shop look at it awhile ago and their opinion was pull the body (great shape) and use a new rolling frame & IFS. A complete frame and front end restore to their standards would probably cost nearly the same in labor & parts. Soooo, facing a $12-15K expense for that kind of work has me looking at just trying to get the front end and frame to where it will be a safer drive every day.

It's not IFS, but you might look at N&N's Premium Roller Chassis. Duane does a great job on fit & finish, and the price seems to be about half what you're quoting, but again it's old school straight axle, not IFS. Also not 100% sure Duane does chassis alone, but here's a link to N&N. Might be worth a call:
http://www.nnfiberglass.com/32s.htm