Thread: T-bucket front I-beam

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I am building a 27 T-bucket. I have a 40 ford front axle with juice brakes with origional wish-bone. I have a few questions about how to progress from here.
1) I am building a frame, but I am not sure what to use with the origional axle(ie. 4 bar, hair pin, wishbone) From what I am reading here in the last few monthes, it sounds like the four bar is probably the way to go, but I would like some knowledgable input.
2) I also want to get the front end down, and I have read here an option for this is to mount the spring behind the axle. I saw some batwings from speedway but they were for a tube axle. Are there any for a beam axle?
3) Am I going to have to "Z" the frame to get it as low as I am wanting or can I just mount the perch up high ?
4) I am an experienced Machinist and want to build as many of the parts as I can. Does anyone have any drawings of the frame or any of the parts I am needing to fabricate?
Thanks in advance,

Brad,

You can get the car down low by putting the spring in front of the axle (the so-called "Suicide" axle) and raising the perch.

It's a matter of choice, of course, but haipins or split 'bones look the best to me on a bucket. 4-bars are just too, well, today.

Batwings are batwings - tube or beam. You just have to get the right size to fit over the axle boss. It's either 2" or 2-1/4"

Thanks Road Agent, but I couldn't find too much technical info on that site.
Thanks again Henry, you have been very informative with some of the other questions I have asked.
I agree hairpins look more "t-bucket", but I have read some info that they are limited in thier movement and cause the frame to twist in some extreme cases. The batwings I saw at speedway were welded to the tube axle but surely there are some that bolt on.
Thanks again

Some T-bucket axles have welded on batwings, but it isn't necessary. A common application is to have the batwings secured with the spring perch bolt. You can buy (or make) batwings that put the spring over the axle or behind (suicide style) the axle.

Go to this website and scrounge around the parts section a little.

http://www.tperformance.com

You don't need to worry about hairpins causing a problem with your I-beam axle. Hairpins are the most common front suspension on buckets, but they tend to be longer than on most other hot rods. Often the hairpins almost meet at the mid-point of the frame.

Also, check out the photo. This axle is on my '34 Lowboy, but the theory is the same. Notice the flat-top bolt holding the batwing on the axle. In a T with a transverse leaf spring, that wouldn't be a flat-top, but rather would have a spring perch on top.