Thread: 37 ford open driveline split wishbones

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I have been thinking about what I'm going to do with my 37 ford. I want to run the banjo rear end and do an open driveline conversion.

I am well aware of the many advantages to running a newer rear axle, and an alternate type of suspension, (leaf springs, 4 bars, radius rods, etc), but I want to do this car with old stuff.

I also have a friend who is building a 31 pickup using 37 running gear so this thread has pertinance to him also. His wishbones will need to be shortened a bunch.

My question is, are there alternatives to running a wishbone splitting kit like this one?
http://www.hotrodworks.com/shopdispl...=1&cat=Chassis

I really don't like the idea that the rear end is attatched by 1 heim joint.

Or this one from TCI?
http://www.totalcostinvolved.com/ass...ishbonekit.jpg



I built a 27 for a guy a while back and did change this...
(top picture)

To this.

(bottom picture)

I was wondering if I could do the same thing to the stock wishbone after I split it and put a extra torque rod coming from the banjo to a point on the wishbone just aft of each rod end. (like the kit shown in the link above) Or would it be better to weld a tab to the axle tube and put the torque rod there. I'm thinking that if I go from the banjo to the wishbone it will put alot of stress on the rods when the car wants to lean.

What do you guys think?

I'm still trying to figure out how to get pics interspersed with the text on my posts here. Can that be done?

Lastly, when you split a wishbone, do the now seperated rods become "radius rods"?
I have always been unclear on that one.

Thanks for reading this,
mikey

Well, if you're intent on splitting the wishbones instead of putting a 4 link in it, then the single heim to me looks like a great big wreck that hasn't happened yet. My question would be, how much torque are you planning on putting to a pair of 70 year old wishbones? The hairpins are a little better, but not much. For the street, I would recomend NOT using heims, but instead some polyurethene rod end with 3/4" shafts and either 5/8" or 3/4" holes in the bushing end. The additional torque link is a good idea coming off the banjo, but it would be better if it was two tubes, one off the top and one off the bottom, coming forward and the two tubes welded into one with another 3/4" X 3/5" poly rod end attachment to the crossmember. Also, to prevent binding the entire thing up, the torque link and split wishbones will have to be the same length and travelling in the same arc or something is going to be stressed terribly. The only way I see to get any control on the body roll issue is to use a sway bar with the attachment points as far out on the rear end as possible. Might want to consider one of the torsion bar type sway bars with the adjustable links. Are you running a transverse spring or coil overs on the rear??? If it's coilovers, you are also going to need a Watts linkage to control lateral movement on the rear end. This probably isn't required on a transverse spring, but would be highly recomended. By the time you are all done welding brackets on the rear end housing, unless you use some very good heat control you could warp the housing. And, just visualizing the end result, the rear end of the car is going to look quite cluttered, or at the very least very "busy" with all those bars and brackets. Have you considered instead of the split wishbones and everything else required to make the car handle, just using a tiangulated 4 link rear suspension?????

Thanks Dave, I thought the same thing about the single heim. I don't know why that company would even sell such a thing. Now you know why I cut that setup off that 27.

I don't plan on alot of HP, I have a 302 that will be plenty for what I'm doing. I'd really prefer to run the V8-60, but I think that's pushing it.

It will have the transverse leaf, so no lateral control will be required.

The recommendation of the urethane bushed ends is what I used on that 27. Speedway sells them. They look like heims but have urethane filled ends. Those looked to me to be able to take twist a little better than the regular urethane bushed rod ends.

The torque rod would be affixed to the front end of the radius rod itself so no binding would occur at the rod ends. (there would be only 2 rod ends total, not 2 per side) .
If I weld on the axle tube it will be tig welded and I'd make a bracket that had a large footprint so I would not have to weld it as hot and warp the tube..

I was not really concerned with body roll from a handling veiwpoint as much as I was not wanting to stiffen up the rear end by creating a triangulated truss by coming off the banjo housing and ending up at the front end of the pair of wishbones.

I know that with ladder bars or hairpins on a rear end it is usually the bars that twist when the car leans, as the axle housing can't. Going from the banjo to the wishbone end would make that stiffer than it needed to be, wouldn't it? I would think that I'd start breaking bolts and brackets.

Yes I have considered 4 bars. Those are too new. I am fully aware of the advantages of them. I'm trying to do this without going "street rod", I want a more traditional type of build. ( not ratrod, I'm not building a cartoon.)

What did guys do in the 60's when they'd need to go to an open driveline?

BTW, check out the car I'm currently working on.
http://www.clubhotrod.com/photopost/..._side_view.JPG

I did some cutting on that one.
It's in my gallery here, I'm not sure how to post a link to my photo album tho.


Thanks for reading,
Mikey

It is still going to have a ton of body roll with a transverse spring, without some sort of sway bar you are going to be putting a lot of stress on the shocks.

Whenever I want to convert to open driveline from a closed, I just ordered the conversion from Speedway Motors, I'm sure they still handle them...

I have a set of Speedway's urethene busings in stainless rod ends that will be going into a triangulated 4 link under a Camaro.

Your radius rod/torque rod idea should work, but I would really recomend a sway bar. Those old hi arch (or low arch) transverse springs are not near as stable as one would think.... Been there, done that on a '29..... Had everything done and painted, THEN went back and added the sway bar.....