Thread: My unique rear suspension

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I probably didn't invent this but I have never seen it done either. My 1/4 eliptics act as the lower control arm. I'm still working on the shock placement and brackets.
Also a couple other pics of the project.

Looks Nice!!! How's the clearance on your upper arm at full up on the suspension??? Ran a similar setup years back on a '27, added a "traction bar below the quarter spring that followed the same arc as the spring, hooked up great!!!!

Anyway, gonna be a neat car, hopefully we'll find time to get out to the area again this fall, maybe after the rally... Have to stop by for a visit, got a coffee pot????

Sure thing, coffee's on.
I am prepared to add some traction control. I am concerned about axle wrap. I figure if it doesn't work it won't be hard to change it to a 4 link coil over.
On full compression the top link will touch the frame but that is with no stops or snubbers which are in the plan.
Car will be a roadster pickup when finished. It will have a bed about 38-40 inches long.

Yeah, should work fine...As long as the lower bar follows the same arc as the spring, and has the same distance between centers as the spring, it will hook up great!!! Mind did, even on M/T tires, with slicks it was downright awesome!!!!!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Yeah, should work fine...As long as the lower bar follows the same arc as the spring, and has the same distance between centers as the spring, it will hook up great!!! Mind did, even on M/T tires, with slicks it was downright awesome!!!!!

My lower bar is the spring.

Yup, but if axle wrap or wheel hop becomes an issue with the car, a bar below the spring, following the same arc as the spring, really adds some bite!!!!

Dave, I would like to know exactly how you mounted the traction bars.

Looks cool, but i seen a guy bend the crap out of the springs and twisted the driveshaft off when the pinion pointed into the sky as he tryed to do a burnout with that same setup. I'd add the lower bar if it was me.

There is an article Hot Rod magazine May 2008 about Brant VanDervort (of Fatman Fabrications) who did this exact set up on a 34 ford sedan. He refers to it as fatman's wonderbar set up. He added air springs for additional support.

Check the magazine or google him, you might find the set up.

Originally Posted by 27tee

Looks cool, but i seen a guy bend the crap out of the springs and swist the driveshaft off when the pinion pointed into the sky as he tryed to do a burnout with that same setup. I'd add the lower bar if it was me.

I realize the leverage issue and I kept the spring closer to the axle with that in mind. I had a lot of concerns about the spring eye taking all the forward push, but then on a leaf spring rear end the foreward forces are the same on the spring eye.
I had some very stiff, and short, trailer springs but I ended up needing longer ones and these are fronts from a 46 Ford Pickup. I still plan to add one of the stiffer leaves for a progressive rate. I will also mock it up with air shocks and see how that works out.

Originally Posted by Gusaroo

There is an article Hot Rod magazine May 2008 about Brant VanDervort (of Fatman Fabrications) who did this exact set up on a 34 ford sedan. He refers to it as fatman's wonderbar set up. He added air springs for additional support.

Check the magazine or google him, you might find the set up.

I had posted about this maybe 3 years ago on the HAMB and never had one person that had ever heard of it being done at that time. Not that is the whole knowledge base but I was a bit surprised that it hadn't been tried by any of them.
Maybe Fatman stole my idea.lol

Originally Posted by willowbilly3

Dave, I would like to know exactly how you mounted the traction bars.

I mounted the rear end directly below the rear spring mount, and the front was directly below the rear spring mount.... The bars were the same length as the springs, so they traveled in the same arc. Makes the ride a bit more stiff, but they will hook up good...With the right shock, it works good... I used some circle burner shocks on the rear that were one step to the soft side on the up, and one to the stiff side on the down... Depends on whose shocks you run as to how the numbering system works on them.... With such a short spring, the shock rate is even more important then with a full spring.....

BTW, better let the boys at HAMB know that the same setup was used on some cars in the mid to late 60's... Friend of mine had them on his (steel) T-bucket he built the frame for in his senior year shop class---1968...and he was copying the suspension from cars in the mags.....

Yeah, well I couldn't get any comments from them now. I actually think many of the more knowledgeable people have drifted away from there. I still see them post but not regularly. Or I just get some half information with a smart a**ed attitude. I don't keep up with them, sell a few parts and go fishing in their pond occasionally.
One of the reasons I like this forum, way more going on in the car sections than in the O/T, which is opposite of most boards these days.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.
Dave, did you run a sway bar?

And fwiw, I have a 24 Chevy roadster with the original 1/4 elips on all 4 corners.

The hot rod article mentioned that he used a mono leaf that was over a 1/2" thick at the axle mount point, which hampered leaf spring wrap up.

Originally Posted by willowbilly3

Yeah, well I couldn't get any comments from them now. I actually think many of the more knowledgeable people have drifted away from there. I still see them post but not regularly. Or I just get some half information with a smart a**ed attitude. I don't keep up with them, sell a few parts and go fishing in their pond occasionally.
One of the reasons I like this forum, way more going on in the car sections than in the O/T, which is opposite of most boards these days.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.
Dave, did you run a sway bar?

And fwiw, I have a 24 Chevy roadster with the original 1/4 elips on all 4 corners.

Nope, spent the big $$$$ on shocks and didn't need one.... however should I build another one, I'd back off to a parts store gas shock and a good sway bar.... Even have a bar laying around that came of a '76 Lincoln Mark... Good heavy bar, would probably really work on a light car with some good links and ends!!!!