ive been looking into putting ladder bars and coil overs on my truck and eliminating the leaf springs. the main thing is to keep it streetable and prevent binding while driving it on the road. anyone got any info on kits or brands that would be suited for this? ive seen a few guys running ladder bars on the street without issue, just gather some more information before i pull the trigger and end up with something that doesnt ride right. this isnt for a daily driver, but more for a cruiser/weekend warrior.

i was looking at competition engineering kits c2005, c2006 and Alston Race Cars 181323 kit. some input on competition engineering would be appreciated as well.

drag racing or road course/autocross?

There are guys who run ladder bars on the street, but that doesn't mean they work well. There are all kinds of articulation and roll problems with ladder bars that require flex and movement to be designed into the install. Ladder bars can work well on a drag car that hooks and goes in a straight line, but so many compromises must be designed for it to work on the street, why bother?

A 3 link is almost as simple and works far better for a street driven vehicle.

its not for drag or any racing. this is for street.

i havent seen any 3 link kits. any brands youd recommend to look at?

Art Morrison makes a kit for a 9". The full kit is spendy, but you can buy individual components. It would probably work with an 8 3/4, but if you have a cast center section rear, you'd have to come up with a way to attach the 3rd link atop the housing.

Take a look at the design Factory Five uses on their Cobra kits. It's made for an 8.8" Ford, the 3rd link comes off a bracket right next to the centersection. Ideally, the top link would be at dead center, but offset a bit will still work. It would be really easy to piece together a set up like that for just about any application, and under a truck, you could easily fit longer link bars. Throw in a panhard bar and you're good to go.

if it is only a street car, why go through the trouble and expense of fabing a ladder bar set up?

Would leafs not be the best option here?

Jason

maybe you mean something more like a torque arm setup? - here is one for a mustang but it's a good illustration of how it's setup. I've installed these before and they work very well.

http://www.globalwest.net/1979-93mustang.html

Tracklink - performance through leverage!

Factory torque arm

What does this torque arm do? During acceleration, Tracklink increases downward force on the rear tires through leverage and reduces nosedive during deceleration.

What will this do for me? Tracklink will increase side bite during corner exit acceleration. The rear end is more predictable in wet road conditions. Nosedive is reduced during extreme braking.

Does the torque arm still attach to the back of the transmission (GM applications)? No! The new pivot point for the torque arm is on the main beam that is installed down the drive shaft tunnel. The front part of the main beam attaches to the transmission cross-member.

Where is it used? Tracklinks are used for street, autocross, drag and road race applications.

Can I adjust the pinion angle? Yes! The pinion angle is adjustable simply by loosening the jam nuts and turning the adjuster. This can be done without removing the torque arm from the vehicle. Ford applications require changing shims located where the Tracklink mounts to the rear end.

How easy is this to install? For GM applications, Tracklink bolts on with minor modifications. Most units require only 10 holes to drill. The exhaust system does not interfere, because the torque arm is tucked up into the drive shaft tunnel. Ford applications require 8 to 10 holes to be drilled in the uni-body. On some applications the exhaust pipe driver-side behind the H-pipe needs to be rotated or slightly modified for clearance. Welding may be required on the exhaust.

Will Tracklink bind? No! A special pivot assembly is used allowing the torque arm to move in and out plus rotate without any resistance. The pivot incorporates a collar with a brass sleeve that can be lubricated via grease fitting and high-density rubber bushing for isolation.

Notice: Tracklink does not control lateral movement.

How much ground clearance is lost? None! Ford and GM Tracklinks tuck up into the driveshaft tunnel.