Moparts

Sorry buy WHY??

Posted By: Kiddart

Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 03:33 AM

sorry but just looking at some pictures of suspensions. the question I have is why and what is the advantage of having a leaf spring car and ladder bars. why both?? doesnt one contradict the other or cancle it out. the reason I ask is a car online has both
Posted By: dartman366

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 03:37 AM

Those setup's are with housing floaters so the spring's and ladder bars don't bind from being on different arc's.
Posted By: 72chrgrally

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 03:44 AM

The spring is ther to hold the rear of the car up and to locate it in the chassis.
Steve
Posted By: Kiddart

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 03:45 AM

ok but is there a advantage, at that point you mideswell go full ladder bar?? what does this do,. I have a Super stock spring car and have been tossing around a ladder bar set up. But would never do both. I guess the question is why both setups at the same time, I dont get it
Posted By: MR_P_BODY

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 03:47 AM

Quote:

sorry but just looking at some pictures of suspensions. the question I have is why and what is the advantage of having a leaf spring car and ladder bars. why both?? doesnt one contradict the other or cancle it out. the reason I ask is a car online has both




It definitely weighs more doing it that way
Posted By: cudadoug

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 03:49 AM

That's really just old school. The way the "trick" Mopar rear suspension evolved over time was leafs, then leafs/floaters/ladders and then coil overs/ladders or a 4-link. With Cal Tracs and decent prices on coil overs today there is no advantage, or reason for this. The leaf/ladder bar deal is just added weight. Will it work? Of course, it's just from another era.

Back in the mid-80's, I bought a former record holding FAST Super Stock Belvedere...it had a home-made 4 link and leafs!! Crazy, but it HOOKED!
Posted By: Bigcube

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 03:53 AM

Quote:

ok but is there a advantage, at that point you mideswell go full ladder bar?? what does this do,. I have a Super stock spring car and have been tossing around a ladder bar set up. But would never do both. I guess the question is why both setups at the same time, I dont get it



My guess is less fabrication cost. With ladder bars and floaters you on need a front mount for the bars and the floaters on on the housing. With coil overs you need upper shock mounts and no one would do that without changing frame rails, moving them in tubs etc, You get the idea
Posted By: Kiddart

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 03:53 AM

only reason I ask in Bondo has a set of ladders and crossbar for sale and I would assume its all abody stuff. but at a great price of course

thanks for the input and yes weight is an issue thats why i lost 24 pounds probly would have been easier taking it out of teh car.
Posted By: Cab_Burge

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 04:58 AM

There are two options with ladder bars and leaf springs, sliders or floaters. The better rear suspension with ladder bars is aluminum externally adjustable rear coil overs coil overs with either a diagonal link, Watts link, panhard bar or a wishbone to locate the rear end and keep it line up on center. I have driven two ladder bar cars with coil overs and the diagonal link, and one with leaf springs and a slider. All three cars where easy to drive, I won races with all three and so did several other people in the first ladder bar car with leaf springs and the first ladder bar car with coil overs The last car is my current car and no one else has driven it at the races My next drag race car will be a four link car with coil overs and a wishbone, I hope
Posted By: Kiddart

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 05:45 PM

wouldnt the tow be comparable to a slide a link or a caltrac bar???
Posted By: MrSixpack

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 06:38 PM

My car was the test mule during the early 70'ths
Check the old "direct connection" bible.

I have never driven a car that is so calm and easy to drive, and I have driven alot of diffrent cars, even some FED and altered wheelbase.
I went a 1.39 60feet and 6.45 on 1/8 with a almost stock 440 sixpack :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR1Y6SzgDNs
Posted By: '72CudaRacer

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 10:44 PM

Would this car be a orange challenger from Ohio?
Posted By: deaks

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/13/10 11:25 PM

His car is the old Paul Rossi Challenger in his sig.
Posted By: theclutcher

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/14/10 03:00 AM

Ditch the floater and slide the front spring eye.
Posted By: Cab_Burge

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/14/10 05:26 AM

Quote:

Ditch the floater and slide the front spring eye.


Wrong the sliders or floaters allows the rear end to move up and down freely not so with the front spring eye in a slider Slider in the front and shackle in the back To much work and extra weight, put a set of coil over with a diagonal link on it and be done
Posted By: theclutcher

Re: Sorry buy WHY?? - 08/14/10 02:57 PM

Not sure I follow you Cab.
By allowing the front spring eye for and aft movement, you alleviate the contradicting arc movements of the ladder bar and leaf spring.
Sliding the front eye eliminates the cost and wght of the floater.
elongate the hole in chassis 1/2" fore and aft of original hole center, reinforce with some thicker plate above, below hole to support eye bolt as it slides.
at that point, the spring just holds the car up and the ladder positions it.
Dont know what you mean by saying the floater allows the rear end to move up and down.
Once the floater is installed, the height is fixed, some have hgt adjustment.
The floater allows for for and aft movement thru its pivot.
As long as there is freedom for the leaf to move, the binding problem caused by the 2 conflicting arcs is a non issue, no?
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