I am getting ready to do a back half in my 70 satellite. I am using a checkered racing pre welded unit, and was wondering if there is anything particular to the b body. If you guys have any detailed pics it would be great. Thank you!!!

4 link or ladder bar?

It's 4 link

http://www.checkeredracing.com/4LinkBackHalf.html

This is it. I saw them at spring Carlisle, liked the price, and quality

Get it square........get the wheelbase right. That's about it

Any pictures of the tail section. I've never been clear on whether to plate it then weld it to the plates, or just weld to the body. I'd prefer to spread the pressure out a bit with a long plate. But not sure.

Wonder if you can get the front mounting points low enough with that assembly?

I've always just welded the rails right to the back panel, but if you feel better about it, you can weld it in just like you would a roll bar and put plates in it first. You're not talking any major weight, and I'm sure it would be a stronger mount.

What do you mean by low enough? Ride height too tall, low, or problems with clearance in general?

Is this going to be a drag race car, street and strip or street car only?

The 4 link (rear suspension) has to be considered to be a system. The 4 link brackets (axle and chassis) need to be in the car in the correct relationship to each other, in order to have the right geometry when it's finished and on the ground. Since the brackets are already installed, the installed height and horizontal location of the entire assembly needs to be determined and adjusted by desired ride height, rear axle location (wheelbase), tire size, etc. The final ride height of the whole car is limited by the stock front suspension. The front end of the car can only be made as low as the stock front suspension will allow. Bump stops and geometry only allow for so much lowering.

To get the car to sit level or even have a little rake, and obtain the correct 4 link/suspension geometry, final desired ride height needs to be known to get the rear clip installed at the correct height. Bottom line, the suspension geometry needs to be determined and located correctly and the car fitted to those locations. Imagine the rear axle located at the correct ride height for the tire size with the axle brackets installed, and the chassis brackets suspended in mid-air at the correct geometry and building the car to those brackets. Can it be made to work OK without going through all of this? Maybe, but you are losing a lot of the adjustability and advantages of using a 4 link if it's not right when you get done.

I have used pre-fabbed rear clips with the brackets installed with good results, but I always knew what the ride height was going to be, where the rear rails would attach to the rear of the body, tire size, etc, and had the rails bent and brackets located for my specific ride height and application. The back of the frame rails should be at about the same height on the rear panel as the stock rails were. Leave an inch or so of stock rail attached to the rear panel, finish welding the spot welded attachment, locate the new rails and weld them in using fabricated sheet metal gussets or bracing to join the new rails with the old to provide a strong assembly.

What would you suggest instead Mr. McAllister? It sounds like you've done this before, and I only want to do it once.

What do you have? Rear sub-frame? Housing? 4 link bars? Shock kit?

I would decide what diameter tire will be used. That will tell you how high from ground level the axle will be and therefore how high the holes in the axle bracket will be. That information will tell you how high from ground level the chassis bracket and therefore the sub-frame should be. With only 3 holes for the lower bar in the chassis bracket, location will be important to having usable adjustments.
I would decide how low (or high) you will want to have the car at ride height. You don't want to sit the car on the ground and have the 4 link way out and have no way of getting it correct.

The sub-frame (4 link) needs to be a specific distance off the ground depending on what the tire diameter is to keep the axle/chassis bracket relationship correct. The desired ride height of the car determines where the sub-frame needs to go vertically in the car. Picture the sub-frame sitting on the floor on stands at the correct height and you raising or lowering the car onto it to the desired ride height. Hopefully the front crossmember falls in a location where it can be tied into floors, rockers, and subframes without too much drama.

That takes care of height. Then you have determine where the wheel/axle centerline will fall in the wheel opening. Assemble the housing and bars to the sub-frame and get an axle centerline to front of crossmember measurement. Some builders will give you a measurement it was designed to have. Keep in mind, the whole assembly can be moved forward a bit to shorten the wheelbase some, improve weight distribution and allow for the only the front edge of the wheel openings to only have to be moved for big tires. That determines where the crossmember will fall horizontally between the rockers.

I actually have not ordered the back half yet. Was gonna pick it up at fall Carlisle. The car is a street car that will occasionally see the strip. It's going to have a 408 with w-2 heads and a 4 speed. Might not make sense, but I'm building the car the way I want it, until I can afford a big inch big block. I have the stroker and w2 heads already. Should I just go ladder bar? Or get a frame rail made for me and my lovely car? Thank you guys for the help.

chassisworks back half

another

A ladder bar would be simpler, easier and less complicated. It would be fine for street car or a combination running slower than low tens/high nines, maybe even desirable. Once you get deeper into the nines, a 4 link begins to make sense. The advantage to a jig built rear sub-frame is you only have one large unit to get in the car level, straight, and square. Individual pieces add to the time and attention needed to get it all in correct. But they also allow you to get the fit adjusted just right rather than fudging a pre-welded piece. Personally, if I couldn't get one built to my specs, I would get individual pieces and put it together myself. Depends on how comfortable you are with doing the project.

Like CMcAllister says, frame rail/ride height is critical. I backhalved my car with an Alston ProStreet kit. Didn't fit real well. Had to modify the rails to get the car to sit lower. Now, I just bought some 2x3 tubing and made my own frame rails to accomplish what I wanted to do.

Just a note of caution, it is not just a rear section of frame you are going to install/fabricate, consider you will have to add a full cage, at least 10 point plus lots of sheetmetal. It sounds like you are not sure of what you are getting into. If you don't have the tools or money to go all the way then my suggestion is put the biggest tires you can on what you have.

Nothing personal to you but we have all seen too many projects like this stall because it is a giant undertaking

Ditto that ^^^^

A buddy is a great chassis guy and I seen him fix/finish many jobs overs the years that people started and did not finish. There is a reason good chassis works costs money. It's worth it.

I actually have the tools, and am a very competent welder. I just wanted some of the finer points. I've never done it, but actually want to. It's not really to save $, or anything else. It's what I need to do for me, and need to know details. Not taking anything personal, I just want to do it right the first time. It's either this or new stock rails. I choose this, I'm sick of stock.

Just a couple of quick questions.. has the car
ever been in a crash... check the reference holes..
if the car is straight I use the reference holes to
line up the install.. if you measure off the front end
you have to make sure both sides are the same(most arent)
those prefabbed units make it nice IF its built square