Hot Rod Forum banner

Still confused - front 4 bar on 32 ford

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  heyjude076 
#1 ·
From what I read the 4 bars should be parallel when all is said and done. Also from what I have read and replys to my other question I should set up my 4 bars with only the main leaf of spring and no weight on the frame. If I do this, set the car on the ground and find the bars are not quite parallel how critical is this? I can understand if I tack the lower bar supports I can still make some adjustment but the top bar is bolted through the frame. I must still be missing something. The more I read the Chassis & Suspension Handbook the more I get confused.
 
#3 ·
BillyShope said:
To assure parallelism, do not attach the ends of the equal length bars individually. Instead, attach both bar ends to a single bracket and then attach the bracket to the frame.
I think it depends on the relationship of the frame rails to the front suspension components. BillyShope's response works as long as your bars do not split the frame when parallel and attached to the front suspension or you are willing to hang the bracket on the outside of the frame rather than the more tidy look of mounting the bracket either on top or on the bottom of the frame. I think in some cases, to get the desired clean lines, you need to mount the bars separately, one on top of the frame and one on the bottom.

There is also the other scenario - that when everything is lined up and parallel, one bar is right at frame height and the other is either above or below frame height...which puts you in a real pickle in terms of creating a really nice clean bracket and mounting position on the frame. (Yes, I understand that the bracket can simply be slapped onto the outside of the frame rail...but personally I'm not a fan of how that looks in most cases.) In any event, I think making front 4-bar mounting brackets look good can be a challenge.
 
#4 ·
heyjude076 said:
From what I read the 4 bars should be parallel when all is said and done. Also from what I have read and replys to my other question I should set up my 4 bars with only the main leaf of spring and no weight on the frame. If I do this, set the car on the ground and find the bars are not quite parallel how critical is this? I can understand if I tack the lower bar supports I can still make some adjustment but the top bar is bolted through the frame. I must still be missing something. The more I read the Chassis & Suspension Handbook the more I get confused.
If the center to center distance of the connecting links is the same at the axle brackets (usually batwings) as the center to center distance of the frame connections (doesn't matter if this is a bracket only or a combination of bracket and frame); then the bars will be parallel to each other.

I think you are getting confused because you are assuming that the bars also need to be parallel to the ground. They do not need to be parallel to the ground to work properly. They need only to be parallel to each other.
 
#5 ·
Frisco said:
.... I think you are getting confused because you are assuming that the bars also need to be parallel to the ground. They do not need to be parallel to the ground to work properly. They need only to be parallel to each other.
You hit the nail on the head! That is/was exactly my problem. If the bars only need to be parallel to themselves and not to the ground at the same time then I am good to go. Thanks a lot. It is the simple things that get me.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top