[hemigremmy]

ok here is the skinny on my project,
1970 AMC Gremlin
SBC 350/ th350
ford 8" rear with full alum. spool and 3.55:1 gears

they don't make traction bars for a AMC FORD rearend (LOL) i made my own shock plate out of plate and the factory AMC shock mount cut from the factory shock plate and welded to mine to match the holes i needed to work with the AMC leaf springs and the FORD rear end. i then bought a set of universal traction bars and plan on cutting them apart and welding them to my home made shock plates to make a true set of traction bars for my car.

now for the questions.....
1. do i need the snubber to hit in the middle of the single leaf spring between where the second leaf stops and the eye on the main leaf spring?

2. what kind of distance do i need to leave between the snubber and the leaf spring itself?

3. will i need the car to be loaded, tires on and weight on the springs in order to figure the distance between the snubber and the spring?

4.Do i need to leave the front "U" bolt thing that came on the universal traction bats in the stock location?
I think it will need to be moved up toward the front and adjusted so the traction bar won't travel as far once i get them welded to the shock plate....correct?

5. Also do you all think that the 8" ford rear end will hold up or am i wasting my time? Miller full aluminum spool, richmond 3.55:1 gears, stock axels???? What do y'all think?????

i know these are probably all REALLY dumb questions but i absolutely HATE to do things twice.

Thanx for all the help in advance!!!

[OneMoreTime]

Go here and check out the traction bars for the 53 chev pickup..those work quite well. Just use the peices that you have and make these..As far as the rear en holding...It depends on how hard you launch..

Sam

[ericnova72]

Question 1: You want the snubber to hit directly on the underside of the front spring eye, that way bar and spring pivot around the same point. Hitting to the rear of the eye on the main leaf will just bend the leaf and make the bar less effective.
Question 2: I'd start with a 1/2" gap on both sides, then you can trim or shim the snubber as needed, and you may end up after track testing with gaps that are not equal from side to side in order to get the car to launch straight and even-- this is common.
Question 3: Yes, weight must be on the suspension during set-up to ensure corrct fit.
Question 4: You've got it figured right.
Question 5: Depends on how hard you launch, are you using slicks? Street driving will slowly kill the aluminum spool by wallowing out the splines.

I've done this several times with good results, the cheap bars were the easiest and cheapest ways to get the neccessary components.