rear leaf spring 1963 ford thunderbird raise

#REAR LEAF SPRING 1963 FORD THUNDERBIRD RAISE FREE#

These links control axle rotation and fore/aft axle location, but require a separate locating device such as a Panhard bar (sometimes referred to as a fifth link), a diagonal (in plan view) track locator, or (less often) a watts link to control lateral axle location. These suspensions use four links or arms that are all parallel as viewed from above. Aftermarket triangulated four-link suspensions that were designed with performance in mind can avoid most of the pitfalls of the factory designs, and often perform extremely well. This suspension doesn’t do anything particularly well, but with the right components and tweaking it can be made to work surprisingly well. Factory triangulated four-link suspensions are characterized by extremely high roll centers and often very erratic handling. It’s a good reminder of where the original designers’ priorities lay. This format is rife with performance compromises and opportunities for dynamic binding, but is very compact and yields a roomy trunk and backseat. As a result, these suspensions use no separate lateral axle locator. In this type of suspension two long lower arms are roughly parallel in plan view with much shorter upper arms converging at acute angles, generally 38 to 43 degrees to the centerline of the car, in order to triangulate the suspension and laterally locate the rear axle. The geometry and kinematics are actually considerably more complicated than a link-type suspension.Īlso known as converging four-link. These two springs must laterally locate the axle, control pinion angle, and hold up the weight of the car. Let’s start with some basic definitions to lay the groundwork.Īlso known as Hotchkis-type suspension (no relation to the company), this format is very simple in concept, just two leaf springs that are roughly parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the car. Very few cars from the muscle car era used independent rear suspension, most notably the Corvette, but since they’re really sports cars and not muscle cars (admittedly, the 427 and 454 ’Vettes blur the distinction) I’m not going to spend time on them here.

The one thing that all of them share is a solid or beam-type rear axle assembly. Still others use a torque-arm arrangement like the 1982 to 2002 Camaros and Firebirds. Others use a triangulated four-link design with coil springs, like the GM A-body and Fox-body Mustangs, or a three-link with a Panhard bar like many 1960s B-body GMs and full-size Fords. Some muscle cars use parallel leaf springs, such as early Mustangs and Camaros. Doing all of these things well, and under all conditions, is complicated! What’s more, the rear suspension also dictates the rear roll center, anti-squat percentage, instant center, and side-view-swing-arm (SVSA) length, which all have a pronounced effect on how the car drives. This includes lateral location, fore/aft location, controlling pinion angle under acceleration and braking, and more. Its primary job is to locate the axle assembly under the car. Why? I want you to realize that when a company comes out with some all-new, trick-of-the-week suspension part, it’s almost certainly been done before, many times, and probably prior to World War I.Įvery solid-axle rear suspension needs to perform several different functions. I’ve included some developmental background on many of these systems to add some historical perspective. Let’s start with the most common factory rear-suspension formats, and then move on to the more exotic factory and aftermarket racing types. That’s okay, though, because proper setup and parts selection make more difference than what basic format you run. More than likely, whatever suspension is in your car from the factory is usually the one you should stick with.

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#REAR LEAF SPRING 1963 FORD THUNDERBIRD RAISE FREE#

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Rear leaf spring 1963 ford thunderbird raise