Panhard Bar

[Trevor Jessie]

Wishbone... you are correct. They are common in drag cars. I don't think I want to break any new ground on this project. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[aeronca65t]

Yeah, "wishbone" is the word my synapses were groping for.

Here's one:

https://www.go-fast-parts.com/5708981.html

 

[Roger]

"Wishbone" is more commonly used for the lateral members that support uprights, surely?
What we have here has always, to my knowledge, been called an A-bracket, as on some Lotus Seven models and early Lotus Cortinas.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I think it is a matter of different terms in different sports. I have heard it called a wishbone amongst the drag racing crowd, but it may be the illiterate crowd I was hanging with. :wink:

 

[Trevor Jessie]

https://store.summitracing.com/egns...00+115&searchinresults=false&Ntt=wishbone&x=0

Summitracing search on "wishbone"

 

[Hap Waldrop]

We've got a vintage racing Spridget with a wishbone on it, it was designed and installed by Steve Hampton at Chap racing, I've known Steve for years. Alot of folks in raod racing have went this route, because it ake very little sub structure to use it. I'm sitll rather partial to the panhard bar, but the wishbone is a good alternative. What we found with the Spridget is the drian plug area is the idlea palce to attach it, now it get alittle more complicated than that, this area provide a low roll center. You have to fabricate a sturdy bung anbd weld in the rear end in place of the drain plug, then you need a freaking huge raer heim joint, something like 5/8 -3/4", the attachment points on the fornyt need to be close to the front attachment point of the leaf spring (or trailing arms on a coil over car) they don't have to be perfectly aligned with the fornt spring attachment point, as long as the binding point is beyond supension travel point.

Here's what I'm going to do with the rear of my vintage car, of course a adjustable rear sway bar, completely float mounted composite leaf springs with anti tramp bars, and a panhard bar. Toying with the idea of an adjustable rear spring shackle, since I already have adjustable front spring buckets for the front, this would make it way easier to set corner weights

 

[ChrisS]

Hap - Can you give some details / pics of the adjustable spring buckets? I've been toying with this idea and don't want to reinvent something that is already done.

 

[JerryB]

TJ asked...............

''''''''''Can you clarify? Do you mean where the springs mount in the axle brackets?"""""""

Yes....where the spring eyes mount in the axle housing btackets with a thru bolt. A 'shim" in this case means a washer. What happens is the spring eye walks around and moves laterally because of the silent block bushing. The eye needs the silent block for twisting compliance but you want to control it in lateral movement as it will tend to gall and pound on the inner part of the bracket on each side. You want to end up with a little clearance on each side...not much ...just a little. Now on a street car this exercise might not be needed.

64rocksprite says............

pictures.....I might take some...good idea.

''''''''''''''chassis side is stout..I've read some accounts of sheet metal tearing (must be some serious cornering!)'''''''''' yes..the more grip the more stress.

'''''''''''''When you say 'outboard', I'm taking this to mean the rear (facing the gas tank)'''''''''
Correct.
''''''''''''''I've seen some set ups with a stud welded on there.''''''''
The spring bracket (on a 1/4 elip) or the spring plate (in a 1/2 elip) is not real sturdy. A welded stud certainly needs a gusset or some back up.

A lower wish bone or lower locating strut (or upper locating strut for that matter) is the way to go.....the larger problem is , unless you got a tube frame car or building from scratch, theres not much to mount the forward links to in a unibody. A lot goes into the design location of the forward mounts...how high and where.

 

[racingenglishcars]

0.065 is a little thiker than 1.5mm and is pleanty strong for that application.

The big A-arm like the Alfa Romeo 105 chassis cars has a high roll center. The low mounted one like Hap describes lowers the roll center to the bottom of the axle which is much better. The high "Chevy" links bind unless they use rubber bushings but otherwise give a low roll center.

I figure the easiest and lightest is the panhard rod. I'm doing one for mine, because I've got a set of gumballs, Yokohama A048 in S compound.

The forked end with rubber bushing on this one makes for a simple installation with rubber or nylon bushings, and weather resistant, unlike rose joints. I think it should have a bit stronger mount to the trunk floor.

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Hap - Can you give some details / pics of the adjustable spring buckets? I've been toying with this idea and don't want to reinvent something that is already done.

Winner Circle used to sell them years ago, but no longer offer them, you basicly modify the spring pan, and put round flat cneter on it, and weld to the original pan with the original center cut out of it, on the bottom of the new spring pan center you weld, a nut, use something stout, like, 1/2-5/8" than makke a seconround pan the has a section of tubbing that has the correct size of OD on ot work with the ID of the spring, so the spring stay put. On the now second spring plate if to will you weld a second nut in the center of it same size ans the one in the bottom spring plate. Now what you have is a spring jacker that works form the bottom, stock car s in classes weight jacking is not allowed have been doing it this way for years, with the Spridgets, and the shock location, the bottom is the only pace we could put a weight jacker.