“Dear Welder Series…” Tech Help Introduction

Posted by WelderSeries on May 13, 2009 in How-To & Tech | 2 comments

Here at Welder Series, we get emails. We reply to emails. All of them. Even those nice people who want to see me more satisfied. (What’s a “male product”, anyways? Am I a product of my own imagination?) Anyways, I thought some of these tech type emails would be beneficial to more of you than solely the person who penned keyed the question. Onward.

Dear Welder Series…

“Hi there,
I recently purchased one of your triangulated 4-link from Horton’s (www.horton.on.ca). I am currently building a 28 Model A Tudor and I am building my own frame. I’m about ready to start fabricating the rear section of the frame and I was wondering if you can give any tips on how to rig up the rear suspension/frame so I can get the car as close to the ground as possible without loosing to much headroom since the car is going to be chopped. I will be running 32″ tall rear tires and I would like the frame to be about 5 inches off the ground (at the floor before the rear Z). Also, I will be channeling the body.

Thanks a lot for your help!
Paul”

Dear Paul…

This will be a neat project, Paul, but will require some planning.

The rear suspension set-up depends on the tire size. The frame mount for the lower bar should be about 5″ lower than the axle centerline (c/l), as shown in the installation drawing. With your 32″ tall rear tire, axle c/l will be about 15-1/2″ from the ground. We figure about 1/2″ for tire “squat” (the flat part of the tire on the ground). Using this information and your 5″ frame-to-ground dimension, and assuming(?) a 4″ high frame rail, the lower bar frame mount will be about 1-1/2″ higher than the top of the frame rail (2-1/2″ if you use 3×2 rails).

The upper bar frame mount should be about 2-1/8″ higher than the axle c/l height, or about 17-5/8″ from the ground. This would be about 8-5/8″ above the top of a 4″ frame rail or 9-5/8″ above a 3″ rail.

You might be able to incorporate both of these frame mounts into the kick. Or the lower mount could be a “bump” on top of the rail and the upper mount could be on the kick-up.

I would do lots of mock-up work before cutting anything. Then I’d tack everything in place and carry on with the build. This makes it easier to deal with “ambushes” (things that crop up that you weren’t prepared for). Specifically, check the angle and position of the upper bars. This will have an effect on the frame width (or vice-versa).

I hope this helps.

Paul Horton

If you want to send us an email, it’s easy: click on these words

Dear Welder Series…

Are these (Mustang II kits) made to fit a particular frame? We have a 66 Chevy II. I would have to check if the front wheel base falls within the 56” to 60” range of these kits.

Also. We already have an Aerospace Components disc brake setup on this car, so could the stock spindles work?

Thanks for any info,

Bill

Thanks for writing, Bill.

Our MII kits are designed to be notched by the builder so the ride height is where you want it. Our installation sheets go through this process step by step. The 56″ kit would be the one to use on your Chevy II.

The GM spindles are quite different from the MII spindles and can’t be used on the MII crossmember. If the brake kit is designed for your stock GM spindles, it will not work with Mustang II spindles. Possibly some components can be used, but the spindles are quite different.

I hope we can help with your project.

Paul Horton.

Dear Welder Series…

Rob here. Mr_____v on the H.A.M.B. and some other boards.

I’m about to build a new frame for my 48 Chevrolet Pickup and since I already have a stash of M II suspension pieces I’ve pretty well decided that the most logical way to go with the suspension is to use one of your kits and the factory Ford pieces including the strut arms.

The plan is to run steel rims with a shallow reverse or offset . Basically the old 15×7 chrome reverse wheels that have been around forever.

Ride will be low but with coil springs and no bags.

My question is, Which of your M-II kits do you suggest for this application? I can figure out the outside of hub part easy enough but do you have certain kits that are made especially for the AD GM trucks?

Rob

Hi, Rob. Thanks for writing.

The 56″ MII kit is normally used with your series pickups. You would still notch the crossmember and the upper towers so the frame ride height will be where you want it.

Be sure to order the strut rod bracket & gusset kit (#108140) and, if you will use the later model T-Bird rack, order the rack mount spacer kit (#24410). The steering shaft bearing support (#219600) is another thing you will probably need.

The reversed wheels will likely still be o.k. to use as there is quite a bit of space out to the fender edge with standard wheels.

I hope this answers your questions. If not, please hit me again from another direction.

Paul Horton

Dear Welder Series…

To whom may help,

I see you have your brake pedal brackets kits available, but I was curious if you had anything to serve both a hydraulic brake AND clutch pedal kit. (IE a two pedal design with opposite direction offsets etc) Do let me know if you can help! I am currently putting a 1947 Ford Truck Body on a GM 2 ton chassis with a Cummins motor and I am looking for an original looking solution to having a hydraulic clutch and hydroboost brakes.)

Mike

Mike, we do have a brake & clutch pedal set-up, but it isn’t in the webstore yet. Please go to the catalog at, http://www.welderseries.com , page 21. When people buy this kit, we usually suggest substituting, in the brake pedal/master cylinder bracket kit, a brake pedal with no offset so the pedals can be offset symmetrically to clear the steering column. This reduces the price slightly.

I hope this helps. Please write again if you have other questions.

Thanks for looking at Welder Series parts.

Paul Horton

update: We do have the brake/ clutch pedal assembly in the web store – click here, then check out the youtube video.

Dear Welder Series…

working on a 73 javelin with a chevy big block conversion need idea on motor mount fabrication for this application

Our C005 mounts (https://www.welderseries.com/blog/online-store/chevy-motor-mounts-rubber-insulated/) are very versatile and should be a good choice for your Javelin.

The 2149 is a urethane-bushed mount that is easy to install and has a hi-tech look. (https://www.welderseries.com/blog/online-store/chevrolet-motor-mount-kits/)

I hope we can help with your project.

Paul Horton