[mmhotrod]

I am planning on placing the straight axle under the original frame. The only thing that I have not quite figured out is the steering linkage. I am going to use a 525 steering box as the vega seemed a little light for the car with a big block. The question I am working on is to use heim joints or tie rod ends. The front axle is going to be a Speedway assembly, but all of them use heim joints for the tie rods and the drag link. Not too sure how I feel about that. I did notice that if I go with a straight axle with ford spindles, I can buy different steering arms which will allow me to convert to traditional tie rod ends. Never used heim joints before for steering systems. As I plan on driving the wheels off of this car for long distances with the family in the car, I need it to be safe. Any suggestions?

I think a good quality heim would be fine Using dust covers being you’re driving on the road so much. One safety tip I was taught was to use a flat washer over the heim in case the heim let’s loose the washer will keep things tied together so you won’t loose control. I’m sure the guys here can coach you further.

 

[mmhotrod]

I’m not a knowitall. This is not a beat down so take it with a grain of salt. I’ve had a couple of street big blocks moderately built that even passed smog emissions with a Holley 650 dbl pump.
Can I put my 2 cents in?.?.?.
850 is too big for moderate heads and dual plane intake, and low to moderate compression, with a middle of the road street cam. If you have to use it then fine cause you gotta do what you gotta do.
If the heads are not good enough Open them up a little intake side and polish the exhaust side. What do you have to lose?
2nd is the HEI Distributor. Make sure you change the module to aftermarket performance. Any major brand is fine. I loved HEI for dependability but they suck for performance with a factory module. Watch this video a see first hand what I mean. At 4000 rpm the module goes flat. No more multiple spark.

3rd as far as I’m concerned like the others mentioned a good hiem end is fine as long as you use the dust covers. If you have a death wobble it’s not the heim ends. It’s not the length of your steering drag link. It’s the rigidity of your tie rod tube. Like Steve mentioned. He used 3/4. I would order a chromoly length you need to from art Morrison to guarantee it don’t flex up and down and as Vall will tell you the caster angle is most important. (That was for anyone else listening).
4th I highly recommend the comp cams Mother Thumper roller for the street motor. A friend has one and he drives it out of state to events.

Ok the Italian stallion has spoken!
hope I didn’t hurt anyones fellings?

 

[mmhotrod]

Hey Hotrod 1937. How’s the progress going. I’m looking forward to seeing your build picks.

 

[mmhotrod]

Although, I do have a question. I have a ford 9 inch assembly under the rear and I really do not want to cut or radius the quarters. I have the axle mocked up as a flip under the leaf springs to be able to run a bigger tire and not interfere with the quarters. My front suspension should be here by the end of the weekend. I did not want to change the rear until I had the front end mocked in. My concern is that it may sit too high in the rear but time will tell. Any suggestions?

After seeing a pic online of the 52 I do think it will be hard to put a big tire under the wheel opening without lifting it up High According to the pic I found. I thought why not maybe cut the rear and keep the tires inside the quarter.

Steve has a fine example on his 53. Radius does the job.