[rivieragasser]

hey guys im not sure what to do with my front springs do i put the shakel in the front the rear or do i go with a fixed mouted spring. help me out. i have a rear steering set up

 

[ProMetalShop]

I would go with what works for you, I don't think either end is wrong. I like the front mount, but that's just me....

 

[rivieragasser]

thanks steve

 

[mt94ss]

Chevy trucks used rear solid front shackle in the late '50s - D/S steer. I did my Speedway kit that way - rear cross steer. Most setups that I have seen out there do it that way.

I don't recall which axle you are using. Just remember to set it to the correct 6*-10* angle.

Still looking forward to how your car turns out.

Mike

 

[Icody]

I have the solid in front and shackle in rear. Jeeps and Ford trucks used the same setup. Its personal preference is all!!

 

[1946Austin]

Front or rear shackles work equally well. Front or rear steer also works, and depends on your choice of steering box, and location. Both of mine are front steering boxes so they steer off the front side. The Auatin is rear shackles because that was what it originally had, and it worked out to keep it. Falcon is front shackles, as that's what I usually choose on most of the axles I've done when I had the choice. I try to always put the tierod in the rear, as that's the best, and keeps it protected from possible damage, but the Austin also went with tierod up front, and drives nice.
By "fixed spring" are you referring to a transverse spring? Of course you can't do parallel springs with fixed mounting on both ends, and transverse springs are a real challenge with larger/heavier cars. I'd have no prblem with transverse spring setups on smaller or lighter cars, and they look very cool! On big cars it's tough to get a wide axle and all that weight, and still control body roll with a transverse spring setup. Saw a '68 GTO running one at the Nostalgia drags last year, and going 170 mph with it. Talked to the owner and looked it over up close in the pits. He was running air shocks at each end to stabilize it, as he said the original coilovers wouldn't keep it straight on the top end when racing. Can't imagine what turning would have been like at 70 mph, or lane changes/ruts!

 

[rivieragasser]

mike im using a 49 chevy truck axel now the 6-10 is that the deg of pitch from rear to front

 

[rivieragasser]

vall im using my stock steering box with power steering it all lines up well i have disck brakes and the steering arms off the spindles are of stock 57 chevy..sounds crazy but it looks like it will work.. the air shocks ? he had them on the front end?? like gabrial's

 

[1946Austin]

Yeah, he put regular air shocks like Monroe or Gabriels so he could air them up until the frontend got stable at high speeds. Keep in mind the draglink angle from box to axle. Needs to be pretty flat, or you'll have bumpsteer.
The angle Mike mentioned is kingpin inclination. The top of the kingpin needs to be tilted back about 7 degrees, or your car will be all over the road and follow every imperfection in the road.

 

[1946Austin]

One other thing to mention on air shocks. I've never run them up front, but have run them on several cars in the rear, and I always use dual feed kits to isolate the two shocks. With a single feed the shocks fill with one line, and can backfeed each other. If there's body roll, or a bump pushing on one shock, the air will try to move to the other shock, and that's not an ideal situation. With separate lines all the way, there's nowhere for the air to go when a shock is compressed, so it's more stable. This would be even more important if used on the front suspension!

 

[rivieragasser]

Good stuff thank you! So you are saying that a king pin straight up and down is no good! Your telling me the axel needs to be racked back at the top 7deg . This is my first time setting one up. Just want to make sure I got it 7deg tilt back got cha thanks a bunch

 

[Racernova]

Guys, Speedway told me 5 degrees? Is that correct?

 

[mmhotrod]

I was told by Racing unlimited 6 degrees but I have been also told by other sources 6-8 degrees will work fine. I guess if you set up your axle mounts where you can angle shim your axle to custom angle your needs you should be able to make changes on the fly till you're happy with the way it handles. I set mine up at 6 degrees and she is steady down the quarter mile.
MM

 

[Racernova]

Cool, thanks MM

 

[1946Austin]

General rule of thumb is 5-10 degrees. They will steer a bit harder when turning at 10 degrees, but correct themselves better when you let go of the wheel. The closer you get to zero the easier they steer, but the more you'll have to "adjust" when you're going straight down the road. They also tend to follow grooves in the road better as you get closer to zero.
I set my Austin up at 9 degrees, and you can almost let go of the wheel under power going down the strip. Being shorter wheelbase, I wanted it to correct better, so I used more kingpin inclination. I set the Falcon up at around 5-6 degrees, and it turns easier, but doesn't correct itself as much.
I've also noticed that steeper king pin angle tends to fight the wheel when backing up with wheels turned harder to L. or R., and the Falcon backs up much easier at 5-6 degrees.