Has anyone used the 2" drop spindles on their 2nd gen Dart? What size tire can you get under there. How do you like them? Any pictures?
Many thanks
Many thanks
2" drop spindles
- Thread starter moparmarks
- Start date
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momoparman
MOISMYHOME
May be trouble.....I'm struggling with this exact set up and I am using Wilwood discs on a 1967 cuda.
I am using 17" x 7" rims with 4.5" backspace.
This set up with the Wilwood disc brakes pushes the wheels outboard by .750" on each side.
If you have a 73 down car then you may have issues like I do. 73 up have wider tracks.
I have had to go as far as making my own custom hubs to get the track width back in line.
I wouldn't recommend it.
I am using 17" x 7" rims with 4.5" backspace.
This set up with the Wilwood disc brakes pushes the wheels outboard by .750" on each side.
If you have a 73 down car then you may have issues like I do. 73 up have wider tracks.
I have had to go as far as making my own custom hubs to get the track width back in line.
I wouldn't recommend it.
You will never know that this Valiant has 2'' drop spindles from the photos using stock steel wheels.The spindles are from FatMan Fabercations. Also running the 73 up disc brakes. Years ago using the same spindles on a 71 Duster and Baer Brakes the wheels were 17x7x4.5'' back space same as momoparman.With the Duster there is more rear wheel well room and set the tracking with backspace so the front was not wider than the rear.
pauly v.100
Well-Known Member
Pretty sure that was a magazine feature car, Mopar Muscle I think. Its called "Dust Ya"
I was planning on using a 73 spool K-frame and LCA,s with 73A disc and 11.75 rotors.
Just to clarify I'm talking about the Magnum Force spindles and not the Fatman ones.
Sorry I forgot about the Fatman ones.
Sorry I forgot about the Fatman ones.
Yep-
"Designed by Magnum Force and based on the big bearing, big ball joint 1973 and up spindles."
So you can expect your front track to change @ 1.5 inches total. I dont know if that's a big deal for your car or not, depends on wheels/tires you are using.
Yep I knew that. Wider track is just fine with me. Can always go with a 5" BS wheel if it is a problem.
Where is the difference in the spindle that's make a wider track? I have 70-2B/E, 73A/E, 67-72A and 73/4B spindles. Haven't compared them yet.
Also just a note about spindles, I just parted out a real early B. Isolation K-frame with biscuit motor mounts instead of spool and A/E spindles, not the taller 73-9 B spindles. Car was tagged for disc brakes.
momoparman
MOISMYHOME
Your probably gonna need a tad more than 5" b.s. to clear the top of the fender under diving conditions. IE cornering and or braking while cornering.
I looked high and wide for anything decent looking (read not front wheel drive looking)over 4.5" on a 7" wide wheel and could find nothing.
I'm not saying you cant make it work but you limit yourself when doing so.
SO here is the fix for the problem. NEW ONE ON THE LEFT....brand w on right.
My custom designed hubs. Fit like a dream and look how low I can go....I literally just got done installing them and going on the first test ride and they worked flawlessly. No rub a dub dub anymore! :cheers: I'm going to see if I can drop it 1/2" more. The only concern I have now is K frame to ground clearance...so far so good.
I looked high and wide for anything decent looking (read not front wheel drive looking)over 4.5" on a 7" wide wheel and could find nothing.
I'm not saying you cant make it work but you limit yourself when doing so.
SO here is the fix for the problem. NEW ONE ON THE LEFT....brand w on right.
My custom designed hubs. Fit like a dream and look how low I can go....I literally just got done installing them and going on the first test ride and they worked flawlessly. No rub a dub dub anymore! :cheers: I'm going to see if I can drop it 1/2" more. The only concern I have now is K frame to ground clearance...so far so good.
junior636
Well-Known Member
What spindle is that?
momoparman
MOISMYHOME
Magnum Farce
bighammer
Well-Known Member
Why not just lower it two inches with the torsion bars? I know some people do it. I don't know the pros and cons, but there has been lengthy discussions in the past... Seems to work well, and doesn't move the wheel position out any farther than what it is now
junior636
Well-Known Member
So you bought another spindle? Had one made? Re-worked the existing one? I'm in a similar situation just wondering what you did.
The drop spindles only move the track as much at the regular 73+ spindles. I honestly don't know what happened with momoparman's car, but the track width change isn't 3/4" per side from early to late spindles.
BUT, they do eliminate any possibility of clearing the outer tie rod end with the rim. Normally, an 18" rim totally clears the outer tie rod end, allowing more backspace to run wider tires. Some 17's also allow enough room to get more than 5.6" of backspace. Not possible with drop spindles, which means you're limited to no more than about 5.6" of backspace, which means nothing wider than a 255 up front for pretty much all A-bodies even with a 17 or 18" rim. Less with a 15" rim.
I've found that the drop spindles are totally unnecessary if you upgrade your torsion bars. The only advantage they give is that they allow you to lower your car 2" without losing suspension travel. But here's the thing, if you run larger torsion bars, you can't even use that travel. Even most 1" torsion bars are almost double the stock torsion bar spring rate. Which means, only about half the amount of travel is needed for the same input force. So, while you can lower the car and keep the same amount of possible suspension travel, you'll never use it. With the 1.12" torsion bar I run (300 lb/in, or nearly 3x the rate of stock), I've yet to hit the bumpstops on my LCA's, even with only about 7/8" of available travel.
I ran Magnumforce drop spindles on my Challenger for a few years. I realized that I didn't need them with the 1.12" bars on it either. I removed them and lowered the car with the torsion bar adjusters to the same exact ride height. No issues whatsoever, despite the loss of available suspension travel.
The drop spindles DO raise your roll center for a given ride height. Meaning, my challenger lowered to the same ride height without drop spindles has a lower roll center than it did at that height with drop spindles. If your car is currently at stock height and you're looking at lowering it, the roll center will change very little, because the angles of the UCA's and LCA's will be roughly the same if the car is only lowered the 2" with the drop spindles and no adjustments are made on the torsion bar adjusters. If you lower the car less than 2", meaning, you install the 2" drop spindles and adjust the torsion bar adjusters so you have less than a 2" change in ride height, you'll have raised your roll center. Probably not so much that most people would notice, but raised it nonetheless.
Personally, I think the drop spindles are a waste of time. Spend that money on a good set of torsion bars and lower the car with the adjusters. One of the biggest advantages of the torsion bar suspension is that it's ride height adjustable.
momoparman
MOISMYHOME
Exactly what is it then?
My calculations say 3/4 +/-.01 per side.
My calculations say 3/4 +/-.01 per side.
momoparman
MOISMYHOME
59.1 for 73->
57.4 for 72 down
It's 1.7 divided by 2 which is .85. So technicaly your right it's not 3/4".
57.4 for 72 down
It's 1.7 divided by 2 which is .85. So technicaly your right it's not 3/4".
59.1 for 73->
57.4 for 72 down
It's 1.7 divided by 2 which is .85. So technicaly your right it's not 3/4".
Alright. So I've heard #'s anywhere from a 1/2" all the way up to 1" depending on who you ask. So I got out my '72 shop manual, and it turns out that there's actually a reason for that.
My '72 Dodge chassis service manual, in the "front suspension" section under "specifications" shows:
57.5" for 9" drums (which is funny, because the "general specifications" say 57.4)
58.2" for 10" drums
57.7" for disks (which would be the early KH disks)
My manual is for a '72 so it doesn't have the 73+ numbers, but the 59.1" number widely listed should be the same across the board. So, that gives, per side:
.8" increase going from 9" drums to 73+ disks
.45" increase going from 10" drums to 73+ disks
.7" increase going from KH disks to 73+ disks
The only extra wildcard in there is how they measured the track width. It should be based off the center of the tire, which means if the tire or rim specs changed that would be included in those numbers as well. But my chassis manual doesn't say if that was measured with bias ply's, radials, 14's, 15's, standard option rims and tires, optional rims and tires, or any of the specs for the tires or rims used for those numbers. So, that's probably as close as you get.
So, yeah, I was under the impression the change was more like a 1/2". And it is, if you have 10" drums. But not 9" drums. Or KH disks. Clear as mud, as usual, thanks Ma Mopar.
That's great information, a " Thanks " button hit on that one. And it makes sense,72. You did your homework....
C130 Chief
Mechanical Genius
2" drop spindles put your headers and oil pan 2" closer to the street when you hit the stops.
junior636
Well-Known Member
Are you willing to share?
momoparman
MOISMYHOME
I had them made by my buddy. I supplied the critical dimensions and he reverse engineered the rest. You can see in this pic how much clearance I have now by looking at the shadow in the wheel well.
He is awesome!
He is awesome!
momoparman
MOISMYHOME
Share implies that I would give something away so no.
I could see about getting a set made but I hesitate only because what if it doesn't work on your car?
You would have to do lots of measuring of the wheels you would be using and give me a super detailed list of information that I would need in order to feel comfortable getting a set made for you.
Nothing personal I would hate to see someone put out some $$$$ and not have it work.
Kinda what I expected from Magnum Farce and Wilturd but didn't get. I'm not a million dollar company, just a guy with morals.
I could see about getting a set made but I hesitate only because what if it doesn't work on your car?
You would have to do lots of measuring of the wheels you would be using and give me a super detailed list of information that I would need in order to feel comfortable getting a set made for you.
Nothing personal I would hate to see someone put out some $$$$ and not have it work.
Kinda what I expected from Magnum Farce and Wilturd but didn't get. I'm not a million dollar company, just a guy with morals.
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