leaf spring sliders
- Thread starter inkjunkie
- Start date
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69wacuda
Handling, and a 500ci engine.... All in good time!
Old thread but let's see... Sliders or shackles for a street machine that poses as an autocrosser?
I personally think their right at home on a drag car. Kim.
I run them on my Duster. Street car, set up for handling. The sliders have less play, no bushings just bearings. Smoother operation, less flex, less binding through travel, faster spring reaction. Good for handling or drag racing. I've heard some people say they're not supposed to be for street use, but I don't see why not. They click sometimes, but I can't hear that over my exhaust most of the time. And the bearings are sealed, and replaceable. Probably won't last quite as long as a bushing but they're easy to change anyway. I made a bracket for mine, so no cutting or welding on the car and I can easily change them if they wear out. Mine are afco's, Calvert makes a set with a built in angle that follows the spring motion a little better. I have some more info on my install in my build thread.
famous bob
mopar misfit
I never considered them because they would lower the car a little, (bad for tire clearance in my case) but the way u did it probably didn`t. good idea.I run them on my Duster. Street car, set up for handling. The sliders have less play, no bushings just bearings. Smoother operation, less flex, less binding through travel, faster spring reaction. Good for handling or drag racing. I've heard some people say they're not supposed to be for street use, but I don't see why not. They click sometimes, but I can't hear that over my exhaust most of the time. And the bearings are sealed, and replaceable. Probably won't last quite as long as a bushing but they're easy to change anyway. I made a bracket for mine, so no cutting or welding on the car and I can easily change them if they wear out. Mine are afco's, Calvert makes a set with a built in angle that follows the spring motion a little better. I have some more info on my install in my build thread.
It lowered it a little doing it that way. Not much though, little less than 3/8". But I was ok with that, I may go a little lower still. Probably have to get rid of the bump in the stock wheel tub before I do that though.
famous bob
mopar misfit
cool, I can`t stand 3/8 right now ! maybe later if I decide to sell my rear prostars and 295 65 d/r. and go to 295 55`s or whatever the shorterone are.
I ran a 64 Polara with ladder bars and leaf springs. The rear utilized a roller set at the housing that would allow the rear to move forward and backwards as the suspension would move. Worked very well ran low 11's with it.
When I was dirt trackin a LONG time ago, we got the genius idea of drilling the plug welds out of the rear end center section of the 70's Monte Carlo we were running at the time. That allowed the axle tubes to rotate giving basically the same effect as sliders.......as they were outlawed in the class we were in. We ran a panhard bar to keep side to side motion out so the tubes wouldn't come out. That car won so consistently, that we were protested and torn down almost every win. The tubes leaked a little bit, but not much at all. We found that after a wreck where we had to replace the rear end that drilling only one side achieved the same thing, so we did that instead. It also allowed us to negate the panhard bar, which they had also outlawed thinking that was how we won so much. They never figured it out. lol
Well actually, the way I did it all you would need is a 3/8" block between the bracket I made and the slider, and a bit longer bolts. It would be pretty easy. Heck if you did it with 1/8" shims you could probably tune the height and rear suspension geometry to some extent.
duster44d
Well-Known Member
Do you make those brackets and sell them..???I run them on my Duster. Street car, set up for handling. The sliders have less play, no bushings just bearings. Smoother operation, less flex, less binding through travel, faster spring reaction. Good for handling or drag racing. I've heard some people say they're not supposed to be for street use, but I don't see why not. They click sometimes, but I can't hear that over my exhaust most of the time. And the bearings are sealed, and replaceable. Probably won't last quite as long as a bushing but they're easy to change anyway. I made a bracket for mine, so no cutting or welding on the car and I can easily change them if they wear out. Mine are afco's, Calvert makes a set with a built in angle that follows the spring motion a little better. I have some more info on my install in my build thread.
famous bob
mopar misfit
I`m into trying to make elec. fans work w/ my 505 right now. I guess I could make the adapters w/ a 3/4" offset and raise them too, if I stay w/ the 295 65 15 d.radials. Wouldn`t be any problem w/ the 275`s.
69hemibeep
Well-Known Member
I mini tubbed my Valiant and moved the springs in and got the flat stance I was after by welding them right
to the frame
duster44d
Well-Known Member
No, I just build stuff for my own car, I don’t make stuff to sell. I didn’t build s jig or anything and way I made that set of brackets wouldn’t really be time/cost effective to build them to sell. I’d have to charge a bunch of money for them and only a few people would even want them. Plus I’m not taking on that liability.
I posted all the dimensions in my build thread, they’re not all that difficult to make if you can weld.
Looks like a good way to do it, you’d just need to drill some holes if they’re the right size. What’s the source for those?
duster44d
Well-Known Member
You wont believe what they go to ..FJ40 Frame Body Mount Bracket- 1958 through 1/1979 land cruiser
I also found some close but they cost more.
Last edited:
FJ40 Frame Body Mount Braket- 1958-1/1979 [BMS3032] : Cruiser Solutions, custom cruisers, restorations, genuine Toyota parts, body tubs, used Land Cruisers for sale
$50 a pop? Ouch. And I don't see any dimensions listed, so unless you know they're the right size you could be modifying those significantly anyway
$50 a pop? Ouch. And I don't see any dimensions listed, so unless you know they're the right size you could be modifying those significantly anyway
duster44d
Well-Known Member
Yeah I don’t think enough of that plate is supported by that gusset to mount springs on. But the brackets I built are probably overkill.
And without having dimensions, it’s hard to say they’re the right size.
I’m sure there are commercially available brackets that will work, but without dimensions it would be really easy to spend a bunch of money and end up with a bunch of brackets that don’t quite work.
cannucky
The Guy With No Birthday
exactlty the reason we are asking someone that has made a pair to make more ,I'd pay $100 for a well made pair that had the 3/4 offset to match offset front hangers .
duster44d
Well-Known Member
I found some other brackets cost is less .I tried to pm you the link but it said your mailbox is full.
$66 for the whole thing.
You mean a 1/2” offset to match the front hangers? Because that’s all the front hangers are offset. The “3/4” offset kit is a 1/2” offset front hanger and a 3/4” offset rear shackle with a side load on the front half of the spring with the perches moved in 3/4”. There's only a 1/2" of space between the outside of the stock brackets and the frame rail.
Regardless, the way I made my brackets I’m pretty sure the most I could get out of them would be the 1/2” I put on the mine. The reason is the same as the front, the frame rail is only a 1/2” away. You wouldn’t be able to get at the nuts for the sliders if they were moved over another 1/4”. The rear ones are already inside the shackle mount/bumper brace.
cannucky
The Guy With No Birthday
thanks I'll check my box there is only 2 conversations on there bit who knows with this new fabo setup.
cannucky
The Guy With No Birthday
otay 1/2 inch then lol anything that gets the shim washers out from behind my rims eh !
duster44d
Well-Known Member
Okay so just a thought .So what do you think if you keep your stock bracket and set up one of the brackets with the eye on to your stock bracket where the shackle goes.It will swivel so you can line it up and you attach the slider to it...One picture shows one that hooks straight up to the shackle.
What are your thoughts
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