Go with the 4 link and never look back. The ladder bar was obsolete in 1982. It's limited adjustability, short, high instant centers make it a tire beater.
Today's engines make so much more power, and you have to deal with that. You do that with long, low IC's. My last race car was 104 inches out and 6 inches up and I still had to move a bit of weight.
Buy the very best double adjustable shock you can find. The Viking stuff is very good for the money. If it's not double adjustable, it's a waste of time.
You also need to lay out your suspension. This is outlined in several books...Chris Alstons Chassis Works and Dave Morgan's Doorslammers book. Bickel has good books on the stuff. You MUST know, exactly what every hole does, as far as how far out the IC is, and how high or low it is compared to the CG it is. This is mandatory. When I bought my first 4 link, the standard was the IC should be 1/2 the wheel base, and cam high, which is utterly stupid. Might as well use a ladder bar. Unless that is what your engine/chassis/converter or clutch wants, which I highly doubt. The bottom bar must (as a starting point) intersect the lower ball joint. Don't make the bottom bar level. Even Morgan had to admit he was wrong on that. Learn how to tune the shocks, as an IC move is a massive adjustment. Shocks should be double adjustable on both ends.
Yes there are guys going fast on ladder bars. There are also guys going low 8's and quicker on Cal Tracs and leafs. There is no reason to do that, unless rules dictate it.
One last thing...hen I bought my first 4 link, every single manufacturer I called told me to keep the car a ladder bar. All of them. Then I called the last one I could find. It was Zeeker chassis. The guy who answered the phone was none other than Dave Morgan, who later wrote the book and did seminars all over the country. When I got off the phone I ordered my 4 link, and never looked back. He was the only guy telling me to do it, but he backed it up with all the reasons why I shouldn't do it, and the one or two reasons I should.
Like Brian "Chucky" Davis says, you can think of a million reasons NOT to do something. It only takes one to do it.
Do it!
And keep us posted.
