440 '48 Plymouth Coupe

[1946Austin]

Tons of room! Looks like you'll be comfy in there with good clearances everywhere inside! I'd love to have all that space!

[Beagle]

steering reminds me a bit of a 80's Monte Carlo, they aren't centered. It took me quite a while to figure out why I thought it felt "funny". Looking good!

[racingsnake440]

What with swapping the trans on my daily and the continuing heat I haven't done a whole lot on the Plymouth lately. I have got the driver's seat and steering column mocked up into position though. The column is a bit offset to the left to get past the headers but it feels fine and there's enough clearance between the wheel and the door. Ordered up a steering UJ so once that gets here I can get on with mounting the box and column.

[1946Austin]

I've got an old 80's Courier/Ranger steering box sitting here that I was going to use in my project, but I didn't have room for it. It looks to be a mirror image twin to your Mustang box.

[racingsnake440]

Interesting suspension discussion, I'm happy with the way the Plymouth is set up and won't be doing any auto-x so it won't need any sway bars...

Been making a bit more progress - cut the old master cylinder mount off for exhaust clearance, put the engine and trans back in and mocked up the steering. I'm going to use a mid '60s Mustang steering box with the long steering shaft. I'll to cut it just short of the firewall and then use a UJ to connect to a late '60s Ford column I've got that's just about the right length. Looks like it should work out ok - I'm going to put a steering arm on the top 2 bolts of the right hand spindle to keep the tie rod as level as possible.

How do you get pictures to post in the order you want?

[SuperBuickGuy]

I did... Some Fuds have coils up front that are 4 wheel drive...

Considering the lifted 4by's lift kits come with 2 arms (good kits supposedly) one for the steering box (pitman arm?) and the other for the hub. So going by that theory, is the rod from the box to the hub supposed to be level to be in proper geometric position?

Sorry for the thread hijack...

it reduces the angle between the steering arm and the spindle. On a GM 4x4 (solid axle), that short arm on a lifted truck makes for some white knuckle driving (the taller the lift, the more white knuckle).... on a 12" lifted Chev truck I had, I had the arm, but wondered what it did if I didn't install it.... omg, the truck would go down the road straight, but the steering wheel would move back and forth 30* - if you held onto it the truck would lane change in a millisecond. But converting to cross steering you reduce the angle, and reduce the movement - even more then leveling the arm does with a raised steering arm.

[Deaf Bob]

y'all do know that on post #72 I was talking about the front end?

I did... Some Fuds have coils up front that are 4 wheel drive...

Considering the lifted 4by's lift kits come with 2 arms (good kits supposedly) one for the steering box (pitman arm?) and the other for the hub. So going by that theory, is the rod from the box to the hub supposed to be level to be in proper geometric position?

Sorry for the thread hijack...

[SuperBuickGuy]

y'all do know that on post #72 I was talking about the front end?

[DanStokes]

The alternative is a Watt's link that removes side to side axle movement and keeps the axle from traveling in an arc. But for all practical intents and porpoises, the Panhard should work fine.

Dan

[1946Austin]

Limited, yes, but both tires move side to side and in an arch

I think most hotrods have very little suspension travel compared to a 4x4. And if the panhard sits level as it should, the side to side is pretty minimal. I've got about 3/4" between my tires and the inner wheelwells, and I have never rubbed either side.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Most all coil spring rears use a panhard bar, so lateral movement is limited by the panhard.

Limited, yes, but both tires move side to side and in an arch

[1946Austin]

depending on the set up, a coil sprung rear end moves laterally as well as vertically.... the only exception that I can think of is a coil sprung IRS on C4/C5 corvettes

:

Most all coil spring rears use a panhard bar, so lateral movement is limited by the panhard.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Isn't the purpose of cross steer to make it easier to turn ?
I think sometimes it is hard to find a box that moves along the frame?

nope, that comes from the angle of the tie-rod. My issue with cross steer doesn't apply here. On a 4x4, cross steering makes for two lllooooonnnnnnggggg rods across the frame that will readily bend if you stick the left front tire (or break an end) and it's one more thing to get hung up under the frame (and to those who think not, I've done it repeatedly in a cross steer Chevrolet truck).

[Huskinhano]

Isn't the purpose of cross steer to make it easier to turn ?
I think sometimes it is hard to find a box that moves along the frame?

I never thought about that, maybe it does but the main reason is to reduce bump steer With the longer drag link, there's less change in the angle as the suspension goes through it's travel compared to a short drag link going right to the LF spindle.

[Deaf Bob]

Isn't the purpose of cross steer to make it easier to turn ?
I think sometimes it is hard to find a box that moves along the frame?