If converting the rear suspension to ladder bars, is the panhard bar good enough (aftermarket type) to locate the housing or is a proper diagonal link required instead?

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87 IROC-Z SuperPro ET Bracket Race Car
461 naturally aspirated Big Block

Best ET on a time slip: 11.242 altitude corrected to 10.89
Best MPH on a time slip: 121.52 altitude corrected to 125.89
Altitude corrected rear wheel HP: 497.9
Best 60 foot: 1.546

Racing at 3500 feet elevation but most race days it's over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car, 91 454SS daily driver, 95 Homebuilt Harley

 

IMHO an upgraded stock-type Panhard bar should work. It's all but identical to the diagonal link that you would get for ladder bars for something like a 1st or 2nd gen Camaro.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

Stephen,

Just as a side note, Ground Control Suspension sells a panhard drop bracket which results in VERY LITTLE suspension movement side to side throughout suspension travel.

 

unless you have a 9 second car no i dont think you need one.

if you plan to run in the 9s, yes i think it would be necessary

 

This isn't related to the suspension question but I have a question about your firewall. You have removed the air controls and air box and all that stuff. What did you have to do to keep it legal? Did you weld a plate over the circular hole for the blower motor? Thanks

 

Yes. You just need to fill all the holes that go into the drivers compartment. I just cut some aluminum to fill all the openings.

If you use aluminum it must be a minimum of .032" thick and if you want to use steel it has to be a minumum of .024" thick. Just fasten it with a bunch of pop rivits a few inches apart.

Open the hood, go in the car and look under the dash (especially if everything has been removed from under the dash). If you see and light coming in then there's a hole somewhere that needs to be filled. Small holes can be filled by just putting a nut and bolt through the hole.

 

Stephen,
You should get a locating bar with the ladder bars. It is possible to run the panhard bar but this will get in the way of getting to your shocks when making adjustments at the track. Since you are most likely going to run 33" slicks you won't have room for the panhard bar. A short panhard bar is useless especially with the suspension travel you are going to get from a pro brackett car.

 

Ahhh not really. The shocks are in the stock location. I'm not using coilovers. Tires will be 29 x 10.5 x 15 because I'm going from 4.10 to 4.56 gears with a spool and the current 28" tires won't be tall enough. The rear isn't backhalfed at all. The 9" I'm installing could be a direct replacement for a stock diff. I just don't want to go through the hassle of fabricating a mount bracket for the torque arm. Instead I'm just going to remove the torque arm and LCAs and install a set of ladder bars.

The housing I'm using is out of a 1970 F100 (it's just about the perfect width). The pinion could be a little more to the left but I know the diff needs to be moved over anyway. I put ford 2 1/4 x 11 drum brakes on it. For the mounting hardware I just cut off the hardware from an old 10 bolt I had and welded them onto the 9" housing. Measure everything twice and weld once. The only thing left is to either make a torque arm bracket or put on a set of ladder bars I have out in a shed. I've seen the Moser mount and decided it was too complicated to re-create. I've also seen a Currie mount and figure I could easily make that but haven't decided yet. I'd rather go with the ladder bars since this isn't a street vehicle and it will simplify the rear suspension.

The only thing I'm waiting for is the aftermarket 31 spline axles and some new tires. It's going to be a winter project for next season.

 

i have the south side sub frame connectors and ladder bars. it came witht the cross member to mount the front of the ladder bars. and you just weld the rear half to the axle tubes. i didnt do any of this so i dont know how they went in...but i hope like hell they help me get some traction. also what it the widest tire i can run on the back? now i have 245/50/16 all around , but want to get a widea$$ tire when i run at the track. without rubbing the quarters with stock rear suspension.

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87 z28 bowtie aluminum 420small block dry sump crower lt. wt. knife edged crank oliver lt wt rods brodix track 1's super ram intake slp 1 3/4 headers accel dfi art carr 700 r4 3.42 gears ssm sub frame/ladder bars.....other parts on the way ,soon to be finished!! couple more weeks!!!

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