68 shelby 3-link build
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Very nice work! I do like the curved upper link. I'd normally be worried about strength, but from the CAD drawings (Pro-E?) and the serious gusseting I imagine it's been FEA'd and given a clean bill of health.
I'd be curious to see if you could fit in a sprung upper-link with minor floorpan modifications, or is it just too tight under there?
I'd be curious to see if you could fit in a sprung upper-link with minor floorpan modifications, or is it just too tight under there?
This is something we are working on, the kit will include some different sections such as welded on lower link mounts to the axle. The panhard mount will be welded on to the housing as well. The shock mounts and upper link mount will be different. We are trying to make it an bolt on kit that will not require to cut the back seat floor and still maintain great geometry like this setup. I will keep posting on the progress of this kit, we have a 66' that we are using as another R&D car.
Jason
The upper was a concern for strength but its full 3/16" and 1/8" 4130 that is TIG welded. With the strength we require i feel as though this is complete overkill, but i would rather have it about .5 lbs heavier to ensure the strength. Nothing that we produce will ever have a strength issue, we design strength into every part and suspension we build right down to the 4140 and 4130 threaded recievers we use.
I have delt with these upper linke on several race cars and in this application there is just not enough room. The upper link we designed really has a tight fit and is somethin that has to be seen rather than explained. We needed the chassis mounting point as high as we can get it and the axle mounting point as low as we can get it, so this was our answer.
Jason
I knew this question was going to come up!
Im a big fan of the panhard bar and have more experience with tuning them on race cars. This application had some very strict space requirements that made a Watts Link a little out of the question. I do like the watts link setup and know that they work great. For this car, the panhard bar is at the optimal legnth so that during the travel the side to side motion is very minimal. Basically, its about the least amount of side to side movement unless we made the panhard bar hit the tires. IMO with applications where you are able to get a panhard bar of this size, the suspension will work great. We took the car through some nice turns and it handles great. Another reason is the cost, the watts link adds to the cost and time of the build.
So IMO, when built properly both setups will work great.
Jason
65FBE2
Member
Hey Jason! This is some great looking work! I am in the market for a new rear suspension. I have been doing as much research as possible. So tell me in your own words why is this better than the RRS system or the EvM system? I hope your new CNC is a Haas. I sell them up here in MN
Yes the panhard bar is fully adjustable. We use LH and RH heims and locking jam nuts on the panhard bar and the lower link bars. The upper link is RH and RH heims with pinch recievers. All the links are adjustable with the lowers and panhard with the most adjustment. All you have to do is loosen the jam nuts and spin the bar to bring the axle side to side to center it in the chassis. When we install the suspension we take the time to set it up completely for both ride height and performance. Part of the install is the stage of "tuning" the suspension with some drive testing.
Jason
68rustang
Active Member
Why did you orient the PHB body mount vertically? I assume the expected range of motion is within the specs of the rod end but why not orient it horizontally and let the rod end pivot on the bolt?
It was cleaner tomount the PHB heim as we did it, and there was more travel than will ever get used. As far as this suspension being bette than others out there I cannot comment. I have never driven the other cars equipped with other manufacturers options. additionally, I have never seen what types of numbers they are getting with their setups. claiming that our setup is better is a surefire way of getting people mad at us. I know that my system works great, that the numbers are sound, and that We are extremely happy with the outcome. So I guess the answer is that I dont know how to answer that question without being bias.
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