anyone interested in a new watts link and a 3 or 4 link in here

[bnickel]

updated with more pics, it should all be done tomorrow. A few tech notes: your fuel lines will ned to be re-routed, at least on a '70, since on the driver's side there was some interference with the coilover. And if you have Baer rear discs, no matter what the orientation you put them in, your parking/emergency brake won't fit . . . looks like I'll be carrying around parking chocks/blocks-'o''-wood when I park on a hill. I have been thinking about alternate emergency brakes, anyone have any ideas? I am willing to go with a different set of rear brakes . . . but not back to drum. (aesthetics, mostly)

you should look at one of the internal drum rear disc setups, like the explorer or crown vic style. SSBC makes one and there is another that might work real well for you, www.vintagevenom.com check out the standard rear disc kit

edit: you could also look at using a pinion mounted e-brake too.

 

[freddiecougar]

Wilwood brake kits have an internal shoe-type parking brake, and are reasonably priced. up to 14" rotors are available with the parking brakes.
Tim

 

[70vert]

Wilwood it is

bnickel, I couldn't find the kit at Vintage Venom, but freddiecougar and your post about crown vic/exploder put me on the right track anyway. I looked at all the rear brake options and I think the Wilwood 12" will end up doing just fine. It sucks to have to ditch the Baer rear and have a non-matching kit, but Wilwood does good stuff. I still have to see how their parking brake cable routes, but that is 98% likely to be the way I'll go if it will clear. Better e-brake, anyway, if a little more unsprung weight. (I assume) It will also look less dorky to have a 12" rear brake with my 13" fronts, thus demonstrating I understand the concept that more braking is done by the front than the rear.

I'll probably order it with the Currie crate rear, as it is an option right on their crate ordering page. Shame that you only save $7 by ordering it with your crate rear. I'll shop around for the price, but Jeg's is only cheaper by $20 or so . . .

and then find a buyer for a Baer rear 13" kit, no fronts.

Thanks for the suggestions guys! :SNSign:

 

[matt0matic]

How will the EVM 3link/watts work on the 1/4 drag strip? Better or worse than a 4 link? All the folks on the Corner Carvers forums seem to approve the design for their track intentions, and I have yet to see one critiqued for drag racing purposes.

 

[70vert]

Good enough for an 11.4 at least . . .

A stick axle with a 3-link is supposedly a good balance between both straight line drag strip performance and cornering ability. Under acceleration, the pinion wants to point upwards, under braking downwards. The upper link is under extension under acceleration, the lowers under compression, and the reverse is true for braking. Either way, with the solid heim links, unless they break, I don't see much flex unless your housing rotates before the force gets to the spring perches where the lower links attach, or the pinion flexes. It seems with a 4-link, there might be even more chance for that housing to twist, as the force from the pinion rotating upwards has to travel through the housing tubes before being resisted. But a 4-link has inherently stronger arms, so could resist more TQ ultimately. I don't know where that point is . . . 700hp with slicks?!? Won't ever see that.

Also, as compared with, say, the RRS torque arm style 3-link, they have this to say:

TriLink Advantages Over a Torque Arm Suspension:

Adjustable Anti – Squat/Lift geometry
Variable instant center geometry which allows the instant center to move relative to suspension displacement. Under braking, the instant center moves forward, increasing the Side View Swing Arm (SVSA) length which works to reduce the potential for wheel /axle hop due to braking.
No added ground clearance or jack access issues with the rear differential.
The TriLink system is lighter.

Here is a video of track and strip racing with their 3-link on a few different late model stangs: (it seems to launch fine and is good enough for an 11.4 second run at least)

http://www.evolutionmsport.com/evmCart/index.php?main_page=evm_pages&pag=71

 

[matt0matic]

I ask because I love the tuneability I have with my 4-link drag cars. Does a 3-link/ TA suspension work in the same way with the the preload you can achieve with the 4-link setup?

 

[70vert]

I would think not

from my understanding of preload, (just acquired 10 minutes ago ) you couldn't, or at least not as precisely. There is no way to control it in 4 dimensions, only 3. so you couldn't adjust that one link to be longer the way you can on a 4-link. You could always raise the right (passenger) side of the rear a bit with the coilovers, but I understand that's not the thing. I think it is generally accepted that the 3-link is a great all-around street/track system, and it is easier to keep the rear axle glued over irregular surfaces with a 3-link. The 4-link is probably the choice for the dragstrip. Not that either one can't do the work of the other, obviously, but hey, each triathlete excels at one or two events more than others . . . the 3-link has excellent and tuneable antisquat and doesn't tend to hop on braking, which are excellent features to have in a street or track car but not too desirable on a dragstrip.

I ask because I love the tuneability I have with my 4-link drag cars. Does a 3-link/ TA suspension work in the same way with the the preload you can achieve with the 4-link setup?

 

[70vert]

Wilwood Rear internal drum disc pics w/EvM

Ok, my new rear with Wilwood Superlite rear disc, internal drum is almost in. The parking brake mechanism sits on top of the rear axle and the housing faces forward, so there is no interference. I would say that the Wilwood/Explorer/Crown Vic rear brake setup is THE setup to use with EvM's kit. I have in-progress pics that I'll post in a minute.

Here it is - the caliper is not on, but you can see the cable stop facing forward and free of any interference.