Lowering brkt. for front of "T"

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: Lowering brkt. for front of "T"
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fritz Hady Mt. Top,Pa. on Sunday, June 16, 2013 - 04:44 pm:

I printed a pic. of the brkt. to lower the front
of a T frame so the spring is in front of the frame. I lost my pic.of it. Could someone please
post one for me. Thanks, Fritz


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ex trooper on Sunday, June 16, 2013 - 04:59 pm:

[IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/bh0hhy.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i40.tinypic.com/fnvbyf.jpg[/IMG]

This extended the front axle about 3 inches and lowered it almost 5-1/2" ws


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Monday, June 17, 2013 - 12:26 am:

Here are two I used to have.



The gray car has a split wishbone. Both cars handled great!
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chris Bamford, Edmonton AB on Monday, June 17, 2013 - 01:26 am:

Hi Wayne — I assume you lengthened the wishbone legs when you moved the axle forward on the yellow car... did you also compress the wishbone legs together to get the original centre-to-centre at the spring perches? To clarify, did you actually reshape them before installation, or just persuade them to go in a bit as you mounted the wishbone. Were there any modifications needed to the steering components?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donald Conklin on Monday, June 17, 2013 - 09:57 am:

I have driveable chassis with the front end lowered with a bracket similar to those shown.

The steering gear must be moved forward.

I used steel plates as spacers between the ends of the wishbone and the spring perch, ultimately these plates will have to be secured so they can't spread under pressure.

The only issue I have not addressed yet is the clearance between the tie rod and oil pan. It clears as it sits but will hit when the suspension compresses. For me, bending the tie rod is not an option. One of these days I'm going to reverse the steering arms see what it looks like.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Monday, June 17, 2013 - 04:56 pm:

Chris B,
Yes, the wishbone was lengthened. I had done another like that many years ago. After going through all the math to figure how much to add to the length, figuring in the changing of the angle, to get the position right. It turned out, due to the forward point of the "V", bending the wishbone in pushes the axle mounting forward more than expected. If you bend the wishbone in at the center of the "V", you will add almost exactly the same amount to each side of the wishbone as you move the axle forward, plus maybe, but no more than, a 1/4 inch. The bending right at the center must be done carefully and probably with heat, otherwise the softer side will do all of the bending and throw the center of the wishbone off to one side changing the axles angle off straight.
Some I have seen, did the re-bending part way forward. That would result in requiring a little more being added to the wishbone. However, bending the wishbone forward (or midway) also reduces the rigidity and strength somewhat more than keeping the sides straight does.
A better idea, might be to approximate the amount you will move the front end forward. Lengthen the wishbone accordingly. Make the brackets to mount the spring forward and lower without drilling the mounting holes. Assemble the chassis, frame, pan, axle, etc, with C-clamps holding things together. Once everything is in place and measured square, then drill the holes in place. That way, everything should fit perfectly.
Be aware, this sort of lowering is a tight fit between everything there. The front cross member and the tie rod want to interfere with each other if you move it too much. The radiator and the spring mounting clamps want to interfere if the spring isn't moved enough. And the hand crank wants to hit the front axle on bumps if you lower very much. It can become an interesting balancing act.
I do like this method, and it was often done originally. I have seen several such in photos. It maintains the Ford's famous flexibility. Whereas splitting the wishbone to the sides of the frame makes the front end more ridged. While that rigidity may seem like a good thing, what it does in reality is simply move stresses from one place to another. And that other place may not have the strength to tolerate the added stress as well as you would really want.

The gray car had a nice fix for the hand crank. But know and trust your welder. Whomever originally made that axle wasn't the best welder around. I didn't like the looks of one of the welds on it, so I stuck the axle into the tongue of my trailer and jumped on it. On the fourth or fifth bounce, it broke. My welding isn't the greatest, but I gave it a shot. Ground it out. Clamped the pieces to a good, straight, axle I had, and welded the broken one. I then stuck it back into the trailer tongue again and jumped on it even harder, and for about fifteen minutes, flipping the axle around different directions to stress it other ways. Then I double checked it for straight (don't know why, after all that jumping on it, I didn't have to change it any).

Any such modifications or unusual restorations you make, be careful concerning strength and flexibility. What seems strong enough sitting in the driveway, may not be good enough for hitting a pothole at 50mph. Especially after a few hundred other bumps in the road. This is why, even some original aftermarket accessories are not safe enough.
Driving an antique automobile may be safer than a lot of other things. And certainly, the "moron moderns" are enough of a risk. We do not need to have any more front axles coming apart on the road at speed.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


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