Today I saw a video of a rat rod with altered suspension and I'm curious to know if anyone here would know how this suspension works. It looks like a nice alternative to bags. The 1932 Ford pick up is called Hemrod and owned by Robert Wong. It has a 392 Hemi but here's the tricky bit. The rear suspension raises and lowers not with air bags but with gears and chains. It has a chain driven manual suspension according to the owner. I will post some photos I got from the video:
Looks like an adjustable top link, like you would use on an ag tractor. In the pictures looking from the rear you can see the end of it. (Painted red) The opposite end will look the same, but one end is right hand thread, and the other is left hand. It really isn't anything more than a big turnbuckle. The chain appears to be rapped around the center barrel. When you turn the center barrel section the ends thread out making the link longer, turn it the other way and it gets shorter. The end you can't see is likely attached to the frame, the end you can see is attached to the standoff which is part of the rearend. The rear end is likely on a pivot, move it one way and the rearend lifts up and the body/frame goes down. Go the opposite way and the rearend is pushed down and the body/frame gets lifted up. Chain goes from the electric motor around the center barrel of the top link/turnbuckle...turn it one way, top link retracts, turn it the other and it extends. Not exactly built to "Automotive Standards"...more of a 'Shock Rod" approach.
Thank you Sniper (and 77). When the owner says it has a chain driven manual suspension, would that mean he has to get out of the truck and manually crank the ride up or down? I think it is a neat alternative to the standard (bags). So is this set up something I might consider or should I steer away and go with bags or bags that slide over shocks ?
Looks like an adjustable top link, like you would use on an ag tractor. In the pictures looking from the rear you can see the end of it. (Painted red) The opposite end will look the same, but one end is right hand thread, and the other is left hand. It really isn't anything more than a big turnbuckle. The chain appears to be rapped around the center barrel. When you turn the center barrel section the ends thread out making the link longer, turn it the other way and it gets shorter. The end you can't see is likely attached to the frame, the end you can see is attached to the standoff which is part of the rearend. The rear end is likely on a pivot, move it one way and the rearend lifts up and the body/frame goes down. Go the opposite way and the rearend is pushed down and the body/frame gets lifted up. Chain goes from the electric motor around the center barrel of the top link/turnbuckle...turn it one way, top link retracts, turn it the other and it extends. Not exactly built to "Automotive Standards"...more of a 'Shock Rod" approach.
When the owner says it has a chain driven manual suspension, would that mean he has to get out of the truck and manually crank the ride up or down?
So is this set up something I might consider or should I steer away and go with bags or bags that slide over shocks ?
Hey Cuddles, I'll try to answer your questions. As far as the "Chain driven manual suspension" goes, he could very well have to hand crank it somehow. Or, it could be just his choice of words that make it sound that way. But with the electric motor in the mix, I would bet he was intending to "manually" flip a switch and have the motor do the work. We can't tell if he even has suspension, are the tires providing the only cushioning effect? I just don't know, I only have the pictures to go by.
Should you follow suit and copy what he has? Short answer in my opinion, NO. To many unknowns.
Can you use the initial idea and improve on it. You sure can. You'll have to consider what you already have for suspension...leaf, coil, torsion bar etc. Is there enough room to work with? Is the desired result going to be worth the money spent, work involved, the down time of your vehicle. These kind of changes...and in my opinion, this is a major one...are always more expensive, more work, and take a lot longer to get completed than you ever allow for. This will be your first major hurtle to solve, and only you can answer it.
I'm not trying to discourage you from doing a lift system on your ride, I'm just trying to keep you from falling into the trap a lot of us have been in. Taking a running ride, and putting it up on blocks for who knows how long to satisfy an idea. I'm in the same boat, my pickup needs some work and a lot of ideas I want to do will lay it up for 3-4 years. I'm just driving it for the time being, until I can get my ducks in a row. I've read some of your posts, and you mention that you need work done on the engine. If you add this job to the list before you get the engine done, you may find you're a spectator at the car shows for quite awhile. Continue to research your ideas, and finally settle on what will work best for your situation. Meanwhile, repair the engine, get it running and enjoy it. The right system will be found if you don't rush it. Sniper
Boy this site is such a wealth of not just knowledge but even more important, wisdom. Everything you point out is precisely what I needed to hear. Thank you. I will get my burnt valve fixed in the Spring and enjoy another summer while I ponder what to do to raise my ride. I know I could raise it to a fixed height easy enough but I really hope to make my ride height fluid, according to my need at the time. I love that aspect of hot rodding. And I woke up this morning thinking about starting from scratch - yes everyone here warned me about this illness. I don't know why it took m,e so long to think of it though. It might be I'll have to rent a larger welder and use my friends garage (220) but fabricating my own frame would be a blast and once done, I could just slide everything onto the new frame. More to it than that I know but fun to dream. Not that my frame is bad at all. I just think it would be nice to do a build from scratch and not have to go without my ride while I build it. Thank you Sniper and Shag766. I think for now I will just try to learn what I can about bags and the bags that slide over coil overs. So many options ? Geez this is addictive.
My view from the cheap seats.
The truck is my first build ever. Never been involved in anyone else's either. Do some reading, but not to much, it will get confusing and very opinionated. Try something, go for it. what is the worst that will happen? It doesn't turn out the way you want, you lose some material, no one died and you learned something. Enjoy the build, keep the big picture in mind, that is where you want to land.
For that adjustable suspension, I can't offer anything, but make sure it will pass a safety.
Do I need another safety if I alter my suspension ?
I am not sure you will need another safety but you have to remember that some of the modifications seen on the U S built cars will never pass a safety here. Also remember, if you get in an accident you can be sure the authorities will go over your car with a fine tooth comb looking for infractions. I have seen cars for sale in the U S with tubbed and narrowed frames and air ride where they eliminated some of the trunk floor and left it open. That wouldn,t pass here.
I just didn't realize because it is all new to me. I thought once you had a safety, you had all the paperwork needed. Thanks to this group, I know more than I did. I am getting the impression that the more I look into it, the less possible it is to alter my suspension. Just as well I guess. I have enough to do to keep me busy. Thank you everyone. I was just dreaming I guess.
