1935 Cadillac - GM Heritage Center

Front Wheel Suspension
The front end construction of the new Cadillac
cars is entirely new and is a distinct departure from
conventional design in that the front axle is
entirely eliminated. See Fig. 1.
In this new construction, the front wheels are
mounted independently of each other. They are
fastened directly to the frame with sturdy arms
(Fig. 2) hinged in such a way as to permit vertical
movement only. The up and down movements of
the wheels are controlled by means of special
frictionless helical springs instead of the conventional
leaf springs. This suspension of the front
wheels makes possible a "gliding ride" which
eliminates pitching and neck-snapping in the rear
seat.
The new helical springs have no function except
that of springing the car as they are not depended
upon to hold the front wheels in position nor to
absorb the driving and braking forces. As a result,
it has been possible to redistribute the weight of
the car and to soften the front springs to provide
maximum riding comfort. Moreover, the front
wheel suspension system as used by Cadillac adds
materially to the roadability, safety and ease of
steering in the new cars.
Inasmuch as the front wheels are mounted independently
of each other, it is obvious that either
wheel may follow the irregularities of the road
without carrying that side of the car with it and
without transferring the resultant movement or
Fig. 1. Phantom view of the front wheel suspension
system