How To Install a Ladder-Bar Suspension - Chris Alston's Chassisworks

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The universal lowershockmounting plateis then cut along theline to fit on the backof the rear ladder-barbracket.These are the pieces included in the Chassisworks panhard-barkit. One end of the bar and one of the rod ends are threaded foradjustment; the other rod end is welded in place. The bracket atthe lower left is attached to the axle tube.After tacking the plate tothe ladder-bar bracket,make sure it is straightand plumb before finalwelding.The tubing for theupper shock-mountcrossmember is cut to fitbetween the frame railsand positioned with theuse of levels and shocksimulators, with theadjustable shock mountsset at their highestlevel. Once again steelsleeves, fabricated fromtubing for the uppershock mounts, are usedto establish the properbracket spacing.The non-threaded end of the panhard bar is marked for cutting tothe desired length. The housing must be properly centered whendetermining the correct bar length.Seen here are the installed uppershock-mount crossmember andthe panhard bar, which spans thedistance from the frame on theleft side to the axle housing onthe right. Make certain that thepanhard-bar bracket on the housingclears the frame rails.This is the fully fabricated upper shock-mount crossmember,prior to installation. The tabs on the ends of the tube wereadded to allow the crossmember to sit as high as possiblebetween the frame rails, while still providing a sufficientamount of surface for welding.The shocks are installed withoutthe springs, and all clearances arechecked at both full compressionand full extension to make surenothing binds up. Clearly visible isthe extra brace welded betweenthe lower shock-mounting plateand the housing.4 Order: 800-722-2269 Technical Assistance/Customer Service: 916-388-0288 Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Inc., 8661 Younger Creek Drive, Sacramento, CA 95828
With clamps holdingeverything in place,the stock housingend is welded backonto the axle tube.Don’t forget to remount the pads for the rubber axle snubbersonto both sides of the housing, directly below the frame rails, tokeep the shocks from bottoming out and beating themselves up.The housing endsare fully welded,and the entireassembly is backin place. Visibleare the notchesthat had to becut into the stockcrossmember toallow full ladderbartravel, andthe lower shockmountgussets.With all necessary brackets attached to the housing, it’s time tocomplete the narrowing procedure; Chassisworks carries the partsneeded for the home builder to do the job. The pinion centerlinegauge, foreground, is machined to work with all types of housings,while the alignment bar, carrier adapters (left), and housing-endadapter provide absolute precision when welding the ends in place.Lacking only the brake backing plates and a bit of paint, theladder-bar installation is virtually complete, with the panhardbarbracket clearly visible. The bearing-mounting areas ofthe stock housing ends have been cut off to allow the use ofthe Strange safety hubs, which are bolted to the housing-endflange from the inboard side and contain their own bearings,eliminating the potentially hazardous C-clip methodof holding the axles in place.The alignment bar slides into the housingand through the carrier-bearing adapters,which are installed in place of the carrierbearings. The housing-end adapter fitssnugly into the bearing area of the stockhousing end (which was cut off a coupleof inches from the backing-plate mountingflange), holding the end perfectly square tothe pinion.L60-15 tires on 15x8-inchrims put a full 22 inchesof rubber on the groundas the Chevelle returnedto earth. Visible on theright side of the photois one of the additionalgussets (formed from thecut-off ends of the frontcrossmember) that runsfrom the crossmemberto the frame.HowTo-001_0204 Email: sales@cachassisworks.com Web: cachassisworks.com5 Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Inc., 8661 Younger Creek Drive, Sacramento, CA 95828
Page 1 and 2: How ToInstall aLadder-BarSuspension
Page 3: Bumping the brackets into the housi

How To Install a Ladder-Bar Suspension - Chris Alston's Chassisworks

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