| Re: ladder bars |  | ||
| Re: ladder bars -- John Ford | Post Reply | Top of thread | Maverick Message Board |
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Posted by: Fred H ® 2001/09/05, 13:30:41 Author Profile |
Mr. Guy, I have ladder bars and coil overs on my '70. As others have stated it is not as easy as it seems. That is why I let professionals install mine. That being said, I can tell you that you will not be able to attach the front crossmember to the factory frame-rails as the traction bars are too long (mine extend to about 6" in front of the rear seat). What you will have to do is install frame connectors and weld the front crossmember between them (it is also important that the ladder bar crossmember be properly braced since the rearend will try to twist it out of the car). If you want to use coil overs, then you have to weld in a bar to mount the tops of the shocks to (mine is between the frame-rails just ahead of the gas tank). A diagonal link is also a must. It must be bolted to the front mount of one ladder bar diagonally back to the rear mount of the other bar. This keeps the rear end centered. The floors underneath the rear seats my need a little "coaxing" so as not to interefere with the travel of the ladder bars. That is just the basics and, like I said I am no expert, good luck with it. Might I sugggest mini-tubbing for more tire clearance? Mine is also mini-tubbed and with the way it is finished you cannot tell from the inside or outside the car. I have more than enough room to run 28x10.50 ET drags and the tires come nowhere near sticking out from underneath the car. How fast do you plan to go with this combination I am assuming at least 10 secs.)? If you plan on running anywhere in the 11's then leave springs and traction bars should do. With the 302 (ran 11.50's), I had 1.57 60ft times with stock leafs and generic traction bars. I had the ladder bars installed when I put in the 351W and the car consistently has a 1.45 60 ft times (with a small 10.50" tire). My experience has been that the ride is much harsher and noisier with the ladder bars. I would definitely not use ladder bars on a daily driver (mine is a weekend car). When set up correctly, they work really well. :Has anyone put ladder bars on their Mav. If so, where did you get it? Never done it before but looks fairly simple with just a little welding to the frame to mount the ladder brackets. Can anyone confirm this for me. 70 Mav. Ford 9 inch |
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