Common sense help needed for non fabricator

[BBM66]

Greetings,
I'm just a shade tree mechanic trying to build a nice streetable 73 Vega. So far, things have been going pretty well. I am currently working with the rear end, ladder bars and frame connectors that i acquired.... I have spent the past couple of evening reading differing opinion about how to go about setting up rear ends and several questions have come to mind that I couldn't find answers for, so I'm reaching out to you guys for help. This is a Ford 8" with all stock Vega spring and shock mounts.

I pretty much have the gist of how this should go, but here are my questions...
1- Do I need or can I even mount a torque arm from trans to rear end using the Don Hardy trans mount?
2- I will be switching from the stock, to an adjustable panhard bar....what mount do i use for attaching the bar to the car?
3- Where exactly should the mount be welded to attach bar to the car...I think I have a clue here, but want to make sure.
4- I am considering the Lakewood shock and 92 z-28 rear springs......opinions?
5- What am I not thinking of here and what else do I need to consider?

gentleman, I appreciate and value your input, no matter what it is. Thank you in advance for your help!
Bill

PS- Tried to upload pics, but no luck. If you need to see pics, I can e-mail them to you...thanks

[HAULIN' IT]

Greetings,
I'm just a shade tree mechanic trying to build a nice streetable 73 Vega. So far, things have been going pretty well. I am currently working with the rear end, ladder bars and frame connectors that i acquired.... I have spent the past couple of evening reading differing opinion about how to go about setting up rear ends and several questions have come to mind that I couldn't find answers for, so I'm reaching out to you guys for help. This is a Ford 8" with all stock Vega spring and shock mounts.

I pretty much have the gist of how this should go, but here are my questions...
1- Do I need or can I even mount a torque arm from trans to rear end using the Don Hardy trans mount?
2- I will be switching from the stock, to an adjustable panhard bar....what mount do i use for attaching the bar to the car?
3- Where exactly should the mount be welded to attach bar to the car...I think I have a clue here, but want to make sure.
4- I am considering the Lakewood shock and 92 z-28 rear springs......opinions?
5- What am I not thinking of here and what else do I need to consider?

Bill, For starters, I'm not sure what you got going on...you mentioned "ladder bars" & "stock spring & shock mounts". A stock '73 Vega wouldn't have a torque arm or a panhard bar. With a little explaining what your up to...I'll try to help. For now:
You wouldn't/shouldn't be using a torque arm with ladder bars. This would create binding due to the different arcs the rearend would be trying to do while being raised or lowered so you would end up with NO suspension movement.
Your goal on the panhard bar is to make it as long & level as possible with the vehicle at rest.
I'm not sure what you have planned with the Z-28 springs...when guys go to ladder bars, they usually do some type of small diameter coil spring around the shock on the backside of the rear end. Lorne

[BBM66]

Hi Lorne!
Thanks for the reply. I'll try to clear up a few things for ya and I appreciate you taking the time to reply.
I understand fully about the torque arm, thanks! Also, I understand about the panhard bar as well. Still need to know what
mount to use on the body to attach the bar and where to get one?
The Ford rear end I will be using has manufactured ladder bars attached and has coil spring buckets along with shock mounts in the same location as the stock rear end that came out of the car. I'm intrigued by what you described as a smaller coil spring over the shock. Sounds like a coil over setup...interesting. On this particular rear end, I can't see how that would work frankly. If you send your e-mail, I'll be happy to send you a few pics so you can see exactly what I'm dealing with here.....
Thanks again for your interest and your help!

Bill

[overkillrc]

Hi Lorne!
Thanks for the reply. I'll try to clear up a few things for ya and I appreciate you taking the time to reply.
I understand fully about the torque arm, thanks! Also, I understand about the panhard bar as well. Still need to know what
mount to use on the body to attach the bar and where to get one?
The Ford rear end I will be using has manufactured ladder bars attached and has coil spring buckets along with shock mounts in the same location as the stock rear end that came out of the car. I'm intrigued by what you described as a smaller coil spring over the shock. Sounds like a coil over setup...interesting. On this particular rear end, I can't see how that would work frankly. If you send your e-mail, I'll be happy to send you a few pics so you can see exactly what I'm dealing with here.....
Thanks again for your interest and your help!

Bill

not sure about lorne but i'm still confused. are you running ladders bars or a torque arm? if your running ladder bars have you thought about a diagonal link? then you just bolt it in and don't have to worry about the rearend swinging back and forth in the car.

[BBM66]

Yes I am running ladder bars. A diagonal link? Pretty sure I don't know what that is, but I'm certainly all ears! Thanks

[BBM66]

Hi Lorne!
Thanks for the reply. I'll try to clear up a few things for ya and I appreciate you taking the time to reply.
I understand fully about the torque arm, thanks! Also, I understand about the panhard bar as well. Still need to know what
mount to use on the body to attach the bar and where to get one?
The Ford rear end I will be using has manufactured ladder bars attached and has coil spring buckets along with shock mounts in the same location as the stock rear end that came out of the car. I'm intrigued by what you described as a smaller coil spring over the shock. Sounds like a coil over setup...interesting. On this particular rear end, I can't see how that would work frankly. If you send your e-mail, I'll be happy to send you a few pics so you can see exactly what I'm dealing with here.....
Thanks again for your interest and your help!

Bill

not sure about lorne but i'm still confused. are you running ladders bars or a torque arm? if your running ladder bars have you thought about a diagonal link? then you just bolt it in and don't have to worry about the rearend swinging back and forth in the car.

By the way....Very nice pieces on your website.....

[overkillrc]

Hi Lorne!
Thanks for the reply. I'll try to clear up a few things for ya and I appreciate you taking the time to reply.
I understand fully about the torque arm, thanks! Also, I understand about the panhard bar as well. Still need to know what
mount to use on the body to attach the bar and where to get one?
The Ford rear end I will be using has manufactured ladder bars attached and has coil spring buckets along with shock mounts in the same location as the stock rear end that came out of the car. I'm intrigued by what you described as a smaller coil spring over the shock. Sounds like a coil over setup...interesting. On this particular rear end, I can't see how that would work frankly. If you send your e-mail, I'll be happy to send you a few pics so you can see exactly what I'm dealing with here.....
Thanks again for your interest and your help!

Bill

not sure about lorne but i'm still confused. are you running ladders bars or a torque arm? if your running ladder bars have you thought about a diagonal link? then you just bolt it in and don't have to worry about the rearend swinging back and forth in the car.

By the way....Very nice pieces on your website.....

thank you......my site needs updating......BAAAAAD....lol anyway here is what i was referring to http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CEE-2052/?rtype=10 goes diagonally from one ladder bar to the other.

[rtm]

do your ladder bars look like these?

[rtm]

I am going to use an adjustable panhard bar

[rtm]

here's where i'm at right now

[BBM66]

Well, they do, but a lot more homeade than those. Youre setup is very similar to mine and the only diff I see is trhat you have a sway bar. I see now how the panhard bar is supposed to look. What springs are you using there? I've looked at tons of post on here, and the 92 and up Z-28 seems to be the ticket...your thoughts? You're also using the same Lakewood shock as i am planning on using. Looks good bro and thanks for the response. Ill take any and all thoughts you have on this rear end job...the more info, the easier it gets!
Bill

[rtm]

I'm no x-pert that's fo' sho' lol
the springs are stock v-8 monza (new)
I'm gonna try the lakewood 90/10 shocks up front.
I read somewhere about using a panhard bar, rather than a diagonal link, for street/strip use.
I guess adjustable ladder bars are the way to go as well.
I wish I had a three link setup with a torque arm. (like the stock monza setup)
too late now.
there are MANY more knowledgable members here who will help you out if you ask.

have fun
rick the mason

[BBM66]

Rick, where did you get the springs? Do you have a part number? I can get stock v-8 springs from Auto Junk....errrr Zone, but there are several options: 4.3 or 5.0. Standard Monza or 2+2? Regular or variable springs? Also, can u tell me where to get the body mount for the adjustable panhard bar? Thanks for the help bro!
Bill

[rtm]

the body mount would have to be a used one from a monza.
the other end is a bracket that is welded to the rear axle tube.
if you post in the wanted section, I'm sure someone here would have what you need.
if not try car-part.com
they may not list what you need in the parts section, but it will give you the names of junkyards with monzas in your area.
try searching for chevy monza axle housing . enter your zip code, and search by distance.
It's not to hard to figure out the site.


http://www.car-part.com

btw my springs are just stock v-8 monza
not sure about the spring rate.
variable? IDK
search overkill race parts for panhard bar
http://overkillracecars.com/H-body_Parts.html

can you post pics of your setup?
if your ladderbars look home made, they will probably be a headache.
my first set was a very old pair of lakewood bars.
adjusting pinion angle would have been impossible

this book was a big help to me;

http://www.jegs.com/i/Chassis+Book/622/CHASSIS/10002/-1

I would try to use the vega's factory four link locations if at all possible.
someone was making/selling weld on brackets for situations such as yours, but, I haven't seen them lately.
I'll try to do a search for them

take your time, and research your options before you spend any $$

[rtm]

here's a good thread to read concerning this subject
also shows pics of my early ladder bar setup (now hanging on my "wall of shame" )

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=33498