Rear Crossmember/Spring Slider/Spring Relocater

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19DUSTER73

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Hey guys here is an unfinished project I am working on. It is a leaf spring slider mount. It works as a mount for the spring sliders, a frame stiffener for the rear and it also moves the springs inboard the frame. I still need to build the end plates to weld the unit to the frame. I am also going to build new spring mounts for the front also. Let me know what ya guys think. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated. I'm thinking I may build this as a kit so feedback while in the prototype stage is a must.
THANKS!
 

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The springs will be inside the frame?
 
Yes they will be in between the frame rails rather that on the outside. I should have the rest of the steel in the next couple of days to finish it. I will post more pics then.
 
I got caught up in hunting season but here is a pic of where it will be mounted in the car. Its not positioned exactly where it should be yet. It is set a bit to far back in between the rails. My dad has my springs in his dart at the moment. Once I get them back I can carry on with the fab of the front spring mounts and get everything tacked up in the car.
 

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looks good ..mounts the springs in like the old abc kit that use to sell..i had that under my car for a few years..work pretty good and made a lot of room for big meat..i had a 29/10.5w under my duster with a 10" rim and mini tub car looked killer from behind it.. oh and that was with a stock abody housing lol..nice looking welds wish i could get it down like that..geuss i need to strat welding more lol ..keep up the work :D
 
Hey thanks earthmover. I am a welder by trade so that kinda helps :). I am going for pretty close to the same set up you talked about. I'll post pics when I get everything welded up and then some with the car back together and sitting on the ground. You wouldn't happen to have any pics of your duster with that set up would you?
 
had a thought after i went to bed lol..maybe something to look in to before you weld it up but its up to you...think about maybe a u shape mount that will fit around the frame rail and weld to each end of your mount with the sliders on it...that way you have more support and more to weld to ,and be solid...just a thought for you....:toothy8:

i'll look and see if i have any of the old set up, as i did away with most of it and went back in the stock location with smaller tire..but will look for some and post if i find them..thanks mike
 
Hey thanks for the tip. I have been thinking on something like that. It would be great if you can find some pics. I love seeing other guys set ups and getting any advice I can, especially while in the r&d stages of a build.
 
Yes it will be more than 3 inches. The springs will be mounted between the frame rails. I will be building new mounts to weld in for the front spring mounts. My dad is running a set up like this without the spring sliders on his 67' Dart. His is mini tubbed and he is running a 31x13 good year. Just a different way of doin things. My first thought was to weld mounts to the bottom side of the frame then bolt my sliders to that. Would have been quick and easy. I wouldn't have had to cut out my sheet metal in my trunk and move half my fuel system. I got to thinkin about it and decided I wanted to run the fattest tire possible with a mini tub. I also wanted to drop the car about an 1 1/2"-2" in the rear. The lower the rear is the easier the weight transfer. Plus I plan on running probably a 30" tire which is I think is an 1 1/2" larger than what I have on there now. With the way the car sits now a 2" drop will make it sit level. I have a lot goin on but I plan on posting pictures of everything. I suppose the thing to do would have been to do the build then post the pics and what not.
 
I like the thinking and desigen of this. I have been thinking of adding the AFCO Sliders to my set up. Dose anyone have any info or insight on if the Sliders help or work well with a Cal-Traks set up?
 
I think the biggest advantage to running a slider is eliminating the shackle which eliminates binding issues that may come with running a shackle. I am running split monos and cal-tracs. I have never ran sliders on anything before. I saw them in a Speedway catolog and decided to give them a go. Look around before you buy. The AFCOs are a slightly heavier design than the Speedway sliders but they are double the price. I have my car in a million pieces right now hopefully I'll have it back together before next summer. I'm excited to get it to the track and see how my slider contraption works out.
 
What would the cost of this be? Very interested now damn you! lol ;)
 
I still have a couple of things I need to figure out before I can put a price on it. A major one is how consistent are the widths of A-body frame rails? I also need to come up with a simple front spring mount. I have a few ideas but not everyone has a welder in there shop or the know how. I should have something figured out in the next week or so. I'll keep yall posted.
 
Cool! Cuz I would like to do this to lower the rear and move the springs inward! And if the price is reasonable, would be awesome!
 
the front mount can be like the old abc kits no the best innovation but works..the old kit had a large angle iron (L shape) that weld or bolt to the frame rail and the frame conn. was welded or bolted to the front side of the mount and the spring was mounted to the back..i do have a pic of that i can post just be tomm. ill have to get under the car and take 1...i had the abc kit but moved the springs back out and kept the front mount cause the frame conn. are welded to it...mike
also the abc kit worked great and your idea should work better cause the sliders...:cheers:
 
Hey Mike a pic would be great. I don't know that I have ever seen an abc kit. I am probably younger than a lot of guys on here. I'm 24 so if something hasn't been around for a spell then there is a chance I've never heard of it or seen it.
 
If I read everything right your idea will put the springs alongside the frame rails, but on the inside instead of the outside?? Don't understand the advantage to it. Frame rails will still be there limiting tire size. And you can mount a slider to the factory frame rail, at least I have seen it done that way.....Seems like alot of work to just mount a slider...
 
There is no benefit to running one on the outside of the frame rail because you cant run a larger tire. There is really no benefit to running one mounted to the bottom of the frame rail because you can not lower the car. Its kinda just my own little creation. A little different way of doin things. Set up this way you can also cut the frame plate it and widen the wheel tubs later on for more tire clearance. Just kinda depends on how a guy wants to do things. One thing always leads to another lol.
 
ill get pics today.. man i know some of you guys remember the abc kit that use to sell in the mopar books years ago..some of you with the old stack of books look you may see it..they went out or under not sure but stopped making them.. i had the kit installed and worked fine...like i said gave alot of room for tire ..29/10.5w on 10" rims just a mini job done....
 
Hey inkjunkie I apologize if I came of a little grumpy. Hey Mike I think I have an old direct connection book somehwere. Would there be any info about it in there ya think?
 
all the info i use to see was in books like mopar muscle and others....if i can find 1 of my books ill take a pic of the ad..its found in the back section most of the time ..it just a ad about moving the springs in....
 
hey 73 i'm am sorry i didnt for get the pics been running back and forth..but home today and will get them for you...if you send me your email i'll send them from my phone...thanks mike
 
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