AX is right on.Everybody's idea of best handling and best ride quality or a combination of both are going to be different.Also,everyones trucks are set up different as far as,ride heights,front to rear weight,center of gravity,tire compounds/sizes,suspension types,etc,etc.So trying to say for sure what you're going to need for your truck is not an exact science.

The reasons I went with a 3 link are; familiarity,ease of making changes,and just to be different(although I see the "05 Mustang uses a 3 link now).I'll be able to "dial" it in to my own needs of handling and ride quality.I've got adjustable coil overs all the way around(I can change ride height in a matter of seconds) and an adjustable panhard bar also.Springs can be changed in a matter of a couple of minutes.I mounted the rear shocks/springs as close to the wheels as possible for increased handling and ride.The 4-link kits I've seen have all got the shocks/springs mounted too far in.

Ax is right about the shocks and sway bars.I'd go with adjustable shocks and the heaviest sway bar you can get for the front.If its too pushy,you'll have to stiffen the rear(bar or springs).The stiffer you go with the bar,the lighter you can go with springs,thus improving the ride quality.

Bottom line is to go with what you're comfortable with,but be prepared to "adjust".

 

"Ax is right about the shocks and sway bars.I'd go with adjustable shocks and the heaviest sway bar you can get for the front.If its too pushy,you'll have to stiffen the rear(bar or springs).The stiffer you go with the bar,the lighter you can go with springs,thus improving the ride quality.

Bottom line is to go with what you're comfortable with,but be prepared to "adjust"."

Purple

I have spent enough time around dirt trackers to know you guys can easily tweak your suspensions for hard track, soft track 1/4 MI 1/2 MI. Though I will desire the ability to make right turns as well. Hopefully after Christmas you and AX can share some principles.

When you or AX have time, apply what you just stated above. If something terrible happened and you had to run my suspension How would you approach this situation. (I'm wide open for a plasma cutter joke here, kindly control yourself please)

Front IFS Volare

Torsion bars currently adjusted too soft (Can't go softer) I can easily add pre-load without ride height problems. Just costs a front end alignment.
Stock sway bar equipped, 15/16"? Seems inadequate. Could go considerably heavier
Stock fitz-em-all non-adjustable gas shocks OEM style

Rear suspension
Stock leaf springs in good condition, leaves removed, no sway bar
Whatever was short enough gas shocks (mini-truck rears I believe). non-adjustable.

My front to rear weight distro is as good as it's gonna get. I'm better off than most here.

Result is a truck that rides very nice in the front, I could easily sacrifice some softness up there. The rear is still unexplainably firm. It was downright harsh before I pulled the last leaf. Front corners will dive pretty easily. I haven't been pushing it by any means. I wouldn't mind if the front ride height went up, but no more than an inch. I'd prefer the rear not go up at all. I have maybe a two inch rake at the bumper right now.

I don't have any illusions I'm building a sports car. But I'm convinced considerable improvement is possible.

Without buying three sets of everything new for experimentation, where would you guys start? I'm prepared to adjust, I just need to know which screw to turn first. I've left it alone up til now because I knew I'd have all new suspension parts, and then start back over because it's worse than when I started.

 

I'm up for this! We can do a similar discussion to the audio systems, dividing the topic into theory and practice related to the various parts of the suspension and how they affect ride and handling.
For those who are unfamiliar with autocross (AX) or more properly SCCA Solo2 racing (like me, before we got involved with it by trying to learn how to drive our then new Miata sports car): The basic premise is to drive your vehicle as hard and fast as possible through a intricate course designated by traffic cones set up on a large paved surface. There is a electric eye beam at the start and finish lines of the course conected to a high precision timer recording your time to .001 sec. The course is different at every event, you don't get any practice runs, just walk the course for an hour or two to familiarize yourself with the layout and decide your best strategy to get your car around the course in the shortest amount of time without hitting any cones. The first time thru the course behind the wheel is on your first of typically 3 timed runs for the event with your quickest time counted as your score, the person doing it quickest per class is the winner. There are classes for most types of vehicles with 4 wheels and an engine from gokarts to pickups, and modification levels from nearly showroom stock to purposefully built cars from the ground up. Most national level courses are run on airport runways, are ~1- 1 1/2 miles in total length and take from 45-75 sec to complete.
Sound easy? It is! anyone can compete, starting at 8-16yr olds in power restricted gokarts to anyone with a valid drivers license and mechanically safe vehicle except vans and SUVs.
That simplicity is very deceiving once you graduate from local events to competing nationally tho! We equate it to playing golf: anyone with a set of clubs and greensfee can play golf, but it takes a tremendous amount of skill, practice and finely tuned equipment to even play in the Masters, where the smallest error can make the difference between winning and finishing DFL in the field of the best of the best.
My wife was the 2003 National Champion in her class but finished 3rd in the championships this year, 0.4 sec behind first and 0.1 sec behind second (literally less than the blink of an eye!) in her combined best times out of 3 runs on each of 2 different courses run over two days because she made a very slight error on her quickest run the second day! The driving is so intense that at the end of a run you are soaked with sweat and shaking from the adreniline rush.
Our car must be able to accellerate, brake, turn left and right at the maximum speed possible, and must be as adjustable as possible for surface conditions since we race on all different qualities of both asphalt and concrete in rain or shine 9-10 months a year.
We also race in ProSolo, a variant that combines AX with dragracing where two cars run side by side on two mirror image courses utilizing a xmas tree start where reaction times also add into your time.
We can start the discussion on Saturday!

 

[QUOTE=fatfenders]

I have spent enough time around dirt trackers to know you guys can easily tweak your suspensions for hard track, soft track 1/4 MI 1/2 MI.

Can't help YOU.I'm only used to setting up suspensions for use on pavement.We know Iowa has no pavement.

When you or AX have time, apply what you just stated above. If something terrible happened and you had to run my suspension How would you approach this situation. (I'm wide open for a plasma cutter joke here, kindly control yourself please)

Niolon could point you in the right direction here!

If it were mine I'd go with a 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 front sway bar and a set of Koni adjustables all the way around, as AX said.I've got those on my 70 Mustang and they're great.

On the rear I'd soften it some more and add a bar.

Understand,of course, that I'm not used to working with you're particular "problems"(suspension type)so obviously there is more qualified help for you out there somewhere.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

axracer ive done the solo2 a few times and i didnt see the rush then again i was racing up a class i was in an mx3 and he was in a wrx 5speed with turbo so you tell me he beat me by .01 and his car has almost 100hp more all wheel drive andit was stick.

the point here is dont go stiff unless you want to but if you do the rear must be stiffer as well.
if i was you i would stick with some adjustible shocks and then see because obviously you want better handling and i dunno about you but i dont think a 53 f-100 should drive like a new truck personally i think the oldies ride smoother.

 

AX

That sounds real good, if you can keep it focused. Like audio, it can quickly head in many directions and get confusing. Nobody here is trying to win a sound competition with an Effie, nor does anyone probably have the desire to be the National Autocross champ in a 48 panel van.

I'd love to learn the principles. My knowledge base has come from so many sources, I'm sure it's all confused and inaccurate. I'll throw in my two cents then you can try to lead it in some productive direction that applies to Effies. Definitely start a fresh thread and guide it in the direction you desire. Or die trying anyway.

1. Principles of course, handling without throwing ride quality to the wind.

2. Apply the principles to typical Effie suspension styles. Take a look at the suspension thread stickied here. Almost all of us run one of those styles. And they are VERY diverse. Coil overs, torsion bars, Camaros and big ol cushy LTDs clips. Rear leafs, 3 links, 4 links.

3. Help us do what we can with what we have. Rather than suggest all the Aerostar guys install a Vette clip they can't afford.

If you can head it towards something like the above, and not towards the building of a Daytona car, you'll be my hero. Good luck.

Purple

You know what I meant circle track boy. I know you're a hard track veteran. But you know what I meant. And THE interstate does in fact run right through Iowa. I can hear it from the front porch on a quiet night.

I don't have a clue why someone might install a 3 link instead of a 4 link. I suspect it has something to do with your stock car experience. No? Be handy for that part.

 

To get me a good starting package, one that I may have to tweak on slightly, would this get me in the ballpark:

Mopar 1 1/8 front swaybar.

Dropped front spindles. Eventhough they mess with the factory geometry and change the roll center, does lowering the truck and having more spring rate in torsion bars overcome the bad effects of the dropped spindles?

Stock 2003 Lightning springs with axle mounted on top of spring with custom hangers. Keep springs eyes at same angle, from the ground, as stock. The rear track on a stock Lightning is 65.3 inches. Mine is 10" shorter, but I should keep the spring as close to the tire as possible.

The front swaybar on a Lightning is 1.22" and the rear is .90. Will the rear swaybar be too much, in comparsion to the Mopar 1 1/8 swaybar? Mopar offers a swaybar to match their front, a .75" bar. Which bar would be better?

Koni adjustable shocks.


Thanks for the responses.

 

What was the heavier bar designed for? If you can pick one up cheap (salvage yard?)to try, go for it, but it might be a little light depending on what type handling you're looking for, and your nose weight. You don't want too heavy a bar on the relatively light rear as it may try to pick up the opposite wheel. I think it would be difficult to put too heavy a bar on the front. Remember the swaybar doesn't affect the ride quality only the weight transfer in corners.

 

Factory cars came with a 15/16" and 1" size swaybars. Mopar Performance offers the 1 1/8" bar. I have the 1" size right now. Without going custom, I believe the 1 1/8" is the thickest non-custom bar available.