Best way to set up a 3 link on 1993 s10 ext. cab

Edited: 5/10/2007 8:57:07 PM by ohioratrodder

what is the best way to set a 3 link with a panhard. The panhard bar is going from just right of the pumpkin to the left frame rail, and i still want keep the stock gas tank? Would it be better to run the upper bar parallel or triangulated? What is the best place to locate the upper bar, and would i still want my instant center in front of the grill?

Here is quick drawing i did of my ideal

Thanks
Jason

You're really making me think back on this one.

If you think it through well enough, I sure that you will realize that what you are asking is quite possible. The only major change that I would make to your design is to run the pannard bar as far to the left side of the rearend that you can. You can use the stock gas tank cross member to mount your upper bar to as long as you brace the cross member back to the frame somehow to help with absorbing stress. If you don't you will end up tearing the cross member off at some point. I don't have any solid figures to give you, but as long as you understand what it will take to have an instant center, you should be fine.

If I haven't quite answered all of your questions let me know.

If it was mine I would run a wishbone on the top and forget the panhard. Just an option to throw out there.

thanks max, and opie i would run a wishbone but the gas tank is in the way and i dont really want to make a differential bracket to clear the gas rank

wouldn't you be able to set up the wishbone on the other side and just remove the exhaust?

I have seen the off-center wish-bone on many different trucks, so I know that it works well enough. The issue is the lop-sided roll-center. The single point of the wish-bone is the roll-center, so having the roll center off to the right side will make the truck lean harder into a right hand turn and less in a left hand turn. I am aware that we are not building race cars here, but if you are spending the time to have a good instant-center then why would you compromise when it came to the roll-center?

if u want to run a panhard bar then u dont need the uper 3rd link bar!

Yea I see what your saying. I just look at it from the "we are not beuilding race cars position".

Now what if and not saying its possible, but what if he has a straight bar coming down over the drive shaft and an angled bar coming from that point on the axle back to the crossmember. would that still throw it off to one side?

Edited: 5/25/2007 9:47:00 PM by iLLblazer

Originally posted by minitrucker04



if u want to run a panhard bar then u dont need the uper 3rd link bar!

Umm that might be the case if he wanted a 2 link. he wants a proper suspension by the looks of things.

Air Lift makes a kit very similar to your design. It will work fine with an over axle setup or something. Personally I would get a new gas tank crossmember from SD and build off of that because you will want to raise the ank anyways and you'll have a much stronger crossmember. Also, like Max said, keep the panhard as long as possible. It will minimize the amount of axle shift throughout travel.If you arent going the wishbone route, you definetly want the one upper link parrallel.

Originally posted by minitrucker04



if u want to run a panhard bar then u dont need the uper 3rd link bar!

I don't know if I will ever win.

Opie- That would be the bast way to accomplish a wish-bone. I can't remember ever doing a wish-bone on anything mini. There just isn't the real-estate for one to be set up properly.