77 CC squarebody sfbd build thread..it rolls and runs

the panhard bar got finished tonight after i got off of work....

i used a panhard rear end bracket from a race car i bought off ebay for 35 bux. 2 cone spacers, a 3/4" heim joint, and one 4 1/2" long with a 3/4" threaded grade 8 bolt.
the panhard bar has a bung welded on one end for the heim joint. and the other has a 3 inch link bar end i picked up from sucidedoors .

the truck was set up for the ride height to be around 4-5 inches off the ground. hopefully i wont get alot of side pull when i lay the truck out.
i know the panhard bar isnt the best choice to center the rear. but its simple and it gets the job done. and its beefy as hell....lol

i still need to weld in the rear shock mount tabs.
finish some welding on one of the c-nothes.
trim some metal from the bed wheelwells.
extend the wires for the tailights.
clearance the inside front fenders so i can roll and steer when im riding low...
plumb the airlines and mount the airtank and compressor/s
i need to drill out the mounting holes for the front upper bag bracket. i cant believe i havent done that yet. lol... seems like i would have done that before i put the front clip back on....

pics of the homemade panhard bar...

mocked up



after i welded it all up and threw a little bit of paint on it so it doesnt rust...

when you do get a lot of pul maibe you need to raise the part welded to the chassis to about midway through the travel

It's looking good man. I wish my truck was this far along. Keep up the good work and you'll be out cruising the ole' sled before you know it.

Looks real good to me. Couldnt tell you if it is gonna work right though cause Im a dumba$$.

looking great sparky

thanks guys... its not the best looking setup. but its going to have to work for now....lol

well... i have some major side pull when i drop the truck on the ground. about 3 inches to one side when i lay it out on the ground..(but ride height is 5 inches off the ground and the rear end is perfect)

i was thinking about doing away with the panhard and welding a bar to the ends of the link bars to connect them. kinda like a swingarm. im pretty sure the rear end wont move with a setup like that.

Man your in a situation on that one. That's a shit load of side movement. Ya might just have to break down and build a wishbone or something. I know the extra cash shelled out sucks especially this late in the game,but if you try a couple more setups that don't work you might have saved money just buying the 3 end links right now. Not sure if that's good advice just my honest opinion, and what I'd probably do.

yes, that is good advice. but at the time i didnt have a job or the money to spend on a correct 4 link.

throwing money away on things that dont work sucks..... but i am learning alot as i go. and other people get to see what happens when you try to cheap out and use a panhard bar ....

would a wishbone bind up if my lower link bars are hard mounted to the rear end?

Bar is too short. The longer you can make it the less pull you will get. I run into the same issue on mine with the triple stack bags. Throughout the lift, 14", it will pull to center at ride height and then back to the same side at full lift as layed out. I did alot of messing around and got it to a happy medium and has worked fine, but I notice it. Now that I am going to 24's, it will be more noticeable and will probably have to do something different, such as watts link. Another option for a panhard is to go diagonally from the front of the lower link bar to the axle on the opposite side. It will be a long bar and you will get very little if any side pull.

Yes, I haven't read back, but as I remember you have a 2 link right? No you cant run a wishbone, well you could but you wouldn't get any suspension travel as it would bind up, really bad. Your 2 options are a panhard bar, or watts link. Well 3 options, a 3 or 4 link.

By putting a wishbone on a 2 link, in reality you are making it a 3 link and would need to change your lower bar mounts on the axle to allow the axle to rotate on them.