Solid (no spring) bar on a lift arm setup???

[Underdog]

I have a lift arm car and the new rules are saying we can no longer run a sprung/biscuited pull bar or lift arm. If I stick a solid bar in place of my 5th coil, how is it going to do?

I figure I will need to switch to a solid pull bar, but if the lift arm will still be drivable, I'd rather keep it as is (without having to add brackets and mounts and such).

Any & all thoughts welcome.

Thanks, KB

[billetbirdcage]

I have a lift arm car and the new rules are saying we can no longer run a sprung/biscuited pull bar or lift arm. If I stick a solid bar in place of my 5th coil, how is it going to do?

I figure I will need to switch to a solid pull bar, but if the lift arm will still be drivable, I'd rather keep it as is (without having to add brackets and mounts and such).

Any & all thoughts welcome.

Thanks, KB

I have on a LM, removed the coil over spring and replaced it with a 3" OD piece of tubing the same hieght as the original spring so it could still 6th coil down on decel. It drove fine. Not sure your still allowed to use a shock or have a 6th coil, guess it depends on how they wrote the rules.

[kaij15]

You may want to look into running a Reese Bar. Left side of the housing mounted to a 2x3 tubing box for accel and decel control. You can find different rates and lengths for most conditions.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

You may want to look into running a Reese Bar. Left side of the housing mounted to a 2x3 tubing box for accel and decel control. You can find different rates and lengths for most conditions.

I was about to chime in about a Reese bar, not sure I'd put it on the left though.

[ZERO25]

Southwest Speed has all the components for a Reese bar setup!

[JustAddDirt]

my dad ran a reece bar on an 1983 mastersbilt on the left side. slaps around in that box. clankity clank

[Underdog]

Southwest Speed has all the components for a Reese bar setup!

Thanks for the input everyone, but I can't find anything on the Reese bar. What is it that I'm looking for? Does it replace the lift arm?

Thanks again, KB

[Underdog]

Hey I think I see what you guys are talking about, is it like a fiberglass or hard rubber bar that slightly flexes under acceleration? Dad had one of those deals a longgggg time ago. This might be the answer, until they outlaw it probably LOL

[billetbirdcage]

Hey I think I see what you guys are talking about, is it like a fiberglass or hard rubber bar that slightly flexes under acceleration? Dad had one of those deals a longgggg time ago. This might be the answer, until they outlaw it probably LOL

No, it's a long spring steel bar. typically used in a load distribution for a trailer hitch.


I'm too lazy to look and find the right style but this will give you an idea. https://www.reese-hitches.com/catego...pring_Bars,106 or https://www.amazon.com/reese-weight-...ribution+hitch

Honestly they (rule makers or sanctioning body) probably won't allow this or anything that flexes or bowes to create movement or a spring type effect

[Lizardracing]

Think flexable torque arm.
Torque arms have been used in some high performance production cars for a long time. I had a 3Gen Camaro with one. It's simple and sturdy. It's a tube/bar/link/bracket or whatever that runs from the bottom of the pumpkin to the transmission mount to control axle wrap and anti/squat.
In in a DLM or Modified, it runs from the axle to the somewhere near the transmission tail shaft with that solidly fastened to the chassis. It's flexible so it absorbs some torque and helps with controlling axle wrap and anti-squat. A lift arm is the same thing, except its transmission end has springs on it for tuning purposes. If you can't have a lift arm, the next best thing is making the lift arm the spring.
You can mount them to the left or right of center and influence the loads on the tires on or off throttle. For example, If you put it a few inches left of center on the axle end, the LR tire gets less load off throttle, and more load on throttle.
Like any spring, it will wear out and become less springy so maintenance is required.

[ZERO25]

Thanks for the input everyone, but I can't find anything on the Reese bar. What is it that I'm looking for? Does it replace the lift arm?

Thanks again, KB

Southwest Speed calls them spring bars!

https://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=view_menu&cat=Suspension&sub=Spring%20Bars&ssub=!Spring%20Bars

Mounts.......https://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=...=Spring%20Bars

[JustAddDirt]

reese cup

Southwest Speed calls them spring bars!

https://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=view_menu&cat=Suspension&sub=Spring%20Bars&ssub=!Spring%20Bars

Mounts.......https://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=...=Spring%20Bars

yes that is it.

[Krooser]

Had one on my Jig a Low

[Underdog]

Nice! THis has me thinking, could I just swap out my 5th coil shock/spring with this

Southwest Speed calls them spring bars!

https://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=view_menu&cat=Suspension&sub=Spring%20Bars&ssub=!Spring%20Bars

Mounts.......https://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=...=Spring%20Bars

Nice! THis has me thinking, could I just swap out my 5th coil shock/spring with this and leave in my standard lift arm and stuff? I think then I would be prefectly legal to the rules and still get a little give. Just thinking out loud.

I'm actually going to try it out just like it is, at the beginning of the season, with a solid bar in place of my 5th coil, just to see how it reacts.

[Underdog]

Last question (maybe LOL)..... are the ones on Southwest Speed intended for guys to use vertically (like my 5th coil currently) or horizontaly (like my lift arm currently) ?