Ladder bars on a cutlass?
December 3rd, 2021, 09:54 AM
#1
Stock cars are too boring
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 295
Ladder bars on a cutlass?
So I've seen a few 65-72 cutlasses that have had ladder bars on them and I was wondering if those are possible with the stock 4 link? Yes I know they do the same thing essentially, but Im wondering if there are people doubling up or just have custom rear ends
December 3rd, 2021, 12:34 PM
#3
Stock cars are too boring
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Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 295
December 3rd, 2021, 01:58 PM
#6
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: central Indiana
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Ladder bars on a GM A body do nothing more than bind up the rear suspension. They basically give the suspension another set of control arms with different arc to cycle thru.
Generic ladder bars on a leaf spring rear end do nothing unless they are long enough to hit the spring eye. If they hit the spring instead of the spring mounting “eye” (where the bolt goes thru the bushing) it will cause excessive spring wrap. When the spring snaps back, that’s what causes wheel hop.
There are lots of YouTube videos explaining this far better than I could. Dick Miller wrote a good book on suspension theory. Definitely worth reading.
Generic ladder bars on a leaf spring rear end do nothing unless they are long enough to hit the spring eye. If they hit the spring instead of the spring mounting “eye” (where the bolt goes thru the bushing) it will cause excessive spring wrap. When the spring snaps back, that’s what causes wheel hop.
There are lots of YouTube videos explaining this far better than I could. Dick Miller wrote a good book on suspension theory. Definitely worth reading.
Last edited by matt69olds; December 4th, 2021 at 04:56 PM.
December 3rd, 2021, 02:51 PM
#7
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 47,378
Ladder bars on a GM Abofy do nothing more than bind up the rear suspension. They basically give the suspension another set of control arms with different act to cycle thru.
Generic ladder bars on a leave spring rear end do nothing unless they are long enough to hit the spring eye. If they hit the spring instead of the spring mounting “eye” (where the bolt goes thru the bushing) it will cause excessive spring wrap. When the spring snaps back, that’s what causes wheel hop.
There are lots of YouTube videos explaining this far better than I could. Dick Miller wrote a good book on suspension theory. Definitely worth reading.
Generic ladder bars on a leave spring rear end do nothing unless they are long enough to hit the spring eye. If they hit the spring instead of the spring mounting “eye” (where the bolt goes thru the bushing) it will cause excessive spring wrap. When the spring snaps back, that’s what causes wheel hop.
There are lots of YouTube videos explaining this far better than I could. Dick Miller wrote a good book on suspension theory. Definitely worth reading.
December 3rd, 2021, 05:10 PM
#8
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: West Hartford, CT
Posts: 1,429
I had Lakewood bolt on bars on ‘65 442 back in the early 80’s, they were exactly as described above. Helped in a straight line, hinderance around curves and corners. Had weld in bars with Heim joints on 70 SS, they were effective and easy to live with, also nearly invisible, much unlike the Lakewood bolt ons.
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December 4th, 2021, 07:08 AM
#11
Old(s) Fart
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 47,378
The Lakewood bars shown above are slapper bars, not ladder bars. They really just limit suspension travel if the axle starts to wrap up. Bars of this style are somewhat effective on leaf spring cars. I've never really understood what they were supposed to do on a GM four bar rear suspension.
December 4th, 2021, 10:35 AM
#12
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Location: central Indiana
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The Lakewood bars shown above are slapper bars, not ladder bars. They really just limit suspension travel if the axle starts to wrap up. Bars of this style are somewhat effective on leaf spring cars. I've never really understood what they were supposed to do on a GM four bar rear suspension.
properly set up, slapper bars work great on a leaf spring car. As I mentioned earlier, they need to be long enough for the snubber to apply force to the leaf spring mounting eye, that applies the axle rotational force to the body of the car, forcing the fire into the ground. If not, the force of the axle rotation tends to force the leaf spring into a S shape, until the tire breaks traction then all the force from the springs straightening out causes the wheel the hop, and the cycle repeats.
Cal trac bars take the advantages of slapper bars one step further.
Slapper bars need to be made for the application in question. They also require some adjustment and trial and error testing to get them to work. Just bolting them on and hoping for the best won’t cut it.
Last edited by matt69olds; December 4th, 2021 at 10:37 AM.
December 4th, 2021, 11:28 AM
#13
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Join Date: May 2017
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 116
As stated above, bolt on ladder bars like the ones offered by Lakewood are an absolute waste of time/money. Not to mention the damage that they WILL cause to your rear suspension.............I don't know how some of this stuff makes it into production, and for sale to the public, it would be bad enough if they were to be used for off highway use only (on a relatively smooth track surface), but to put them on a street driven car......boggles my mind!
Last edited by hotrod442; December 4th, 2021 at 11:31 AM.
December 4th, 2021, 06:42 PM
#16
Stock cars are too boring
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 295
Actually I was just asking why people would have them on our cars with 4 link suspension is all. I do like the look, but my car is already a pain to drive... Especially gonna be with the tunnel ram I just ordered lol
December 7th, 2021, 10:11 AM
#19
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Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 190
Ladder bars on a GM A body do nothing more than bind up the rear suspension. They basically give the suspension another set of control arms with different arc to cycle thru.
Generic ladder bars on a leaf spring rear end do nothing unless they are long enough to hit the spring eye. If they hit the spring instead of the spring mounting “eye” (where the bolt goes thru the bushing) it will cause excessive spring wrap. When the spring snaps back, that’s what causes wheel hop.
There are lots of YouTube videos explaining this far better than I could. Dick Miller wrote a good book on suspension theory. Definitely worth reading.
Generic ladder bars on a leaf spring rear end do nothing unless they are long enough to hit the spring eye. If they hit the spring instead of the spring mounting “eye” (where the bolt goes thru the bushing) it will cause excessive spring wrap. When the spring snaps back, that’s what causes wheel hop.
There are lots of YouTube videos explaining this far better than I could. Dick Miller wrote a good book on suspension theory. Definitely worth reading.
December 7th, 2021, 05:50 PM
#20
The bolt on lakewood ladder bars create more issues than they fix
If you want looks then they will fit the bill but I ran low 12's and stone stock rear suspension with just a 50/50 shock.
If you want looks then they will fit the bill but I ran low 12's and stone stock rear suspension with just a 50/50 shock.
Last edited by coppercutlass; December 7th, 2021 at 05:55 PM.
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