mezanine arm set up

[bajascott]

ok i have brought this up on different websites before,and got good info.
i thinks steve has said some stuff on this matter when i had my 77 f150...haha
anyway anyone have any good info on the subject? i really would like to do this on my bronco someday, i have always like the way it looks and seems to perfom on shorter wheel base .
i know that fantelli has done some on trucks.
and i know that the design is simaler to quarter eliptical set ups as well.
any pics? info? advice?

[magic carpet XLT]

the biggest advantage i see to it is the obvious similarity between dirtbike/high end mountain bike suspension.

you are putting the shock into a controlled position and you have complete control over its behavior from a design standpoint. you aren't relying on your wheel path and where your links end up to determine where your shocks go. you can control the rate of your spring curve and your shock shaft speeds more precisely.

not sure how you would fit it on a bronco tho, isn't the gas tank where the shocks would end up?

[PaulW]

ok i have brought this up on different websites before,and got good info.
i thinks steve has said some stuff on this matter when i had my 77 f150...haha
anyway anyone have any good info on the subject? i really would like to do this on my bronco someday, i have always like the way it looks and seems to perfom on shorter wheel base .
i know that fantelli has done some on trucks.
and i know that the design is simaler to quarter eliptical set ups as well.
any pics? info? advice?

=============
Take a trip to Glens shop in ElCajon and study Ramsey's build. They have a different way to do it, But I doubt if you could adapt it to a Bronco. That Blazer buid also has equal length arms and a late model GM transfer all connected to a 505.
BTW, Chris and I tried it out on my bronco but gave up after doing mockups. WB, clearances, and gas tank were show stoppers. We also tried forward bell crank shock mounts and gave up on that as well. The result was a conventional C/O 4 link and longer WB. Faster & cheaper build.
PW

[bajascott]

i understand it would be a lenghty process to build, i just want to do something not so common.with a tradtional 4 link you have limited travel numbers. i am only looking to gain 18-22 " of travel.18 to be more realistic.
do you have any pics of your guys' mock ups?
and how much was the wheel base affected? i wouldnt mind extending the wheel base a little bit....
i wish i could stop by a shop in el cajon......its only a 14 hr drive...

[PBR]

my brothers old prerunner blazer had a "hemet" arm set up, and if it worked in a blazer it could work in a bronco. let me see if i can come up with some pics.

my old class 8 rig had one of the most famous of the hemet set ups and it worked incredibly well. hard to say if it worked better or worse than a conventional c/o 4 link set up since the truck had always been set up that way, but damn it worked good!

[bajascott]

Ollie,your truck is part of the reason that i am interested in this.i would love to see some pics of the blazer.
i was hopeing you'd post up.
i know that broncos are pretty well balanced,but with my old bronco,it seemed too nose heavy.it was set up a little different than the i currently have,but the charactoristics are the the same.i would rather crry the front end than dig.

[philofab]

Look into Mark Newhan stuff... he is the king of Hemet arms and builds amazing trucks.

[damon1272]

I remeber seeing a hemet arm set up in a prerunner Blazer years ago. So installing the set up can be done. I have always like this set up. I have ridden in one truck that had the hemet arm suspension and what a ride! Anyone have picks to post. I would think that this type of suspension would be a good arangment for a four seater Bronco amd would be easier with a widened truck.

[PBR]

i am still working on getting some pics of my brothers blazer up.

[bajascott]

thats cool ollie, i have had this on my mind for like 5 years,so days or weeks are nothing!!lol
thanks

[SteveG]

Here are a few pictures of one of Larry Ragland's old prerunners.

[bajascott]

that what i am looking for, it looks to like there is still room inside unlike traditional 3/4 link set up. i'd like to see some pics of the interior! simple looking set up
thanks steve

[damon1272]

I agree. I have always thought this would be a great set up for a Bronco.

[toddz69]

that what i am looking for, it looks to like there is still room inside unlike traditional 3/4 link set up. i'd like to see some pics of the interior! simple looking set up
thanks steve

I unfortunately don't have any pics of the interior but remember seeing the truck when Larry still owned it at the Parker 400 in '95. The rear had boxes of sorts that covered the spring/shock area (similar to some c/o Broncos) but still had at least one center rear seat iirc.

I'd be curious where that truck is today. It was an interesting piece - built here in Phoenix by a guy named Wayne Stump, I believe. I remember that he had engraved his name in the steering wheel hub.

Todd Z.

[SteveG]

At the time those pictures were taken it was owned by a guy that owned a foundry in Fontana (I think). It handled really well. A friend of mine helped replace the rear springs a while back and he said it was an incredible pain in the ass and that they were HUGE. The rear structure took up a ton of room in the cargo area. I think using a single large coil-over instead of multiple shocks would be ideal.

EDIT: I added a couple more pictures.

[philofab]

Interesting rear end truss... I wonder why more people don't do a truss like that?

[bajascott]

i diddnt notice the way it was trussed, killing two birds with one stone.
a coilover would be ideal. im curious what kind of spring rate would be used on a set like this.
i think if done with the intent of keeping some room in the cargo area it could be done,and still maintain the "4" seat capabilities.
i have a small beard bench i am using now.
i know leafsprings are simpler and could be cheaper,but i just like brainstorming keep the info coming!!

[SteveG]

Interesting rear end truss... I wonder why more people don't do a truss like that?

Because it doesn't add enough weight and won't make it to the moon and back.

[toddz69]

Happened to be surfing through the classifieds on rdc this morning and interestly enough, it's for sale:

http://www.race-dezert.com/cgi-bin/trad ... d&id=10313

Todd Z.

[damon1272]

Interesting how the inetrior cage looks to be bushing mounted. Anybody have any info on how this suspension is designed. I know it works well as I have riden in a truck with a very similar setup. But I am looking for a more technical post explaining the design. I have tried searches but have come up with very little.