Gettin' Down

Despite the proliferation of aftermarket independent front suspension kits in the past decade, a lot of classic truck builders continue to adapt passenger car subframes to their pickups. Camaro and Nova subframes are probably the most common, but we have to believe that Plymouth Volare/Dodge Aspen transverse torsion bar setup runs a close second. These late-'70s Mopar units are popular for several reasons. First, the entire suspension is part of a bolt-in K-member that can easily be unbolted from the donor vehicle. Second, adapting the K-member doesn't require cutting off the front half of your truck's original frame--the rails are merely notched so the subframe can be welded in. And finally, the torsion bar suspension is easily adjustable, making it simple to fine tune the vehicle ride height.

The advantages are there, but we've heard a lot of mixed feedback from folks who drive classic trucks with Volare subframes. Some folks love 'em; others aren't so crazy about 'em. Besides ride quality (which is somewhat subjective), the main complaint seems to be that by the time you loosen the torsion bars to get the desired ride height, you're riding on the bumpstops and constantly bottoming out. On top of that, the ride can get kind of mushy when you let that much tension out of the bars.

Well, leave it to the folks at Fatman Fabrications to come up with a remedy for this problem. The company recently added Volare dropped spindles to its long line of lowering spindles and suspension accessories. Like other Fatman spindles, these are built using hefty 3/4-inch SAE 1018 steel uprights and a pressed-in spindle that's higher than stock to provide a 2-inch drop.

Fatman has been fabricating spindles in this fashion for more than ten years, so company president Brent VanDervort feels it's a well-proven concept. The spindles accept the bolt-on steering arms/lower ball joint mounts from stock Volare spindles, while the upper ball joint mounts are welded using a multi-pass TIG process. Stock caliper brackets, bolts, and brake parts are retained, as are the stock bearings and seals. The spindles fit '76-80 Volare and Aspen suspensions, as well as other RWD Chrysler applications like Cordobas, Diplomats, Furys, and many Mopars dating back to the late '50s.

We were eager to see how the spindles worked, and it just so happened we knew someone who was equally eager to solve some woes on his Volare-equipped pickup. You'll probably remember Bill Haskins' '58 Chevy Apache from the cover of our November '01 issue. It's a great-looking truck, thanks in part to the low stance and 17-inch wheels. But Bill was worried about losing his fillings (not to mention beating up the suspension) every time he drove somewhere because the front end was always bottoming out. He even trimmed the bumpstops to no avail. Installing dropped spindles seemed like the perfect solution, as he'd be able to crank up the tension in the torsion bars to get more suspension travel and a firmer, more positive ride without sacrificing the truck's stance.

Bill recently brought his truck over to the Primedia Tech Center, where Dominic Conti installed the Fatman spindles and we documented the operation on film. The whole process took just a few hours, and that was taking time out for photos and lunch. As we'd hoped, the spindles made a huge difference--Bill reports that the truck no longer bottoms out on the freeway like it did before, and the handling has even improved now that the torsion bars can be cranked up to provide a higher spring rate. In fact, after the torsion bars settled the nose of the truck was about half an inch lower than before, with better ride quality. Talk about having your cake and eating it too!

	Here's a look at one of the...        read full caption Here's a look at one of the problems Bill was having. Even with the bumpstops cut down there was little clearance between them and the torsion bar mounts (arrow). The problem was magnified since the torsion bars were loosened to a point where the spring rate was low and the ride soft.	Before starting, we measured...        read full caption Before starting, we measured the ride height of the truck to give us some baseline numbers. It measured about 25-inches to the lower edge of the wheel opening.
Just to be on the safe side,...        read full caption Just to be on the safe side, we released some tension on the torsion bars so there wouldn't be any surprises when we broke the spindle loose from the ball joints.	With the front wheels off...        read full caption With the front wheels off and the pickup on a hoist, Dominic began disassembling the brakes, first removing the caliper (hanging it from the frame with a piece of baling wire) and then the rotor.
The caliper bracket was next...        read full caption The caliper bracket was next to come off.	The caliper brackets are the...        read full caption The caliper brackets are the only Volare parts that require modification, and it's very minimal. There's a small casting bump on the outer edge of the bracket (arrow) that needs to be ground off so the caliper will sit properly on the new spindle	This took about 10 seconds...        read full caption This took about 10 seconds on a belt sander.
With the lower control arm...        read full caption With the lower control arm resting on a floor jack, Dominic removed the cotter pins from the ball joint studs and loosened the castle nuts, but didn't remove them.	A few blows to the spindle...        read full caption A few blows to the spindle with a hammer broke the ball joints loose. Leaving the castle nuts on should prevent things from flying all over the place when the spindle breaks free -- the floor jack is extra insurance. Dominic realized on the second wheel that the lower ball joint doesn't actually need to be broken loose -- it's connected to the steering arm, which can be unbolted from the spindle and left on the vehicle.	With everything loose, Dominic...        read full caption With everything loose, Dominic removed the castle nuts and lifted out the stock spindle.
Next, the steering arm was...        read full caption Next, the steering arm was removed from the spindle. Again, if we would have been thinking we would have done this with the spindle on the truck, alleviating the need to disconnect the lower ball joint and outer tie rod.	Here's a comparison of the...        read full caption Here's a comparison of the stock spindle (left) and the Fatman version (right).	Fatman supplies new countersunk...        read full caption Fatman supplies new countersunk bolts that need to be used to secure the steering arms to the new spindles. A dollop of thread locker also needs to be applied to the bolts.
	The new spindles bolted in...        read full caption The new spindles bolted in place just like the old ones. You'll want to consult a service manual to check the proper torque specs for the ball joints and other fasteners.	Assembling the brakes is also...        read full caption Assembling the brakes is also very straightforward, though you'll want to double check clearances on your brake lines now that the calipers sit a little higher.
With the swap complete and...        read full caption With the swap complete and the front wheels back on, we adjusted the torsion bars to the desired ride height and again checked our bumpstop clearances. Compare it to the before photos and you'll see considerable difference. And since the torsion bar rate is now stiffer, Bill hasn't had any problems bottoming out.	After a quick hot lap around...        read full caption After a quick hot lap around the block we checked the ride height again. It's just a hair lower than before, only with a lot more clearance underneath. Bill said the torsion bars settled a little on the ride home, lowering the truck about another half inch. In other words, you'll want let the suspension settle and fine tune your torsion bar adjustments before heading over to the alignment shop.