Rear Suspension
The rear suspension design will depend on what drivetrain you will be using. If you are using a longitudinal installation with a VW, Porsche, Audi, or similiar transaxle we use a suspension based on the Ford Thunderbird knuckles. If you are using one of the transverse mounted drivetrains such as from a Fiero or from a front wheel drive car then it is usually best to use the suspension that comes with that drivetrain and adapt it to the rear of the car.
When using the Thunderbird knuckles we build tubular a-arms to mount them to the chassis with dual coil-over shocks. The dual shocks evenly distribute the suspension load on either side of the knuckle. This design uses Mazda RX7 halfshafts and hubs. These a-arms are available to be purchased seperately if you are building your own chassis or modifying an existing one. We can also build a subframe for you to use with an existing frame.
The stock Thunderbird brakes will be sufficient for most cars, but for those who want something more we offer larger brake packages with Wilwood rotors and calipers.
If you choose a transverse engine installation then we will most likely use the suspension that comes with that engine and transaxle combination and adapt it to the rear of the car. This is how the Fiero is designed. If you are using a Fiero drivetrain the best rear suspension is the '88 version, but we can also use the earlier years. Almost any FWD drivetrain can be adapted to one of our chassis.
If you have an idea for a rear suspension or have your own components that you would like to use let us know and we will determine whether it will work for your application.
