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Ford radius rods?

8649 Views 16 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  CarlLaFong
What years of Ford Model A radius rods were used to lengthen springer forks ? Was it the rods off the front axle or rear ?
Thanks for any and all help/information.
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Model A Rods are too weak. You want V8 rear rods. The end where it bolts to the torque tube is flattened with a hole in it that matches the end of the HD springer. As far as I remember, up to 1948 will be fine.
Looking at them, the rears off a '46 - '48 look the closest to the oval shape, and they taper nicely.
I had always heard '40 front...
Seen it done with all styles of them,,the later ones just seem WAY to heavy though, here this has been discussed before

http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65309&showall=1
I believe they were using '37 thru '48 Ford & Lincoln REAR Radius rods as they all have a Heavy Lug at the end like Original Harley springer legs.

Also there were a Few different Lengths, Up to '41 they were about 4 1/2 feet long so they were Perfect for the Super Long Springer mods.

'42 - '48 Fords were about 2 1/2 feet long & Lincolns were just about 2 feet so those were good to Repair a Chopped up springer.

Model "A" & '32-'34 were formed & unwelded seem Sheet metal, You could bend those by stepping on them.

'35-'36 could be used but you would want to sell those to a Hot Rodder & buy 3~4 pairs of '40's ... They have a spring mount on the Rod that is coveted by the Rodders.

Fronts are a Bit short and would require alot more work to make right on a Springer, Not to mention many times Front 'Bones were tweaked to make adjustments in king pin angle to align the car ...
Thanks for the replies. I looked for the wrong word should have used wishbone.
Thanks for the replies. I looked for the wrong word should have used wishbone.
No you Didnt, You need REAR RADIUS RODS.

They are the ones that have the Lowere Leg Lugs like HD forks.
Thanks for the replies. I looked for the wrong word should have used wishbone.
Wishbones are the hot rod term for the the front radius rods, due to their shape. The rears are usually just called radius rods, though some people will call them "bones". I suppost the fronts could be used to extend a springer, but all that I ever saw used rears. Oddly enough, there were just as many sets of fronts made as rears, so either is no harder or easier to find. Use the late V8 rears and go easy on yourself.
You want the rear rods, and the only ones I know of that are seamless, are the '46-'48 rods. They are longer than the A and V8 rods, but I can't remember how much longer. The A and V8 rods are about 5' long, but when you cut the axle brackets off, you get about 4' of usable rod. But, the '46-'48 rods are what all the trad hot rod guys are looking for, as well as guys looking to extend their springers. A rods are reletively easier to find, but for sure you'll have to cut the tops off, and get them de-rusted before you weld up the seams.

The earlier rods are seamed, but they aren't made of sheet metal, they are made out of 11ga (or approx. 1/8" thick) mild steel, and the seam welds up just fine, you just have to jig them solid, and skip stitch weld the seam up as you go to keep the warp out of them. I doubt I could crush those A rods now by stepping on them. I used sil bronze filler rod, and worked them with a vixen file, and finished them with a DA with 100grit discs. The seams are almost invisible, save for a thin little line.

Also, the lugs where they bolted to the Ford frames will need to be straightened, and the hole is too big for the rocker bolt. it's 9/16", so you either have to weld it up, or do what I did, and drill them to 5/8", and weld in a thick wall tube, and ream it to 1/2".

Here's a set of A rear rods I welded the seams up on, and used to extend my springer 8 3/4"......

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I bought a trailer made out of a Model A running gear. Was looking at the Bones/Wishbones/radius rods . There is alot of this type of stuff getting scraped so i was wanting to know what to look for to hang on to .
Thanks everyone for replies.
Nice work Irish Rich. That bike is sweet. Always wanted a single loop frame. Got my eye on a old ruff VL frame.
Mish
Irish rich , have you had a look at T ford front ?, theyve got a nice taper .
I heard guys used em but what youve got there is real nice.
Irish rich , have you had a look at T ford front ?, theyve got a nice taper .
I heard guys used em but what youve got there is real nice.
Model T wishbones are barely strong enough to support a model T. Do not use them
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