Pan Hard Rod - Take it off?

[Ohio Tiger]

I'm a new Tiger 1a owner. A knowledgeable guy suggested just taking the pan hard rod off and running without it. Just curious, do a lot of guys do this? Any side affects? Thanks, guys, for your thoughts.

Bill in Toledo

 

[michael-king]

Bill,

the panhard rod was put there to locate the rear axle from sideways movement. Due to the fact they were not mounted with correct geometry they have a habit of tearing the mountings off the chassis rail. I know a few people who have removed them, for street driving it is probably ok.. some people say if you install traction bars or similar you dont need it.. but really they are doing different things, traction systems are designed to stop spring wind up (forward axle rotation) as opposed to sideways axle location.

I still have mine on with a braced mounting bracket

 

[Duke Mk1a]

I have Dale A rear springs.....don't need the panhard rod with them. Wheel hop was solved with a torque arm. My panhard mount on the body is perfect and will stay that way.

Traction bars are a very bad idea on the Tiger, will tear things up as they bind the spring and promote the front spring mounts to tear out.

 

[at the beach]

BTW, it's asymmetrical. In a right hand turn it moves the rear end a lot more than it does in a left turn.

To my way of thinking, a properly designed panard bar should be as long as possible, parallel to the ground, and low.

The Tiger's bar is short, very angled and is located as high as possible. Rootes went 0 for 3. I vote to bench it.

bt

 

[0neoffive]

Chimed In

All good previous comments. I keep mine on #000078 because it's a casual street car. For semi agressive use, I would either drop the RH frame mount and re-enforce it for dead level connection, OR adopt the MK II locations. Both mods require Beam experience fabricating . . . . . .Also a very good idea to beef the leaf front mounts as a matter of course. These mod patterns and specs are available thru many tech tip comments.

 

[cadreamn67]

I am about as far as anyone can get from being a chassis designer and all prior posters here are more knowledgeable than me.

That said, I would vote (if we were voting) for fixing it as per BT's suggestion rather than removing it all together. I understand Tom Hall sells a kit weld in kit to do just that.

I agree with Michael's description of its purpose. Without the rod, all the forces of the body wanting to sling sideways away from the wheels and axle in a turn are being counteracted solely by the leaf spring mounting points. It has to be because that is the only other point where the body and axle are connected. The front mounts are a know design weakness and are prone to ripping even with the panhard rod in place. Even if mount reinforcement is done, why subject them to forces that are not present when the rod is taking them up by keeping the body centered over the axle?

Because there is the direct connection of the rod between the axle and body, it probably does contribute somewhat to controlling axle wrap, at least in one direction, but that is not its primary purpose as I see it. And a torque arm is not going to do anything for you wrt countering side to side forces.

Maybe Dale's HD springs do a good job of not deforming sideways like the more leaf stock version will ( a separate issue in itself). Fact is, that does not mitigate in any way the extra loading that is being now borne by the spring mounts without the rod in place. Maybe when reinforced they can handle it. But without the rod (or some other separate centering mechanism) you are needlessly reducing the margin for error, whatever it may be. And for no apparent benefit I can see. Again, if installed properly as BT described.

FWIW, my reading of the situation anyway.

Gene

 

[hottigr]

One more combination...I apparently have the worst of all worlds- weld on Traction Masters, original pan hard rod, everything else stock except for KYB gas shocks.

My car is not auto-x'd or road raced. It accelerates hard. I have a little play in the panhard rod due to somewhat worn bushings, but have never torn the mounts, even with a 302. I keep the traction bars just shy of tight, also. Not so loose they'll ever come undone, just not really honked down. It took almost 25 years since I've owned the car to develop a slight crack in the front spring hangers this year, which I welded up. Either I'm not driving the car hard enough, or the original design is o.k. for most street use.

 

[wag123]

What I have done is to reinforce the front spring mounts, something that really needs to be done anyway.
I have Dale's heavy duty leaf springs, old-school beam-type bolt-on traction bars (which work well BTW), and I have removed the panhard rod.
With my setup the panhard rod is definitely not needed but virtually ALL of the side defection forces are being put directly into the front spring mounts.