SPOA done right

[gwagensteve]

If anyone is keen to see how elegantly it is possible to build a SPOA car, have a look at the current issue of JP magazine.

It has a feature on Kevin Hawkins' 1987 YJ Wrangler, which is full of really elegant tricks.

It runs SPOA front with nice flat leaves, but SPUA rear, with the spring mounts pulled up beside the chassis. The end result is a very stable car (high rear roll stiffness) that doesn't axlewrap, but lots of front wheel travel and soft ride. it also has the ground clearance advantages of SPOA in the front, where the springs are narrowly spaced and cause an issue. In the rear, the springs are right out near the wheels so they're not a significant clearance issue. Having the spring mounts up beside the chassis stops this area becoming a rock magnet, as it is on lots of sierras.

It sits VERY low for a car with full guards and 35's, and has a dead flat bellypan.

This car was built some years ago but is still a good example of how to build a capable leaf sprung car.

Check it out if you're after some inspiration.

Steve.