The owner really liked the new power and performance of his ‘Bird, but he soon found the limitations of the leaf-spring rear suspension design.
The car
Increased power translated into decreased traction and more wheel hop, so he elected to have the V8 Speed & Resto Shop install a BMR torque arm rear suspension kit on the car, as well as 4-wheel Baer brakes, ZE Forged wheels, Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, and a necessary exhaust re-work to clear the new rear suspension.
The BMR rear suspension kit completely replaces the leaf springs with a pair of bolt in the lower control arms. They attached to the front leaf spring pockets, and to brackets that bolt to the original leaf spring mounts under the rear axle housing.
Once the lower arms are bolted in, brackets are welded to the frame rails to attach the Watts link rods.
A large bracket is sandwiched between the rear axle cover and the axle housing providing mounting points for the Watts link and torque arm. The Watts link keeps the rear axle centered laterally and utilizes a pivot design for smooth articulation.
Coil over shocks are installed as part of the BMR kit.
We installed Baer six piston calipers on all four corners for far better braking performance.
The rears incorporate an integral parking brake drum.
