79 crossle suspension swap help

Hello gents, I'm pretty new to ff and am currently engineering a 79 crossle for a friend in the valley of the sun. Were currently running Penske 8760 3 way adjustables, but for the championships at cota we need to be running straight body shocks. Were at 400f and 350r, driver would like to be at 350f and 300 rear, but for these, would the same spring rate be ok in the straight bodies be ok, or will the dampening and rebound in a straight body shock make those rates feel any different? Also if I could get a line on someone who's selling some straight body shocks, total length rear 13.25, spring ID, 2.5 5" free spring length(rear) 11.25 total length, 4" free spring height 2.5" ID(front) I'd be very appreciated. Also would be willing to hear from anyone with a cash+trade offer. Thank you

FWIW, on my Crossle 30F I am running 350/300 Springs on original Bilsteins. Car always handles well with only minor tweaks made to ride height, tire pressures, and bars.

Awesome that's good to know were looking in the right direction

When I set up my Crossle I ran 300r/350f and Koni steel shocks with B2 valving and Dunlops. It was much nicer to drive than with the stiffer springs, Penske 8100s and Am Racers and very nearly as fast,limited only by the Dunlops. Made no chassis changes,wound up with a lot more rebound up front to tune out a mild push. My son drove it at the Portland Sovren race last Labor Day and went from 24th to 1st after the Pertronix failed in qualifying. He said it was a dream to drive.

Thanks for the info guys I appreciate it a lot

Guys,

Terminal is engineering my Crossle 35F. He has very extensive motorcycle mechanical/fabrication/preparation experience. He had the opportunity to lay hands on an F1000 car while on his day job at a very reputable M/C shop out here in Phoenix and really liked what he saw. I have provided him with all of Carroll's books, as well as many other sources of information. He is very excited to learn about formula cars and I am proud to have him as my crew chief. Thank you all for the responses and helping this young man navigate the formula car learning curve. If he commits to anything with any of you, in so far as a parts purchases or whatever, I stand behind it.

Regards,
Marshall

I run a 1981 Crossle 45F. It has the same suspension geometry as the 30/32/35F. I am running on Dunlop/Avon Treaded tires. I am currently using Koni 8212 double adjustable shocks with B2 valving. I started with 350F/250R but changed to 400F/300R as recommended by Neil Porte which I thought was much better. FYI, I recently tried 450F/300R in an effort to get some rear bar adjustment. I am planning to buy or make some new sway bars and go back to the original spring rates recommended by Neil.

If you need shocks or springs I would recommend Angelo at ANZE Suspension. He re-valved my Koni shocks for me. He is a Penske dealer and may be able to rework your Penske shocks to remove the canisters. His contact info is Phone: (516) 671-3960 Email: sales@anzesuspension.com

Cheers, Joe

Thanks for the kind words Joe, Angelo is a great guy.

Terminal, if you need any shock or suspension support, you can send me a message. I work as a Project/Race Engineer at ANZE Suspension. We've done a bunch of Crossle setups, with shocks ranging from Bilsteins, Konis, and Penskes.

Good luck with your new role.

-Will

I have a set of Penske "straight body" shocks, single adjustable but with the normal Penske shim packs inside. They are valved for the spring rates you are using and work very nicely. In decent condition but you can tell they've been on a car. They are 14" rear, 12" front, and currently have 9" 300# Eibach springs on the rear and 6" 350# Hyperco's on the front. They would work fine on a Crossle 32, I would think (I have a Crossle 32 in my shop that I am preparing for next year). The shocks were custom made by Britain West for their vintage Lotus, but I used them on Lola. I paid $750 each for them, but I would consider an offer if you are interested.

Brian

Check to see if the sanctioning bodies you'll race with require a steel bodied shock. Here in the NW an aluminum body is illegal in vintage ff.

Many clubs are using Monoposto rules. Monoposto states the following for Club Ford cars: "Shock absorbers are free with the exception that they may not be more than two-way adjustable and external reservoirs are not allowed." Last time I checked, SVRA was still using Monoposto rules but you may want to confirm that!

Cheers, Joe

Monoposto rules also state the following for Pre-1973 Historic Formula Ford: "Shock absorbers are free except that they must be steel, shall not be more than two-way adjustable and shall not have remote reservoirs.

One must always check with the racing organization that you intend to race with. I have raced with the dominant vintage racing organization here in the northwest. They claim to subscribe to the monoposto rules. However, they only do so as long as [it] is convenient.;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pooch776

Monoposto rules also state the following for Pre-1973 Historic Formula Ford: "Shock absorbers are free except that they must be steel, shall not be more than two-way adjustable and shall not have remote reservoirs.

---

This doesn't apply to this Crossle as it is a 1979 model and therefore not vintage. It would fall under their Club Ford rules

Paul