B-Body Ladder Bar Kits?

I have a 73 charger, looking to make it look like something out of the 70's so I think ladder bars are the way to go. Does anyone make a kit for this or am I kind of on my own to piece things together? Also, does anyone know of a good suspension shop near Portland, OR? Thanks!

I have personally never seen a ladder bar system on a Mopar leaf spring rear suspension. I've heard that they don't work well together, but I don't remember the reason why.

caltracs ......

Yeah, CalTracs would be the way to go. If you want to use the ladders you might consider a housing floater setup.

check this out about 6 paragraphs down http://www.competitionengineering.com/articles/chassis2.asp

I just got the slide -a- link for Christmas its a nice setup for traction but not as cool looking as a set of ladder bars which I've also never seen on a mopar if you want that 70s look go with the bright yellow traction bars alot of guys ran back then

Yeah, CalTracs would be the way to go. If you want to use the ladders you might consider a housing floater setup.

Yeah, that's what I was forgetting, the bind that ladder bars cause if you don't use a housing floater setup on a leaf spring suspension. As for what they are designed to do, my super stock leafs accomplish the same thing (good weight transfer, no wheel hop, straight launches.) But if you are going for that certain look, the floater is the way to go.

I helped install one of those yellow sets on a 66 Chevelle in the 80's. They worked well and that car really needed them.

Mopar don't need nor do they benefit as much from traction bars as brand X cars do,....... Thankfully the Chrysler Engineer Department moved the rear axle closer to the front spring eye, which reduced spring wind up that causes wheel hop........ Basic Geometry plain and Simple

Just in case you were talking ladder bars as opposed to 4 link here ya go. Don,t mind the dirt though this thing has been a race car a long time.

Great pics.

Nice!

thanks for the replies and the pics above! I dont want cal-tracs and I know I need a floater kit, thats why I was asking if anyone made an entire kit or if I need to piece it together myself. I like the period look of ladder bars. I have seen a bunch of pics of these 71-74 chargers being used as pro-stocks and funny cars and i love the look of it.

It's ironic to find this thread at this time- I restored/modified my charger in the 80s and also liked the look of ladder bars. So, I installed a pair of used ones off my buddies car, which I think was a Chevelle. I beleive most of the older style ladder bars were made for coil spring cars, but I bolted them on anyway.
Well, 20 some years later, I am digging my car out of storage, and trying to figure a way to keep them on the car, realizing they are not needed. I think mine were made by Lakewood back in the day, and they just clamp around the axle housing. I now realize that this can cause the rear suspension to bind, although I dont recall having any trouble while I drove the car back then. But knowing better now, I am thinking of making up a floating axle clamp of some sort to allow the axle to rotate as it wants too. I am also pulling the springs out of the car and will either have them rebuilt/rearched, or replace with superstock springs.

Stacy David (T.V. show Gearz) did a ladder bar set up on a Mopar but I can't seem to find anything on it now.

Found the videos,just wait it will play on it's own there are more of them on the right hand side.....
http://multimedia.foxsports.com/m/video/26067982/gearz-heavy-power-vintage.htm

get the chassis engineering triple adjustable setup with strange double adjustable coilovers. you'll love it over any cal trac setup.
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o69/SUPERSTOCKRACER/Ladderbars63Plymouthhemiindycros-1.jpg
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o69/SUPERSTOCKRACER/Ladderbars63Plymouthhemiindycrossra.jpg

Here is an Alston Chassisworks 4-link setup on a Strange S60 (Dana 60 ).

Nice pic Moose, do you have any more of the front part of the ladder setup?