Update by Tim Suddard to the
Tornado Typhoon project car
Aug 6, 2014
This cool original press photo of a Tornado Typhoon frame shows the entire suspension and drivetrain.
At the rear, the Ford torque tube live axle is suspended by the coil-overs.
The original Ford trailing arms are modified with tie rod end style joints that connect to the frame.
The suspension on our 1958 Tornado Typhoon turns out to be very simple. The original Ford donor car’s transverse leaf springs are replaced with Armstrong coil-over shocks. At the rear, the Ford torque tube live axle is suspended by these coil-overs. The torque tube bolts directly to the engine transmission combination, which forms a front locating device and nearly completely eliminates fore and aft movement. A panhard bar completes the rear suspension and limits side-to-side movement.
Up front, the original Ford live axle has been split in half. This is typical Ford-based special practice. These two halves then have bushings installed at their center point and are then jointed in the middle of the frame. Again, Armstrong coil-overs are used to suspend the front end, and the original Ford trailing arms are modified with tie rod end style joints that connect to the frame.
This setup is simple and crude, but after reading race results and literature from the period on these cars, we found that the Typhoon was considered to be a great handling car in its day. We shall see when we get this interesting conveyance all back together.
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