Watts Linkage

[thundersalt]

Ok you guys, I want to pick some of your brains. I just finished fabricating a watts linkage for the Fairlane. The whole time I was building it I left the diagonal link (Alston Track Locator) in to keep the rear end centered. Now that I am doing the final assembly I am looking at the track bar wondering what the harm it would be to leave it in along with the watts link. I will probably remove it but it looks like everything would still work with it in.

[doug odom]

The watts linkage is designed to keep the rear end in a straight vertical line same as a Jacob's ladder. Now a track bar (panhard bar) tries to do the same thing but there is some lateral movement. The reason nascar use the track bar is because it is so easy to change the rear roll center. Something LSR does not worry about. There would be a bind in the rear suspension with the watts and the track bar both being used.

[thundersalt]

I guess my termonoligy was off. I am talking about a link from the right rear lower 4 bar mount to the left front lower 4 bar mount.

[willieworld]

if you in fact built a watts linkage then a  diagonal track locator will work they both do the same thing --but if you have a single locator that goes from the suspension (rearend) to the frame it is compatable with neither a watts linkage or a diagonal track locator      willie buchta

[floydjer]

Keep in mind that a diagonal link tends to un-load one side of the suspension and force the opposite side downward. Not a big deal w/ a drag car....But with a car that "might" get crossed-up at speed, this may not be "a good thing"   Jerry

[uglydog56]

You wouldn't notice anything until you hit that first pothole type bump and the track locator binds up the suspension and you go wheeeeee!  As long as both wheels move the same, there is no difference between the two.  It's when only one wheel moves that you see the superiority of the watt's link.

[maguromic]

I don't know where you have your pivot point, but in the 80's and early 90's we were buying cars from Roush and all the cars had the watts link pivoting off the bottom of the rear end.  It worked in concert with the 5 link rear.  I think it was one of Bob Riley's designs, and boy did it work.