Straight Axle 1959, Rebound Straps
 

Hello,

Pardon my question, But I'm very new to the Straight Axel world.
What in the world are the rebound straps I have on my 59 for??? What do they really do or were designed to do??

I think mine are a somewhat strecthed? While the car is in the garage My strapes hange down below the axle about 1-2 inches?

What up could someone, help me out? Do they really work? and are my straps too long/streached?

Thanks much
HS
Virginia

Sounds like:

a) Your lucky to still have them - many have rotted away or been removed, and,
b) Sounds like yours are perfectly normal and hanging correctly.

Here's my original '61...

Here's my '57. :thumbs:

John,
Nice Traction Masters, I have a set for my 57 Gasser.

Thanks
 

Thank You for your Picture. That's exactly how mine look! So I guess mine are OK??


Hugh
Virginia

HI FRankie
 

Hi Frnkie,
Thanks! Hey what tires are you running on your Corvettes. Look Good at are they 670X15 Bias Tires? If so how do they run???

Thanks,
Hugh

Diamondback wide whitewall radials and they ride great. I have to be careful because I was accused of shamelessly posting off-topic bios of my cars in another thread. Lots of testy folks on here anymore. Getting ridiculous.

Amen!

What?? Thanks your tire din't appear to be like radials? They look good.

HS

The '61 had bias ply original wide whitewall tires on it when I got it....rode and drove pretty lousy...good for nothing but getting judged....

As to what their purpose is, They were installed to prevent u-joint bind when the suspension unloaded over bumps. The C1 driveshaft angle is pretty marginal even at normal driving height. When the axle drops down, the u-joint angle increases enough that without the straps to limit drop, you could damage a u-joint. The driveshaft also runs very close to the X member, and a big drop in the rear suspension, can cause the front yoke on the driveshaft to hit the frame.


Regards, John McGraw

Hi John,

Oh, Thank You!! The angle matter is not good, when did Corvette corrcet that situation?? During the early C-2 production?

Thanks,
Hugh

Yep, C2 cars used IRS, so the rear end did not move up and down as the suspension loaded and unloaded, so the driveshaft angle stayed the same. That being said, C2 cars can have the same issue with the halfshaft u-joints.

When the car is raised off the ground, the halfshaft u-joints can bind. Sometimes just pushing a C2 bare chassis around the shop can be a real pain because of joint bind. This issue was really not completely resolved until the 1997 model came out with CV joints on the halfshafts. 1984-1996 C4 models still used u-joints, but they limited the travel better to prevent bind.


Regards, John McGraw

John
just a thought... could CV joints be added to C2 halfshafts?

or...C1 driveshafts? (The rear joint is probably the only one that could be replaced without hitting something....)
Bill

Carrol Shelby also put those on his early Mustang conversions. Supposedly because the Koni shocks could do a dramatic disassembly if over-stressed. I always wondered why those early cars weren't called "solid axle" Mustangs...like we do Corvettes.

You would have to drive your C1 near its safety limits to have them engage. What you have will be fine!

If you have grease fittings in your U-joints they could well be original....check them out carefully.

Nope CV joints can not be used on any halfshaft before C5. The halfshaft on all C2-C4 cars, also served as the upper control arm for the rear suspension. I am not sure that any CV joint could take that kind of lateral loading. CV axles are designed with a plunge joint on one end to allow lateral movement.

Replacing just the rear joint on a C1 driveshaft with a CV joint would also be a big no-no as well, I would think. When a U-joint is at any angle rather than 0, it changes speed as it goes through a rotation. It requires a U-joint at the opposite end of the shaft running at an opposite angle to match the acceleration and deceleration of the front joint, to assure smooth, vibration free operation. Putting a CV joint on one end of the shaft would have that end running at a constant speed, while the other end of the same shaft would be accelerating and decelerating twice on every rotation. Would not make for smooth operation of the shaft, and would induce substantial torsional stresses to the driveshaft. I would think that it would the same as what happens when you have a rear U-joint running at 0 degrees, while the front joint is running at 3 degrees. It makes for a car that will shake your teeth out at speed!


Regards, John McGraw