In the 40 years STREET RODDER has been around, the magazine has reported on all sorts of innovations—from how to get more power from an engine to improved tire technology. Gone are the days when rodders had to make-do with only old parts that had somehow survived the ’60s because, as more and more manufacturers started springing up in the ’70s, ’80s, and beyond, they were able to supply people with what they wanted to make cool rods out of their old rides.
Another advantage in moving the axle out in front of the raised crossmember is you roughly gain a couple of inches of wheelbase. The front framehorns have been bobbed, and the large tabs at the end of the frame support the radiator.
The concept of aftermarket frames and suspension components, void of any rust, old welds, or questions of trueness, was a boon to the rodding world and, through the years, hot rodders have seen many innovations in this department as well. Mass-marketed hairpins and four-link suspensions, the Mustang II–derived independent systems, the billet A-arm IFS, and a whole host of unique rear suspension setups have all been warmly accepted by home builders.
With rodders always wanting more performance from their rides (i.e. improved handling to go with the better engine technology now available), fabricator Bobby Walden teamed up with hot rodding icon Jim “Jitney Jake” Jacobs to design and build a line of Jitney Hop-Up Parts by Jacobs to be sold exclusively through Walden Speed Shop in Pomona, California. The duo has recently added a handful of chassis items to their growing list of speed and traditional parts.
One unique feature of the chassis’ design is the 42-inch full-width Panhard bar, as is the combo shock and rear ladder bar mount. A ’32 gas tank will easily fit in its stock location, and the stout rear crossmember is made of 2-inch OD, 0.250-inch wall DOM tubing.
The first, the Jitney Clip, gives the ’32 owner a way to add a boxed, pre-welded, firewall-forward chassis piece that not only delivers a pinched frame design but also locates the ’32 heavy axle out in front of the new crossmember, creating a very traditional hot rod look. These components are also available in a complete chassis, conveniently named the Jitney Ultimate Highboy Chassis.
Another new item, the Jitney Centermember, is available for most any early chassis and is made from 1-3/4-inch, 0.120 wall DOM tubing. The eight-point-mount design also includes tabs for ladder bars as well as the Jitney Truly Universal Transmission Mount already welded in place.
The Jitney Standard Front Suspension system includes hairpins and batwings developed by Walden and Jacobs, along with a dropped I-beam axle, a Vega-style steering box, and much more, all made in the United States with U.S.-made steel.
The sway bar, with its splined ends, is mounted inside the rear crossmember with bronze bushings and available in 1/2-, 5/8-, 3/4-, and 7/8-inch diameters. The 9-inch housing comes with large-type Torino bearing cups.
And, in one of the most innovative designs to come down the pike in a while, the Jitney Sway Bar Chassis incorporates a standard 9-inch rear and transverse leaf spring design along with a unique transverse-mounted sway bar hidden in the rear crossmember. Most of these parts discussed here are also available separately, too.
Hot rodders have always been an innovative group, and soon Walden will be expanding this new line of Jitney parts to include a front sway bar design as well as a front and/or rear torsion bar chassis. Work has also begun to develop all of these products for the ’33-34 Ford chassis, as well as for other select years, too.
The Jitney Clip
This all-in-one kit comes pre-welded as you see it, and gives a vintage hot rod look with pinched framerails and the axle located forward of the spring. The clip, which replaces the stock ’32 front crossmember and framerails from the firewall forward, includes Jitney hairpins, batwings, F1-type shock mounts, steering arms, tie rod, draglink, Panhard bar, 3/8-inch boxing plates (with integral steering box mounts), plus shocks, spring, a 16:1 Vega-style steering box, spindles, and ’32 heavy axle. You can get these parts as a full chassis, too, called the Jitney Ultimate Highboy Chassis. All Jitney parts are made in the United States out of U.S.-made steel.
The Walden/Jitney ’32 rear sway chassis
The Jitney Centermember is an eight-point design that comes with the ladder bar tabs already welded in place (as are the clutch and brake pedal mounts). The Jitney Truly Universal mount allows for infinitely adjustable locations for your car’s transmission, and all tubing is 1.75-inch, 0.120-wall DOM spec.
