Ladder Bar Suspension Q

[BBPanel]

I have a back-halved 55 Belair w/ladder bars. The original builder located the red cross bar directly over the rear axle with ~2" of clearance. I have not yet checked the amount of travel I have in the rear suspension but had the red bar been located several inches forward there would probably be 4-5" of travel before hitting anything. The bar is fully welded in place so I doubt it was intended as a temp location.
Since I have never dealt with a suspension such as this I must defer to others and ask "is this typical"? Once I start to work on this project my first inclination is to move it forward but thought I'd see what others have to say about its positioning. Thanks.

211629

[dontlifttoshift]

It's hard to tell but it looks like there is square tubing tying the frame rails together, why is that red bar even there? I would probably cut it out and leave it out.

The general rules for suspension do not change by suspension type. From ride height, you still need 3" of compression travel and 2" of rebound travel at a minimum.

Side note. Ladder bars suck on the street.

[BBPanel]

The front square tube sits above the frame and supports the sheetmetal floor. Maybe that's why the red x-bar is there - but could still be relocated. The rear bar/coilover crossbar does attach to the frame.