Just wondering if anyone has any experience with lowering these trucks? The rear is easy but the front... not so much. I was hoping to call Speedway and order up a drop spindle for discs but of course it's never that easy. The eyes are reversed on the top leaf already and I don't want to limit the suspension travel much more. Anyone aware of a magic spindle that'll work for this? Cheers
No one makes a Dropped Spindle for a King Pin application. A dropped I Beam is your best move. If it's a Twin spring model, Well good luck there. The Wizzard
Bummer... I guess I'll just get it as low as I can with what's there. I'm not seeing a way to adapt discs to this either?
Disc brakes shouldn't be a No Go. It may not already be a off the shelf Kit but it still is just a 4 bolt flange and two wheel bearings. Nothing a qualified fabricator can't do. The Wizzard
Might try putting the axle on top of the springs and dealing with the axle/oil pan clearance problem.
Thought about that but there wouldn't be enough suspension travel... unless I notched the frame. Gonna go with the reverse eye and de-arc the leafs and see where that sits. Thanks guys.
Speedway sells a disc set up for 40’s ford spindles. No machining required and keeps the 5x5.5 pattern. And sid or joe should be able to drop an axle for you I’d figure
I think I recall being able to flip the springs so yo get a reverse eye effect. Gets you down some and no cost.
Back in the 70's or early 80's one of the magazines showed how to adapt an AMC (Pacer ?) spindle to a Ford axle. The AMC spindle was flat backed and bolted to the knuckle. You had to cut the spindle off the Ford knuckle and bolt and, I think, weld the two together. If I remember right they also said you could raise the spindle on the knuckle to lower the vehicle. It also got you disc brakes and a 5x4 1/2 bolt pattern.
There was a $99.00 'Lo-Buck' kit some years back, but now there are brackets for single-piston Chevelle calipers over Ford pickup discs. Pickup disc hubs require a spacer behind the inner bearings. (I made a pair of spacers from stainless valve seats in 1980) Yes, that '43 (?) Military?) Ford has semi-elliptics up front, spindles may be same as F-1. Google early Ford disc brake kits, but Speedway is a sound bet. Be SURE to call Sid's in Oklahoms. He DOES drop your model axle, around $250.00, pretty sure...
Jag XJ is dead simple if you want IFS. No cutting the frame. Lots of info on this out there, do some web searching......
You've been around here long enough to know talking about doing a Clip will get you shut down. It is totally not allowed on the H.A.M.B. It is deamed Off Topic by the powers to be.
I do these trucks all the time, finishing one up right now. I use the Speedway disc brake conversion kit, put in new king pins and then I use the Posie's dropped front leaf springs. it will drop the front about 3" and keep all the stock geometry in tact. Very simple, all new bushings and brackets. makes the front end better than new. All bolt on stuff that takes virtually no exotic tools, except to find a shop around that knows anything about king pin reams.
I've seen some of those cobbled together messes and they aren't all that safe. We didn't have civilian 1943 trucks in the US but they may have sold them in Canada. If it is a half ton with parallel leaves you should be able to either buy a dropped axle from Sid or have one dropped. I've done a couple of subframe swaps in the past and would never do one on a truck again. There is just too much sheet metal trimming hacking to get it to fit and all the other issues like how the hell are you going to hang the bumper on. Jag XJ from the late 70's early 80's fits with no sheet metal trimming and even when the hood is open on your truck guys would have a hard time telling but the steering shaft thing might be an issue with some engines exhaust routing. Good thing is that it unbolts from the Jag as a complete unit and the wms to wms is pretty nice at 59-1/2. It's a never mention it around here if you do it as the mods don't like late model pieces on early models unless they look just like the early model stuff even if no one can see them.
The Jalopy Journal
