1940 chevy suspension swap question

I got a 40 chevy coupe recently and the front suspension was missing. To gt it home I through a chevy truck straight axle in it. My question is, what ifs from end can I put under it for a small price? I heard a 49-54 chevy car may bolt in it??

 

I put a 54 Chevy front end in my 38 Chevy. Works great and has the same wheel base as my 38 at 112"

 

Get a 51-54 Chevy car, they have the better Bendix brakes, if you're planning to go discs then any 49-54 will work. The frame is the same design for these years and it should bolt right up without any issues. And yes, you should be able to find one for about scrap price. What works to convert the master on a 49-54 to a dual chamber design will also bolt right in.

You can also try the Jaguar 85 and older XJ sedans, they may be a tad wide but can also be picked up cheap and adapt without too much trouble. I'm not sure how much narrower, if any, a '40 is over a '49-'54. That will give you IFS with rack & pinion and disc brakes, and it does have the same wheel bolt pattern as 49-up Chevy car.

 

Great! I found a 54 front end with disc brakes for cheap! Will the swap get the stance alot lower?

 

If it does it will be 1 to 2 inches at most.

 

Not quite a bolt up. I had to reshape the original 54 frame mounts to allow for the correct alignments. I used a rear mounted rack-n-pinion for steering. I had to take 1/2 coil out to get a good stance and ride.

 

don't forget those front ends have goofy steering which may cause problems. I'd splurge and Mustang II it

 

A friend building a '52 Chev at this time...notched the crossmember,boxed it and setting the frame lower in suspension to achieve a lower stance without cutting coils or lowering spindles...will also have a rack and pinion added.

 

I've got a 40 master delux coupe, put an original pinto front end under it-i.e. mustang 2. A little cutting/welding but the thing lined up perfect at the front end shop and the ride and handling is great. Been in there about 20 years now, w/ p/s, discs, great stance (took out 1 coil I think), and no problems-ever.
cooger

 

i did a pinto front end on another car with a new disc brake/drop spindle kit and it rode well but the spring pockets were so small i couldnt put an airbag in it..i know the 49-54 pockets are a bit larger so i wanted to go that route. i think the 54 front end i found will be the winning ticket!

 

I'm carrying out pretty much the same mod, 54 front with drop spindles onto my 40, i've had it mocked up and done some cutting to get it to sit right, just need to finish the crossmember mods and fab the mounts, you pics will be useful thanks. good to see it's been done and works

 

'53-'54 uprights put the front an inch lower than the earlier ones.
A Cavalier R&P gets rid of the "goofy" steering.

 

You mean on the 40 suspension? i tried that, it doesn't work as the top shock arms are about 1" too long...

 

I did a Camaro front sub frame clip on my 39 Olds coupe. Once the nose was off, it took about 3 hours to complete the swap without any help. Of course there were a few more hours necessary to make motor mounts and make mounts for the nose to go back on. But the basic front frame clip was easy...

 

I used a front end from Jim Meyer Racing under my '40 Sedan. It is a thing of beauty to look at and the height is adjustable up and down 4". It handles great and they use late model Chevelle suspension parts.

Bad news is they cost $3500 with shipping.

 

This bad boy...

http://www.jimmeyerracing.com/37-54_Chevy_Bolt-in_IFS.html

 

the 49-52 uprights sit higher (or lower depending on your perspective). 53-54 upright lower a 49-52.

 

Ok thanks, i wondered if that's what you meant too, just wasn't sure. i've a had a couple of people ask to buy my original 54 spindles to lower there 49-52 for that reason.

 

how does this compare to other bolt on or weld on kits? i have fitted a Fatman fab IFS on the 54 Chevy i used to own because people advised me it was the best kit to go for but damn it takes a lot of time to get everything in the right position and weld it all in plus i don't really like the way the top arm adjusts. i'd rather pay and extra few hundred dollars for a decent bolt on kit to save on time...

 

Other than welding a small tab to the top frame rails it was all bolt in. I think two of the mounting holes in my frame were slightly off but running a drill bit through the frame and crossmember took care of it. Old car frames are never the same from car to car but the aftermarket stuff is jig built and each unit is the same.

I opted for manual steering and they supply the new Flaming River unit. All hardware is grade eight and everything is labled and complete.

 

What's with the single shear a-arm bolts? You'd think for the price that they could come up with a better design.

 

Do you have any pics of your car you can post aaggie?

 

i have a 40 chevy pickup, any one recommend drop axel with coilovers?
just trying to figure out what susp to run

 

I really like the camaro subfames under the 40's. It's alot of work, but boy they handle. If done right it's not even that much work. Nova sibs work good too but they are harder to come by. I'd drop a straight axle from a master 85 before I'd go with the 49-54 suspension.

 

I have a 1940 Chevy master deluxe business coupe that I would like to replace the front suspension cross member with a front cross member out of a 1949 Chevy fleet line is that a major undertaking or is it fairly simple to do any tips on how to go about installation process

 

You may want to start a new thread to get better responses. I’m no help on your project but good luck !