Hey guys I’m building a 56 Chevy truck and I’m just completely lost on what to do with the front suspension. I love the old school style so I’m wanting to keep the dropped axle and leaf springs that it has. I have the adjustable drag link already and the heavy duty tie rod. Almost everyone tells me it’s going to ride like crap, and I’m wasting my money. Just throw that stuff in the trash and do a mustang 2 for the same price. I want to be able to take my kids cruising and be able to drive this truck 50 miles round trip to work and back. And also sometimes over to the beach which is about 2 hour drive. Do these dropped axles and leaf springs really ride bad like people say? I will ad disc brakes up front, but I’m keeping my original steering column. Please help with any info. Thanks (Syndicate has helped out a lot thanks)
It rides like a truck. Some people like it some don’t I have a 49 gmc. I have all the stuff to do the mustang But I think I will just keep the old set up and drop it. I drove this truck a lot and I like how it didn’t drive like a new truck. I have installed the M2 stuff on other rides and they work well. I think it just depends on how you feel and the vibe the truck gives ya I vote to keep the clean looking set up you have. Keep the tires skinny and it will turn well. There is a kingpin upgrade that will help this. If the stock stuff is rebuilt and set up correctly I think you will like it
You are not wasting money on an old front end. The M2 is cost effective if you want it bagged If not, rebuilding the old is money well spent. Especially when compared to some of the cheap Chinese made M2 crap that’s out there
You can make it ride and handle nice if you want to. The one defect you can't fix, is limited suspension travel compared to an IFS. This means you can make it ride nice on fairly smooth roads but on rough roads the IFS will be smoother. First question how big of a load are you going to carry? You may have noticed how the ride smooths out when you haul a heavy load. That is because the springs are sized for a fully loaded truck. If you will not carry real heavy loads you can take out a few leaves to soften the springs. You might want to add air shocks to the back just in case. Recondition the springs by taking apart, cleaning out rust and dirt, smooth off any ridge and put in new sliders. This is when you can take out a few leaves. Long leaves carry the weight, short ones stiffen the spring. Go over the front end, steering box, tie rods etc and inspect for wear or damage. Repair or replace parts as necessary. If you adjust steering box play follow the factory manual exactly. Put on a new set of quality shocks. I don't care if the old ones are not leaking and seem ok, if they have more than 20000 miles they have given up their will to live. Now your front end is in tip top shape get a front end alignment. There is one more refinement that will make steering easier and sharper, and that is to set the caster to the minimum. If you do this you will need to add a steering damper to control shimmy. German cars were set up this way for years and so were some Monte Carlos. To complete the job recondition the back springs and put new shocks back there too. Now you need a new set of radial tires, not too wide, on wheels with stock offset, pumped up to 32PSI. Do all this and you will be amazed how nice your truck rides and handles. On normal roads and hiways it will be practically as good as IFS, it will handle rough roads too as long as you slow down a bit.
Wrong site. Hardly anyone here is going to suggest the MII. Of course a more modern suspension is going to ride "better". That's not really the reason for this site. Many can instruct you on how to make the drop axle work the way it's suppose to.
Where did you get your axle from? I’d suggest you ride in one before you listen to those (who probably haven’t) and make your own decision. But if you decide you need to toss it all I’m sure it’ll all fit in the bed of my truck
I "ve had a 55 Cameo for 25 years.It rides ok.Put radial tires on it.They sit kind of tall so a dropped axle will get the nose down.The only real draw back is the steering box.I have never seen a rebuild kit that has worm gears in it just bearings,and small parts.You end up with a smooth box with play in it.I have seen kits to put Toyota truck power steering boxes in them.As long as you don't need the column shift like I do this is the way to go.
People call it Mustang 2 but it actually is a PINTO front end...that should tell what I think of those jackass short A arm POS front ends. I will agree that the stock 55-59 steering box is too slow of a ratio...address that, and it will be sweet to drive. .
There are tricks to do so the truck ride smoother. The thing with too smooth a ride is that it takes away from the handling. That truck will never handle like a new Corvette what ever you do to it, but you do not want a soft 70's Cadillac ride either. When you have the axle out take the springs apart and look at them. Install new bushings. Clean the rust off them. If they are worn to the point that you can see where the next leaf rubs against it you need to do one of two things. Replace them or smooth that area off. The springs need to slide against each other. Rust makes the squeak, ridges make them not slide. They make a plastic liner that goes between the leafs, it can make them slide easy, or slide too easy. You need some friction there to control things. You may have to play a bit with it a bit to get the ride you want. Remember it is a truck not a car. Mustang II front ends have their place. I do not think it is in a truck like that. Usually they are recommended by people that read what a hot a hot rod is supposed to have on it. Not by people that drive a hot rod. All the above is just one guys opinion.
I have owned my avatar for over 50 years and have made many changes over the years, but I am re-converting back to 2wd, and am going back to the stock 55 front axle and components. It worked fine for me for a lot of years, and I have no hesitation about staying old school. The critical thing for getting the truck to steer and handle well, is getting a proper front end alignment with the truck ride position as close to what you will be running on the street as possible. Having radial tires and 0 offset wheels will make it steer easier, but I was running 8 inch wheels with a 11/2 inch offset and had no problem with driving on the road at freeway speeds, even with a fully equipped 8 ft camper in the box. I am still running with the stock steering box, but it is tight and in excellent condition. The one thing I remember from my own experiences back in the early 60s regarding running a deep dropped axle, is that there can be a problem with the axle ends from the spring mount to the spindle actually flexing during moderate or hard braking which can make the truck unstable particularly on wet roads. I had a 4 inch drop on an axle in one of my vehicles, and had no problem with that, but a friend of mine had a deeper drop than mine, and his truck did not handle nearly as well as mine. I always had the feeling that his problem with the instability was because of the dropped axle. Bob
I had my stock leaf springs taken down to my local spring shop and they dearched them. And I also think there is a leaf taken out. The issue that I’m thinking is my leaf springs are pretty much flat right now with no motor, cab, fenders or anything on the frame. But I’m not sure if they will compress more since they are dearched. I still have the bias ply tires on the truck. And I just bought 15x7 chrome smoothies. I already have the adjustable draglink and the heavy duty tie rod and new bushings installed in the springs. So all that should be good. My axle I believe is a cpp aftermarket axle. It was in it when I bought the truck. Now if you guys think these leaf springs won’t work due to my springs being flat already. Is it better to take another stock set of springs that I have already and take a leaf or 2 out? Or go with posie springs? Thank you guys for the help. Here’s a couple pics too show how flat the springs are
To tell ya the truth. It’s hard setting up a suspension not knowing if you like the ride height. Might want to keep building the truck a figure the springs out with the weight on it.
Here's what I did with a dropped axle. Great ride!! https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...upgrades-that-made-a-huge-difference.1067517/
I will more then likely do the satin paint with some pin striping, chrome smoothies and whitewalls. I like the old school look. And I don’t want to be nervous every time I take it out if someone is going to scratch it. But I want to be able to drive this truck with my kids too get ice cream or to the grocery store. And also too work which is 50 mile round trip
Would it be better to start the sandblasted on the cab and get it in primer? Or drop the motor and transmission in before mounting the cab?
Is it better do mount the cab first or should I drop the motor and transmission in first? Thanks guys
I would have the cab in place before I set the motor and transmission in in this case, just to make sure the engine would sit where I wanted it, not stuffed against the firewall. If you were using original mounts you would have nothing to worry about, but I don't think you are. What did you decide about the front suspension?
I believe that is the stock motor crossmember on the frame, but not sure. I had a Chevy 350 installed on that frame once before. I’m still not sure on the front suspension. I love the old school so I’m leaning towards the dropped axle. But with no arch in my leaf springs now and no weight on them I’m not sure how that will work
Shhhh...I want to get his dropped axle set up for my '57 Hey..good trade here..I'll cruise to Bakersfield, weld in the M2 for him...and leave with his stuff Of course I'm joshing him...unless...
If you have a press, you can re-arch them quickly, with very little effort. After removing the spring and separating the leaves, just trace the existing arch of the first three leaves, then press them until you have the arch you want. I set the two pieces of track approximately 1ft apart and just press on the spring leaf until and compare until I match the pattern I have drawn out. The second and third leaf should have slightly more arch than the main leaf. I have even re-arched springs by hand with a hammer. It doesn't take that long to hammer it to the new angle. I must warn you, that when you are holding the spring, and it is not perfectly positioned when you hit it, that it will give your hand a real buzz. Bob
Budget36 I wish I could get some help from you to get this frame going. I need all the help I can get. This truck should of been done. But I had a guy that was supposed to be building this truck steal everything from me but the body. Stole my 350, steering column, wheels, and a bunch of other stuff and got me for $6,000. But good o California we take care of the criminals. So there’s no point in suing him. So now I’m back to square 1 on my build. So it’s a tight budget now. I want to drive it with my kids but I want it to ride good as well
It'll be a few weeks before I free up...but would be glad to take a drive and see first hand what you have going on...I'm not taht great at pics...sorta hands on... Thing is, just stick to what you have right now,,figure out what you want the truck to look like, and figure out what it takes to get it there. I think you're close..nix the IFS on that TF Truck for now. And no, I'n not trying to beat you out of your stuff...lol. I would like to help you out and get things where you want them. BTW..I'm not trying to drum up work and make a buck, just think you need some direction.
The majority of the guys who bitch an whine about a leaf spring truck riding rough are used to some plush bucket car or late model truck that you don't feel the road at all in. My 98 BMW 528 with 17 inch wheels rides every bit as stiff as my 48 does and I have listened to my wife bitch about it more than once. Don't remember her complaining about the ride in the truck though. Do as Rusty O' Toole and a couple of others did and pull the spring packs apart and go through them cleaning them and refinishing the leaves where one leaf has worn in to the other a bit at the end. Old rusty and worn springs don't slide on each other causing a rougher ride. It would be time well spent to study up on leaf spring reconditioning. It isn't hard but can be a bit tedious. As the others said make sure everything in the suspension is in top shape and well lubed. Those front ends like lots of grease and to be greased about every 1000 miles. Steering effort can depend a lot on what tires and wheels you run. the wider the tire the more effort it takes and more offset seems to increase the effort. There is/are some power steering conversions though.
My leaf springs were taken apart when he did the dearch so I should be good there. I’m running 15x8 chrome smoothies and bias white walls. I think bias ply ride rougher I was told
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