I'm going to start getting parts for my dads old truck, its running and driving but not good enuf for him. Trying to decide the rear set up, and springs. Ladder bar, 4 bar, coil spring, leaf spring. It needs to ride smooth not like a wagon.
Does it have tube shocks now??? Looks pretty stock. I would start there before you do all the other things you mentioned.
That Model A is perfect like it is. If you are not going to IRS/IFS, it's only going to get so good, it's a Model A! If you really have to fuck with it, I have owned Model A's with cross sprung rear ends, and coil over rear ends, and the coil over set up rides better. Just don't run parallel 4 bars on coil overs. People will tell you a panhard bar will control parallel 4 bar set ups. I have run a panhard bar from the frame to the center of the rear end, and frame to the farthest point on the opposite side, and any length I tried, the 4 bar rear end wallows cross ways to the chassis over bumps. I would start out with your dad's truck on the stock rear spring with a few leaves removed, front and rear. See if that's good enough for him. It's certainly cheap enough. Modern 70/30 shocks will give a little improvement over the stock lever shocks too. My last 2 Model A's have rode on radials. That right there gave the biggest improvement in ride quality over all the other changes together.
Depends how much work you are prepared to do and how much you are willing to pull the car apart to do it. I extended the chassis on a pickup and ran a pair of semi elliptic strings on the rear. Much improved ride. The pickup with the length of the box is long enough to get away with semi elliptic springs. possibly the woody would also work... You know the story, once you change one thing other items are usually also affected. Probably in your case it will be brakes next and so it will go on. 1935 wire wheels will help, plus you could remove a couple of leaves out of the springs and add telescopic shocks for starters.
The body is coming off, boxing the frame, he has a so/cal 4" drop axle hair pins, vega box, power dic up front, s10 rear end, 700r trans, American Slat flat wheels. Truck is all stock right now.
Take a look at the current thread Marty Strode has going on the 29 RPU he's building. Marty has built street rods, track roadsters and dragsters. You could do a whole lot worse than the way he sets a chassis up.
How many leaf would you take out of the rear to make it ride smooth. I might put ladder bars from Pete and Jake, step the frame up 2". But how many leafs to ride smooth I'm not sure. I just know about 32 stuff, I do have some 32 stuff for sale, going to run a add in about a week
If you kick the frame in the back of a pickup you will have a bump in the bed. See that tin cover in the stock box? That's because the frame is already a hair's width below the payload. Personally I'd find some tall tires that fill the wheelwell and don't require as much lowering. Then use the stock height frame and a stock spring with maybe a couple leaves removed. Or maybe a bit of de-arching. You can always adjust this after you are driving it for a while and see how it sits/rides. It's just an afternoon at the H press and then a little paint.
I'd loose the front turn signals in the bumper, the spare tire, mud flaps in the back and most of all, the cattle rack on the bed. Have Joe drop the axle to 4" and a new Posie easy glide spring in the front. Lower the headlight bar and use 34 commercial headlights. Use a Model T rear spring along with 16" wires with 6.00 and 7.00 bias ply tires. Finally hydraulic brakes and a Vega cross steer and call it good.
Will a T spring lower the truck, and make it ride better, or just take half the leafs out of the a model
Use a 26-27 Model T rear spring ........take 2-3 leaf's out........reverse the eyes, and it will drop you approx, 3-3 1/2 inches.
That's a good way to try. If you use a TCI flat cross member you can get the 2" without cutting the bed floor. Again, study Marty's thread.
Your profile says you are 59 years old. That makes your dad probably at least 79. I think I would put a Model A roadster spring in the rear (that is what I have in my '31 RDPU) and maybe take a few leafs out of the front spring. Let your dad drive it and enjoy it. What you are planning will probably mean he will never drive it again. Charlie Stephens
he's 85 and I keep getting on to him for taking it apart now, I'm trying to keep it all together while we get parts together,he has the motor,trans,re-end, so/cal front end right now. And $10,000 cash to put it together I have got to finish my truck up before starting his. His should be done next spring
Barry, if you remember my old pickup I use the Pete & Jake's ladder bars and a mono transverse rear spring, I knew it had a smoother ride than Dave's Gold truck, he used coil overs, HRP
with a nicely restored truck like that, i (if i had to) would buy a new chassis, then just add on to that. Seems a shame to start cutting & welding on that original. Pull & push that original out fro underneath, & sell it, or save it. just in case someone down the road wants to put it back together
X3.... New P&J chassis, powdercoat and bolt your body on. You'll have a complete restored A chassis to sell and a lot of parts you've collected to start your next build.
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