any one here ever just flip the axle over the springs to lower a 5o's chevy pickup ???? i just bought a 52 5 window project and the chassis under it has spring over axle in the front and rear , is it as simple as just flipping the axles ,removing a leaf or two,adding some blocks, and reconfiguring the steering arm in the front .?????? i know there are several options for dropped spindles, and axles, and IFS set ups, frame swaps etc.etc. but i would like to try it using all of the original components and maybe adding blocks. jp
flip it. you will need to make some brackets to mount the spring. zee the steering arm and notch the oil pan
that is not entirely true, well kinda. so I have not done this myself yet but a very good friend of mine just bought 3wLarrys old 55 chevy truck this thing has a sweet stance and drives great. the axle was flipped on top of the spring, so obviously you have to weld a bracket to the bottom of the axle so you have a spring plate. (if I were doing this part myself I would have a buddy with a rose bud tip on a torch warming that axle up real nice before I would weld to it) just my opinion. then to circumvent the whole banging of the axle to the frame thing, they very easily boxed the front half of the frame then took what looks to be 3/16s or 1/4 flat stock and made a nice sturdy notch aver the axle. (also learn from my mistakes in life, give yourself a good amount of room, no need to make the notch the exact width of the axle...) they also took about 3 leafs out too I believe? now as I said, I have not done this but I have done a few things here and there and this one looked pretty damn easy. also 3wLarry may have done this differently but this is the way it looked to me. either way it appears to have worked like a champ. it is one of those things that works so well and is so simple you just can't believe that every one has not done it this way...
oh yeah I forgot about steering arms... don't know if you can heat them and bend them or if you would have to cut them and z them? bump steer smump steer!
oh and one last thing, I don't know about the blocks bro... if you did a dropped axle from Sids with the axle flipped like what I was talking about she will be lllloooooooowwwww!
If your truck is a standard pickup, the rear springs should be under the axle while up front, the springs rest on top of the I beam. When it comes to your suspension, do it right. Buy the lowered leafs and/or dropped I-beam. Don't play around with your safety or the safety of others on the road.
Im lowering my 48 Chev truck and am getting a 4" drop axel and blocks for the rear from Sid @ http://www.droppedaxles.com/FOR_SALE.html after doing my research it seems like the best way to go for the money.
I lowered a 51 Chevy truck back in 93 but went with removing back spring hanger and fabbed up a 1/2 x2 inch flat bar bracket designed similar to original that moved the mounting point of spring as close to frame as possible and bolted it on using the original frame rivet holes also took out 2 leaf springs. The drop looked like what a 4 inch drop axle could do, also modified the drag link by removing front ball and replaced it with a hiem and a spacer to eliminate any bump steer. Truck drove straight and true.
A 4" drop axle is already below the scrub line if you flipped a 4" drop axle the axle would hang to the ground with 15" wheels.
last I checked the if you get a flat with a 4" dropped axle you are outta luck to begin with... I was just saying. the way my friends truck is done I think it sets plenty low and looks and drives great. I think personaly that a dropped axle that has been flipped may be too much but then again I like to daily driver my vehicles. either way unless you are running monster tires you have definate scrub line issues with a axle dropped over 3 inches. hell do it like I was talking about and run a 2" dropped axle? still would be rediculously low
shit, is that right? now I am confused... seems that if you flip the axle your scrub line is only marginaly increased by the thickness of the spring? is that wrong?
what about bolting in a 49-54 chevy passenger car complete front suspension? give you independant susp. & ability to add disc brakes. add 2" blocks in the rear.
With a 4" drop axle I have 3" of clearance. A stock spring plus ubolts is approx. 2.5" to 2.75" thick. Leaving you with 0.25" to 0.5" of ground clearance. The way I see it if you flip your axle you can then use blocks lower it more so there is no reason to use a drop axle if you are going to flip it. Here are some pictures of a truck with a flipped axle and lowering blocks with bags. Not my thing but gives you an idea of how low you can go without IFS
looks good but seems like a lot of work to keep it straight axle if you are going to put a rack and pinion under it any way? guess it is still cheaper than MII though... thanks Dave K for the clarification, I started thinking about it more and more then I over thought it... story of my life
I agree if I was ever going to bag a truck (not going to happen) I would put an IFS clip in it. I am personally really happy with my drop axle.
Now I'm thinking mabe a 3" drop axel cuzz this is gunna be my daily driver. I'm kind of worried about getting a flat and in New Orleans where I am the roads are bumpy. I want about a 5" drop though.
You should have no problem getting a 5" drop with a 3" axle. Just dearch the springs or reverses the eyes or take out a few springs.
the Truck shop, www.truckandcarshop.com sells the single front main leaf with a reverse eye. What ever you do, do not put lowering blocks on the front suspension. Very dangerous.
Use a dropped front axle, never use blocks on the front end! Fli the rear and c-notch it, not that hard you can also move the spring hangers up on the frame, done that too about the cheapest way to do it!
Just finished (have'nt even wiped the greasy finger prints off yet) installing 3" Drop Axle and 3" blocks in the rear. I removed 3 leafs from each corner. She's sittin on 640-15 firestone bias ply tires. HAPPY DAY!
sits nice ....i bought a 59 apache so i'm actually selling my earlier pickup but thanx for the reply http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=462048 2800 obo
1952 5 window with a shoe horned 455. I got the main spring made straight with the correct length eyes. Cut the snubber down to 2.25" clearance to frame. Took out a few leaves. With all components at 100%, down the highway at 120 mph you can safely take your hands off the wheel, no bump steer. Its been this way for over 40 years. Some very stupid crazy driving when I was younger. The snubbers have never hit the frame. The original steering box was relocated to the front of the straight axle. Speedway Motors now has a bolt on IFS. I discussed this with my son and he said don't it rides great.
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