Flipping rear axle on 57 truck

I am going to be doing a rear flip on my 57 chevy truck and the rear leafs now have had leafs taken out so there only 4 now so thinking I should buy some new ones .My question is without the rear being C notched would I be safer to go with stock ride height 7 leaf springs or to get lowest possible ride that is not bottomed out always go with a rear drop leaf .
If drop leaf will work what drop will get me lowest with the rear flip but still give me some travel ?The rear is also a newer posi unit not stock rear end .Thanks

 

Flipping the axle should give you 3-4 inch drop with the stock springs. I would go this route since the only work would be to weld on the leaf spring pads.

If going drop leaf, I think you would need to keep the spring on top of the axle.

 

You may need to c-notch the frame as well.

 

Unless I am reading this wrong, if you flip the rear end over 180 degrees the truck will now have one speed forward and 3 or 4 in reverse. Am I missing what you are meaning ?

Don

 

he is referring to flipping the leafs to underneath the axle as opposed to the stock location on top,which usually gains b/w 4-6" of lowering

 

i would leave all 7 leafs in, you can always go back and take 1 out or even just slap a block in there to lower it another 1'' or so

 

It lowers it 6" and you will have to c-notch.

 

I did this to my 92 GM pickup with stock springs, you get a 5-6 inch drop, and need to do a slight frame notch. I also had to slightly notch a bed crossmember directly above the rear.

 

If you get it too low you can use air shocks to control the ride height

 

Naw, the car just goes backwards real fast.

You put the axle on top rather than under and move the perches 180.

 

I dont want to have to c notch and dont plan to run too much heavy things in it so I guess I will try the normal 7 leafs .

 

Anyone know where I can get them online for a decent price ?

 

stock springs will most likely cost more than these:

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Posie...vy-GMC-Pickup-Rear-Dropped-Springs,21685.html

 

I flipped mine on my 57 but also took out 3 leafs. it only has 1" of clearance. So now im gonna c notch. Don't know how much room you would have with a full spring pack.

 

Do they make a bolt on c notch kit for the rear ?I have seen some for later model chevy trucks .

 

IMHO, I would not trust a bolt in C notch kit.
Why did you remove the other leaves in the first place? Was it to lower the truck, to get a better ride, or both? If you go back to the 7 leaves, the ride will be very harsh.
Bite the bullet and do it right - weld in a C notch. If you can't weld really well, and I am guessing you can't, take it to someone who can!

 

^x2.....just say no to a bolt-in c-notch kit. Do it right: weld it up. You don't need a kit, just some suitable steel, a torch, and a big hammer........oh yeah and a buddy with a welder.

 

Here's what I did on my 57 in my avatar. You may not agree. When I flipped the axle the truck was too low. I then removed 4 leafs(leaving 3) and installed some used coil-over shocks in place of my stock shocks. I trimmed the tall section of of the stock rubber bumpers(on frame above the axle) and I have about two inches of clearance. Any lower and the pumpking will hit the bottom of the bed floor. I did not want to alter the bed floor. It rides good but firm. Sam

 

When I bought the truck it already had leafs taken out .

 

It was too low so you removed leafs ?So you did not flip?

 

hoplias, no, I flipped the axle and the truck was to low. I then removed 4 leafs to soften the springs and added the coil-overs. The combination of springs is giving it a good ride but it does not bottom out. By removing the 4 leafs it allowed the springs to "give" . When I attached the coil-overs it raised the rear about an inch. There's no bottoming out even when loaded with coolers, easy-up, etc.

 

Oh I see .I could prob then use my leafs I have now .Mine has already had shock towers moved so should be a problem with coil overs .What lb are the coil overs that worked for you ?

 

My coil-overs were leftover from a previous 32 roadster. I don't know the lb. I used Speedway spring plates and added a mount for the coil-over to the side of each springplate. On top I used the stock shock mount. My shocks are at too much of an angle. I plan to purchase the weld-on lower coil-over mounts. These will attach to the axle housing about 10 inches inboard of the leaf springs and should improve things.

 

Hi,

I just flipped my rear axle on my '57 truck this past weekend. I had all seven springs in so it gave me a 7" drop from where I was. Too much unless you want to c-notch.
I flipped the rear spring perches so the shackles hang down from the perch instead pointing up. It raises it back up about 1.5" so now the drop is 5.5". Check out the link below. This guy did the same thing.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=442586

 

If you measure location of the axle you will see that you will get about 7" drop with the flip. You willl need a C-notch. I made the mistake of removing leaves. I also didn't position the shocks correctly. The truck kicks to the side a bit under uneven bumps, and hates taking any load. I'll be fixing my screw up soon.