Here is my 1957 dodge D100 its been my daily driver for 3 years now and a month ago I was T-boned in a intersection by a honda civic. the honda was totalled buy my truck (Penny) as shes named was visally perfect until i tried to drive it home, you see i was hit in the right front wheel my stock front leaf spring suspension look all the impact. I thought i had just bent my torque thrust 2 wheel so i drove it 20 miles home when i put the Penny on jack stands and tried to take the wheels off i heard a very loud pop noise i looked under the truck and saw both my rear leaf spring "C" shackles were sheared clean off at the frame, so I looked into IFS options and the few i found told me to stay clear of volare fronts for dodges that they where more popular with the F100 crowd. i looked into dakota and other mopar front swaps but none were as cheap as the volare and I am a purist and i would slit my throat before i ever put a gm or ford front in my dodge. so i bought a volare front and ripped out the stock leafs i have no template or even seen another forum that has done a 57 d100 volare swap so I wanted to document mine to start it off, If anyone has done this or knows of any forums for a 57 D100 that would be great. i have seen many 53 and earlier dodge volare swaps but no 57s i dont know exactly what year my frame ranges from so any info on that would be great to I plan on trying to fabricate brackets to bolt it in instead of welding it to the truck but i know my plans could change the volare front is out of a petty edition 1978 colare with power disc with big mopar bolt pattern 5 on 4.5 which is what my 57 stock pattern is so rims will my rims will fit . i plan on going power steering and power brakes which both were not previously on my truck, front what it looks like the steering box is the biggest issue and since i dont want to butcher my frame I think im going to try a rack and pinion set up, which is something i have never played with before so this will be interesting.and depending on my funding and whats left after the swap i want to do wilwood four piston calipers with slotted and drilled rotors. one issue that im scratching my head over is i am currently running a 360ci that i had previously custom made mounts for so i dont know if i will use those motor mounts or try the volare mounts or just make new ones. lots of paths to take i hope you guys give me some nudges in the right direction.
Joel...you're supposed to do an intro in the intro section so people can go back and see what you're about, and PLEASE start using paragraphs so its easier to read! Anyway...I've NEVER done the Volare swap, but having been at this crap for way too long, I can tell you that your gonna need the engine etc pulled. Also, AFAIK with the F100's anyway, to get a low ride height they section out the bottom of the frame and fully weld in the Volare unit. You on the other hand, don't want to hurt the frame, you want to simply bolt it in...and you're considering trying a R&P conversion to get some steering clearance around the engine. Messing with a rack is gonna need a good plan because its very hard to setup correctly. My suggestion...before you get in over your head...is get your OEM springs replaced, maybe a new front axle...and then bolt things back together the way they were and get back to enjoying a nice looking truck! What you're planning is gonna be a whole bundle of snakes to pull off...ESPECIALLY with the limitations you've set for yourself. Sorry...but its the truth!
Gonna agree with most of what Hackerbuilt says... Volare units typically are welded in because most folks want to set the car/truck lower than a bolt-in will allow. Check the swaps over at www.p15-d24.com like this one, or check this site. Since you haven't done an intro, we can only speculate as to your abilities or availability of shop/equipment so consider having been 'nudged'. BTW, what are those funny little icons all about? .
You were right after going as far as i Did everything short of cutting the frame rails off and sectioning it i bought new shackles and put it back together funding was low and it was adding up.i could have done the swap but i think after geting it mocked up and in there a mustang2 would work better with the dodges since the racks on the front. Doing rack on the volare puts it to far back making a very wicked Z affect, not a good geometry. and going with the volare gearbox puts it in the frame rail and I am not cutting those. I found a company selling the sprind shackles for $40 a pop and had since installed them and driving the truck. I have recently found a disc brake conversion and im going to leave it stock height and manual steering. maybe a dakota frame swap looks the best for the future. im going to just drive my truck like you said in the meantime and enjoy it. Uploaded with ImageShack.us The really crappy thing was when trying to remove my steering wheel to get the column out, the stock wheel fell apart and was unusable, so I took the column to the local parts store and matched the splines to a gmc truck grant adapter. then i ordered the mopar tuff wheel grant repop. and got it in the mail and saw the horn buttons were cheap stickers. then i saw my stock forward look logo horn button was the exact size as the tuff wheel opening, and customized it to fit and painted it. Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Well done - I like your application on the horn button - A little thinking outside of the square and you have come up with a good solution - and to boot it keeps it looking like a MOPAR!
Glad to hear everything worked out in the end and especially glad the truck is back on the road and being used! The truck looks great at its present ride height anyway... I know I'd LOVE to own it! Gotta add...she must be in really nice shape judging by the condition of those frame rails. You're a lucky guy!!!
If you put in the Volare suspension don't be surprised if it steers funny. It seems like you turn the wheel and a second later, the wheels turn. This suspension has always acted that way. You get used to it after a while. The engineers said it was because management ordered it into production before it was ready.
Joel, just a suggestion. I have a "55 Dodge C-3 B pickup with the exact same frame and front suspension. Like you, I wanted to put in an IFS, but funds would not allow such. I purchased new shackle bolts and front spring bolts and disassembled my spring pack and removed 3 springs. This lowered my front-end about 2 - 2 1/2 inches. With all new bolts, and a new drag link, this tightened up my front-end. Drives really good. Again, this is just a suggestion. There are several other mid-50's Dodge truck owners on this site with good ideas and suggestions.
I thought about taking 3 leafs out, but on another forum it was a majority of the people there that assured me the truck would not be safe to drive like that, so it kinda turned me off but maybe they were wrong. hows it ride? she is my everyday driver.
Touch base with member Dan Babb, or read through his thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=455737&highlight=danbabb .
Took the springs out fall of last year. I've put about 2500 miles on the truck locally since with no problems at all. I have checked with 2 well known and reputable mechanics in this area. Both stated that it would not make the truck unsafe in any way. Others may disagree but I'll keep driving it like it is. I am planning on ordering a 3 or 4 inch drop axle from Sid Drapal in Oklahoma as soon as I have the extra $$$. Also look up Mr. Carachi's thread here on the H.A.M.B. as he did the same to his '55. He also reversed the eyes on the main spring to get a little extra drop. He's building the truck for his 16 year old daughter, so you would think that he wouldn't do anything to it that might be unsafe.
Has anybody tried using different shackles and hangers and flipping them in the rear? I'm looking for an inexpensive way of getting an approximate 3" drop
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