Customs Truck arm suspension swap with guidance and criticism

Use the 2-1/2" spring pads.

Cut and remove (section) 1/2" from between the u-bolt holes at the rear of the arms and weld back together to suit 2-1/2" u-bolts.

Stand back and admire........

 

S10 rear end is 2 7/8" tube

 

Ok........... substitute correct dimensions as required.

 

Wasn't so much a correction on you as on op lol. You were just going off dimensions provided. And on this forum knowing S10 rear end dimensions isn't exactly expected

 

All good....... and I'm not absolutely sure, but isn't it 2-5/8" for the S10 tubes???

 

When I lowered my 94 S10(with rear end from a 2000 Xtreme.....the 2.2 needed the 4.10s for the Ozark mountains) what I was told and what fit correctly was 2 7/8". Which isn't too bad to get for stock length. But can be a pain if using blocks. Part of why I'm swapping from another 2000 S10 rear that is currently in my 53 bel air to a 58 Impala rear end with 57 Chevy perches.

 

It still needs new pads welded to the tube.
Welding a tube 360° is less likely to bend the tube than welding the pads on the underside only.

Personally I would split the spacer tubes into halves
Set up the tube halves and pads on the axle [scribe the position] and spot weld the pads to the tube.

Then remove and weld the pads to these half tubes "on the bench" and let them cool. Any slight pinching of the welds when cooling don't affect the actual axle tubes.

When reinstalled and spot welded in place , then stitch weld opposite each other [take your time and do it slowly]


People don't understand warpage is hot expanded welds cooling and pinching the cooler parent material.
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A good example of this is homebuilt trailers that look bent [and weak] but the problem is caused by them welding all the suspension hangers on the underside.

Here is what I mean [photo stolen from the famous interweb]

 

Nothing wrong with the Truck arm suspension. Strong easy to fab up especially with bags. Biggest issues are exhaust. Was planning to do on our LaSalle only when all put together with X frame non room for exhaust. Changing to a 4 bar set up.

 

My free rear seems to have a problem, I drained the oil and it looks like a piece of the pinion or ring gear broke. I picked it up because it was free and it was narrower than the Camaro rear in the car now.
The Camaro rear is a little too wide and I don’t want to slice into my new 1/4’s and paint to get it to fit. I am now trying to find an explorer rear that the tube diameter is what I would need , but not sure if I take the gamble on another rear or just rebuild mine.

 

What year Camaro rear end is it?

 

If I remember correctly I think it’s around a 90. It’s a disc brake rear with a posi and I’m wondering if I can swap the pinion and gear into the s10

 

What wheels are you running on the rear? I have a 2000 4wd rear in my 53 bel air and it's actually a bit narrow for my liking. 60.5" like a third gen Camaro rear should be about perfect

 

this is a great idea that is pretty simple ,but I would never have thought of it unless I had done this several times and learned a few tricks. Thank you!!!
This is why I posted with the questions in hopes I could learn an easier or better way to do it.

 

I forget what I’m running, but I can check. I’m running wider tires than original because up front I have a mustang II and the original wheels looked way too sucked in. When I put bigger tires with a different offset up front I had to change the rears. I actually have the originals on the rear now and they fit well with the third gen rear. They just look out of place compared to the front.
I could probably buy new wheels with a different offset and it would be good. I guess that’s another option I have to think about.

 

Thing about the narrower S10 rear is they like to rub the inner wheel wells in certain suspension positions. And you can't run the S10 4wd rear disc brakes without modification as they'll hit the frame

 

According to my notes:

The '93-04 S10 2wd real axle is around 54 3/8" wide.

The 91-01 Explorer axle, if you narrow it to use 2 short axle shafts, is 56 3/4".
Don't assume all Explorers have 3" tubes. Some do, IIRC, some don't.

 

56.75" would be way too narrow. Like I said on the S10 4wd rear tires try to rub at 58.5"

 

You would be driving your car by now if you just replaced the bad springs, instead of re inventing the wheel.

 

I also could have never stopped driving it about 12 years ago if I didn’t decide to chop it. I enjoy going out to the garage and working on my car and getting away from the craziness of life. It’s a time to myself as I’m sure it’s the same for a lot of people. I could have dropped several hundred on leaf springs or I can try to better my skills and hopefully save a few $$ at the same time.
Im guessing by the time I am done I probably won’t save much if any money ,but hopefully my car will be better than stock and more fun to drive.
Hopefully that explains my reasoning

 

What is hot rodding if not trying to "reinvent the wheel"? I guess some just dare more than others.

 

If the 48 is anything like the 41 the strange design of the spring mount makes 'jacking up' a simple matter of inverting the shackles! Apparently this can occur in normal use given the right circumstances and will surely make a bang when the strain of going over center is released!

There is a tab on the shackle to prevent this but remove it or reassemble it incorrectly and the feature is removed.

Bit late now but the op might wish to check this.

Looking for some pics I have.

Chris

 

Im not sure if it’s the same, but very well could be.
I bought lowering springs years ago that I put some miles on and never had that bang. Then I decided to chop the car and put a 5 speed in and it sat on jack stands for a very long time. When I finally started working on it again I noticed the springs were almost flat and one side was sagging a little.

 

Figured I would update on this.
I had to take a little over a 1/16 out of the tubing and it fits great on the axle when I split them.
I bent up some 3/16 plate to match the bends of the crossmember so I can extend it. I had to cut some slices and weld it up because I can’t bend 3/16 very easily.
Had everything laid out on the floor and I’m happy how it’s looking. Now I have to make it fit and work.

 

Looking good.......

 

Now you're cooking.

 

Without going into a long story, I did something similar. First, I added some steel to the crossmember to make it more of a 'K' member. For the axle mounting, maybe weld a section of the tubing to the bottom axle pad. Not a full 180 degrees, only about the same arc as the pad, you're relying on friction and clamping force to keep the axle from rotating with torque. After everything is mounted and you have the pinion angle correct maybe just tack the axle to the two bottom pads. I'd use a small section of tubing as a spacer under the 'U' bolt, only tacking it to keep it in place. As usual, the panhard rod should be as long as possible and as close to horizontal as possible.

 

Thanks for the input. Exactly as you described is the plan. The axle saddles are only tacked to the tubing right now , but I will weld it better when I am satisfied everything seems right. Then just as you described I was planing to weld the 2 half’s of the tubing to the rear once the pinion is set. Thanks again for the suggestion as it makes me feel like I’m heading in a good direction.

 

with all due respect..I use my home made welders for this kinda stuff.... so just asking as I know nothing.... but are you sure your welder is set correctly.... doesn't matter what you fab.... if it's not welded correct.... wire speed and heat settings look off...??? and again I know nothing... doesn't look like the weld are getting penetration???? again all due respect

 

Not offended one bit and I’m sure there are plenty of people that know a lot more than me.
I see a pretty consistent haze on the backside and see some penetration on the back in some areas. I think it’s good , but I can take the criticism.
I did a bunch of welding tests before I started to dial in setting. I wasn’t that concerned about looks just penetration. I did cut and etch test and they showed good penetration and BFH test. I was able to fold some pieces over flat from 90 without breaking. Some broke , but it was probably beyond 45 of bending.

 

I'll try to explain,... like said my home made welders, competition winners at reno ...put there's a few ways to describe a welding inspection... what you lack is hase.... affected zone.... lac of fusion... you should see a heat ring Affected zone... like purple blueish about a 1/2 inch or so past the toe of the weld....should be a little bit of a dish there.... your welds are like caterpillars laying on top of the joint... and no haze,,,