Technical 1954 Chevy 210 Rear Suspension Woes

Went to install new shocks on my 54 Chevy. Should have been a 30 min job..
The car was swapped by a PO with a 55-57 rear end. Common swap. Shock mounting plates were a bit mangled so I ordered replacements. for a 55...could not for the life of me find ones for a 54.
First: The new shock mounting plates do not have the same geometry as the old ones.
Not the biggest problem. I can re use the old ones.
Second: p***enger side fits correctly. Shock lines up pretty good. Driver side is wonky. Shock is a bit bent and the geometry for the mount is not correct. Looks like it was either a garbage install or bent at some point.

Questioner the group is....What shock mounting plate did they put on here and where can I find a replacement? Is it one of the generic ones I see on mail order auto parts places?

In the first photo you can see the difference in the two plates. In the second...this was the closest I could get to mounting with quite a bit of tension on the bolt... I don't want to run it like that. Would damage the shock I am sure.

 

I'd take the shock stud out and straighten the one that came on it. You will have to get the big hammer out but it looks like it can be done pretty simply.

 

I'll attack it that way. May have to grind some of that mess off as well. I got no clue what they did up in there.
re.

 

Is the rear end in the car square?

The first thing I would suggest is measuring the wheel base left and right.

I don’t know if it would help in this situation but this is way oval track cars with rear leaf springs run an adjustable lowering block on one side, because how square you build the ch***is it is never perfect and the adjustment allows you to get things perfectly dialed in.


If you run it on the left on an oval track cars you can shorten the wheel base on the left and help with cornering.


https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Spee...MIm73I59ywkQMVrjcIBR0GfwJlEAQYASABEgIC5fD_BwE

 

Great question. I will throw a tape measure on it. Drives pretty nice, (I have had it up to about 70) but it could be off.

 

I added to my post.

 

That is really cool and helpful. Thank you.

 

I wonder if the spring packs are original 1954.

1954 was the last year for the torque tube. It’s my understanding that Torque Tube springs are not as strong as conventional open drive spring packs.

Also the axle location is slightly different in a torque tube car.

I wonder if this is the root cause of your problem?

 

Great question. They may be original. I know the bump stops do not make adequate contact with the axle.
I was able to pull the pin and align better, but the exhaust is still too close for my liking. When I checked travel the pipe rubs on the shock body a bit. Explains why driver side shock is as rough as it is.
I will be dimpling the exhaust a bit this weekend. It is 2.5 inch so I am not too worried about flow being restricted.

 

Originally shocks had their own separate plate that clamped to the spring. Should not be too hard to find for a 54 and should still work with the swapped rear end. Im still using them on my open drive swapped 53.

 

I will look for that. Got a pic?
I'm going through all the issues with taking a someone's weekend toy and making it a daily driver.

 

Your axle is in the wrong place.

 

Nothing handy. I'll see if I can find one

 

Id snap one of the ones on my car. But that'd require crawling on the ground in the cold lol

 

I understand. I am chipping away at this every night after work in the driveway. Garage is taken with an OT project for my son.

 

It's basically just a piece of shallow 1.5" channel with the shock stud on one end. And it clamps to the spring with a square u bolt just ahead of the axle. I honestly need to get a shorter I bolt for the p***enger side

 

That is the best one I have at the moment. The axle sits behind the bump stop currently. I'll take a photo directly from the side after work.

 

Wheel honestly looks centered. When mounting an open axle on stock pin it moves wheel enough you can't miss the awkwardness.

 

On my 53 and 54 I redrilled my perches

 

Dropping the pins in correctly took a bit of finesse. It drives straight. I get bump steer which I'd like to address, but I have had it at highway speeds and she purrs right along. I'm not fighting the wheel or having issues staying in lane. When I hit the bakes it does not pull.

 

Hmmmm If I pull the axle back more...the exhaust will prevent mounting the shocks.

 

55 shock plate work fine. Redrill the axle pad and you’re good. You side view shows it

 

Side question. Are the old plates wider than the new ones?

 

Yes. Probably about 1.5-2 inches.

 

Do the u bolts sit against the current springs?

 

They do with the new plates but not as flush on the older ones.

 

I wanna say those look like aftermarket or at least not stock springs. So perch pin is likely centered