Hey Im new the the forum. I have a question..... I have a '48 chevy pickup with a 6''chop and I want to drop the truck in the cheapest way possible. The rear I am going to, axle over spring drop and maybe blocks depending on where that gets me. Im pretty poor (well not really but my allowance from the woman makes me poor hehe) so im trying to go as cheap as possible in the front. I was looking for about a four inch drop and I don't care about what the ride'll be like. Well thanks for the help in advance. Thanks, Jess PS I forgot to mention its a 3/4 ton Longbed which I don't think will make much of a difference. but some of you guys would know better than me.
If you lived in a warm climate with perfect roads l-o-w is good, in your area I would want to use the truck as often as possable and would not go to low. 2" lowering blocks front and rear would work. It is your truck, just my opinion.
I understand how the lowering blocks work in the back but how do they work in the front since the axle sits below the leaf springs?
you have to swap it to axle over leafs. then you can use the blocks. the rear might be the same way, but im not sure. you can get lowering blocks at any aftermarket truck store, they may be called lift blocks, but can be used in the opposite manner. by the way, i was born in fairbanks and lived in north pole for 3 years.
Oh I see, I was under the impression there was not enough clearance in the front end to do an axle over spring swap. Youre missing out on some nice weather up here.
thats alright, im actually not all that fond of the cold. i prefer hot summer days of california. (i actually dont remember a thing from alaska, but my dad did catch my house on fire while we lived there...)
There really isn't unless you notch the frame. And then the tie-rod will be close to the pan. There are a number of differences between a 1/2- and a 3/4-ton. One the front end the size of the king pins and the axle bearings are different. The brakes are different, and of course you have the 8-lug hubs. The frame on a 3/4-ton is narrower at the rear, but the front is very similar if not identical. You might investigate have the axle dropped. The may be the least expensive way to get the front down.
Hey Oldsub, Don't I know you from stovebolt.com??? I didn't want to drop the axle because It seems like if you drop the axle then you have to drop the steering arm and all that stuff. Seems a little expensive. What about monoleafs or those Dual leafs out of Posies? I also heard about removing some leafs or melting them, I dunno. Does that sound like trouble to anyone else??? Thanks Jess
I would go mono, I have a set on my 51 1/2 ton and it dropped it about 3". You never want to use blocks on a frontend. Thats fucking stupid advice.
I ran into the same issues while lowering the front of my '52. I had already deleted leaves in the rear and added lowering blocks, but the front was still too high and rode like hell. I found out quickly that you can't put the axle over the springs because it leaves about 2" of clearance. I ended up removing two leaves from each spring pack. I believe I took out the #5 and #6 leaves (counting down from the top). They actually were removable without taking the spring packs off the rear hanger. I just unbolted the axle, left my pitman arm attached, and unbolted the spring pack from the front hanger. First time out, I removed four leaves and put it back together. It looked cool and dropped it about 5-6", but it put the springs at an extremely radical angle that I didn't trust, so I put two leaves back in. Overall, I got about a 3" drop (I have a 327, so its a little lighter than an inline, if that's what you've got). I combined that with 15X6 wheels and 195/65r-15 tires and ended up with a pretty nice rake. It rides much smoother and steers better, as well. One problem will be your steering arm. You'll have to "lower" the steering arm about 2 1/2" to keep the geometry the same. If you go this route, take careful measurements to make sure you've got adequate clearance between the tie rods and the springs. Mine turned out fine and I don't have any worries about hitting the springs. For what its worth, I was at a show last summer where a guy had a beautiful '54 with monoleafs up front. I didn't get to ride in it, but I heard from a friend who had ridden in it that it rides like a lumber wagon and doesn't steer well. Hope this helps.
Probably. What do you call yourself over there? The steering box and tie rod are fixed to the spindles. It really doesn't matter how you lower the truck, if you stay with the straight axle you are going to change the relationship of the steering box to the spindles, and depending on how much you move it, are likely to have some issues. Have you priced them? You want to be cheap, but haven't said what you are willing to spend. These springs do cost some dollars and likely more then dropping the axle. Melting the springs is a bad idea. Major safety issue. Removing leafs will lower the truck and might not hurt the ride. It is likely to adversely impact handling and possibly safety.
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