well i decided i might as well go thru the front end of my car while the sheetmetal is off. any tips on this job is appreciated, and any good sources of parts. i really wanna lower the car as much as i can without going crazy on price, and not have the car drive like ****. i am gonna decide on the cut coils drop spindles etc. any pros or cons on what to do? i might as well do the front brakes. i have read here that the 1950 brakes ****>? where can i get parts to convert to a better system? what about discs? thanks again mike. ps i finally took a couple of pictures
I got my disc kit from ch***is engineering Inc, very affordable kit. $300 something for the whole kit Got my dropped uprights and steering arms from Gambino Customs
These late 40's early 50's Chev's and Pontiacs seem to be really catching on. If you search the HAMB, there are tons of threads dealing with these old cars. I know Stainless Steel Brake Corp makes a bolt on disc setup for the stock spindle, along with an upgrade for the kingpins. I was going to use a set of dropped uprights to lower the front of my car, but ended cutting the whole crossmember out and doing a not so HAMB approved swap. Do some reasearch and good luck! Your car looks very similar to what's sitting in my garage....
Buy a '53-'54 parts car. If you keep the drums, you'll need the master cylinder, the rear axle for the brakes & 3.55 or 3.70 gears, the improved steering gear, & the later 3 speed trans with needles in the cluster. Dropped uprights are needed to get it down & still retain drivability.
thanks for the info. i dont have the room to be buying parts cars and such, so i bought the brakes from a 53, complete. ready to bolt on. i got a guy who will sell the uprights from a 54, for $50. i just removed the uprights from my 1950 to see how it all goes together. my question is, what is involded in swapping out the uprights? the guy selling the 54 says all he has is the actual uprights. when i took the 50 setup apart there is this cam like item/part to set the camber? does this part work with a 1954 upright? thanks in advance for all the help
The 54 upright should go back together just like the old ones came off. Check National Chevy ***ociation and Kanter Products for rebuild stuff like kingpins, bushings etc... I have even heard you can get king pins from Oreilly's. I think the part # is 8282b or something. Good luck man I am in the middle of the same stuff on my '49 right now. T.
well i have the newer brakes and i got the 54 uprights and started taking apart and cleaning stuff up. the kingpins had no play in them, like new, i pushed it out with a piece of wood and my fingers, so i just re used the 50 kingpin on the 54 upright and reused the 50 spindles and the later brakes/drums. i have to go thru the tierods and the center piece dealio thing. my question is regarding the control arms, will i have to bend mine to fit the 54 uprights? has anyone actually done this? the place where the control arm bolts to the upright is now moved up about 1 inch from the original, so whats the story on this? will this cause any steering issues? please dont tell me it should or it might? or joes uncle said he had a friend who did it back in 72 but he cant remember. i want to hear from someone who has actually done this. no offense intended to anyone, but i want real info, not heresay. thanks again to all. i will put up some pics soon, i have got a lot of work done on this project lately, its coming together nicely, slowly, but nicely.
ok guys. i just finished going thru the front end. i put on the 54 drums, uprights, control arms and chopped 1.5 coils out of the original springs. put in a blazer rear axle with some 3 inch blocks and de arched springs. the car is back on the ground on 4 wheels again. before i put the motor in i was thinking about the brakes. the original master cylinder is currently in it. i h ave no idea if its still any good? my question is should i rebuild and use the original master cylinder, or is there a easy alternative swap available that will upgrade this?
Easy way to upgrade, get a drum/drum master from a mustang or early chevelle, make a bracket that goes around the stocker, run a long rod through the gutted stocker and voila, better brakes. I used 10 gauge sheet steel. I stole the design from thefillingstation.com's setup they sell.
maybe too late for you but Jamco sells coil springs made for these cars to lower them. cut coils will mess up your ride a bit, but you know the old saying "it rides as good as I want it to look"
Here's what I did. 54 front brakes. Buffalo ent. modified uprights $250.00. and I cut 1 full coil. Also you may want to scare up a 53/54 steering box/colum. It is a direct bolt in and way better. Another thing to consider is Buffalo sells these steel "doughnuts" that you weld to the bottom of your lower control arm and you can run newer style shocks. He recommends Monroes for a 67 Camaro. The ***mbly and dis***mbly procedure are comlpletly covered in the 49-54 shop manual. Todd
I have a 1950 Chevy Fleetline and the guy I bought it from had hydraulics on it and I am trying to put shocks and coils back, but now there is a hole in the top of the shocktower form the cylinder. So can I just weld a plate over top? Anyway all the parts I took off and everything else just look terrible. Brake pads cracked and 58 year old oil caked everywhere. Parts just looks old and stiff. Not much money so I should justclean it up right?
so the 49-52 chevy needs a motor plate correct? but if i got a 53 crossmember it has mount for a v8? and what about the steering? is it safe to handle the V8's weight? what disk brake combo could i use if upgrading to disks
Im considering to buy this kit for my -51 http://www.braketechsolutions.com/BTSV101/proddetail.php?prod=DK704B what do ya think about that? http://www.braketechsolutions.com/BTSV101/proddetail.php?prod=PK708&cat=31 And maybe that powerbrake unit.
if you use a side mount v8 the crossmember is not an issue. you will have to make or buy mounts for the frame though
So most of you 49-54 chevy guys run the factory suspension/steering and upgrade to disks? all the stock parts are replacable right?
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