'41 - '48 Chevy Rear Springs

I will be swapping out the rear end of my '41 for a '65 open-drive axle and had a few questions.

1-can the factory springs be used or do they neeed to be changed out for the later style 2-1/2" wide ones.

2-Anyone just used the Ch***is Engineering hanger kit and sourced out your own springs? what work?

 

i used the whole package from CI. but i think they are dodge truck springs. hope someone else can give you better info.

 

Im pretty sure they are dodge. Any idea of the years? Just trying to keep it as low-cost as possible.

 

My pop used the stock springs on his 47 chevy and dropped a camaro rearend in it. Worked fine!

 

you can use the factory springs you can get a axle saddle from possies let them know what your doing because you need the saddle that relocates the axle
if yours are like 49 - 54 the pin on your leaf springs is NOT axle center

 

Anyone know that magical offset number to center the wheels in the wheel wells? My fenders aren't on, and don't simply bolt back on (flange is gone and were welded on).

 

If you still have the stock rear end and spring mounting blocks it's very simple to just measure the offset of the centerbiolt hole to axle centerline.

'49 thru '54 are 1 1/2" and are basically the same design. If you don't have the actual parts to measure, that should get you very close. When the cars were built the wheel wasn't centered very well as I recall. It was a little too far forward.

As for the stock springs, they worked ok when new. However, I built a '41 many years ago and used monoleafs off some GM, a Nova I think, and fabricated my own bolt on front hangers and adapted a rear hanger from a GM pickup. This was in the early 80's, so that, or earlier, would be the era of the parts I used.

Ray

 

I was going to say 1.5" to 2". I have a 55 oldsmobile axle under my 41. Overall I have about 2" of offset. 1" in the axle pads and 1" in relocating front spring mounts to the rear.

New stock springs from St. Louis spring.

 

73-90 Dodge front springs (4x4)

 

I used the stock spring in my 47 coupe and added an open 57 Chevy rear.

Blew the spring pads off the stock rear end and put em on the 57 rear - lined everything up in the wheelwells and tack/welded em on once I felt sure the pinion angle ok ok.

Pretty easy really

 

Did your car have a rear end change prior to that? The stock rear end in the '47 was a torque tube style, and as such, used pivoting spring mounts on the axle housing. Kind of difficult to imagine those working in an open drive configuration.

Surely there has to be a little more involved in making that work.

Ray