When I started building my Dodge truck a few years back I was stuck on the idea of running a dropped axle over an IFS or frame swap so I ordered up a 3" dropped axle from Sid at droppedaxles.com. It seemed like it was going to be a walk in the park but I couldn't find any info about installing a dropped axle with a cross steer setup. Sid was extremely helpful but a lot of this was trial and error. The reason I am making this is I have got dozens of messages from others who are looking into running a dropped axle in their truck. Hopefully this info will help some people out, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask away. First off I am running all of the leaves in the front springs, I didn't remove any leaves because I didn't want the suspension to be too soft. Even with all of the leaves in place I still had an issue with the axle hitting the exhaust of my small block chevy but if you are running a heavier engine you may have a problem with the axle hitting the oil pan. We heated the tie rod up bent around a 2" dip into both sides to make a dropped tie rod from the stock dodge tie rod. No material was added into the tierod to lengthen it, it was just heat it up and bend it down, let it slowly cool for a bit then heat it up again and bend it back. As for the drag link I turned to Sid who recommended filling the hole in the mount on the wheel and re drilling and reaming it from the bottom. After redrilling the hole and reaming it with a 7 degree ream we heated the stock drag link up and bent the side that mounts to the back of the spindle 180 degrees so that it would mount up from the bottom. After awhile the draglink began to bend where it was heated and bent so we made another much heavier drag link with removable ends out of an extra dodge tie rod. It takes the same ends as the dodge tie rod now which makes buying parts much easier. Heres a picture of the completed setup as it is now. I dont have any pictures of the stock setup but if you are working on your truck you will see the difference and all the modifications I was talking about. Here is the draglink in relation to the tierod, everything ended up lining up pretty good. The draglink mounts to the pitman arm the same as stock and it turns lock to lock without hitting the spring. A couple guys have also asked the rusty hope brake kit on here. I had to adjust the steering stops so it may slightly effect the turning radius but it really doesn't matter. I have driven the truck on everything from the highway to tight city streets with no trouble. Now if only the engine would run as good as the front steering performs! This is a pretty specific topic for a tech thread so everyone except dodge guys will find this info pretty useless. If anyone has any questions dont hesitate to ask. Hope this helps with some common questions about installing a dropped axle in a 48-53 Dodge truck.
Forgot to add a pic of how the truck sits with the dropped axle in. It's worth the effort in my opinion Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Thanks, I've done quite a few subtle modifications that have greatly improved the look of the truck. The two main ones are the rear fenders and Buick tail lights Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Thanks Mike for the information and pics. I am still mulling the idea of lowering my '55 this upcoming year with an axle from Sid's. I took 4 leaves (leafs?) out of my front spring pack. It lowered it a couple of inches, but I want it lower. I do not possess the money or talent to do an IFS swap. Your truck looks great. Keep the pics and info coming. Steve-
Also planning the Rusty Hope kit as well. I want disc brakes on the front. Seems that everyone who has done the swap likes his kit. I've done the '96 Jeep Cherokee axle swap in the rear. Just spent $6500 for a new roof for the house...the truck has to wait a few months for some love. Steve-
I went for the dropped axle because I never really understood why people do frame swaps or IFS swaps. I didn't want this old truck to handle like a sports car, its an old truck not a race car. The rusty hope kit is extremely worth it, the setup works so great. I am running a large GM booster aswell so will put you through the windshield, and it stops straight as an arrow. If your truck has the steering box in front of the axle on the drivers side the switch to the dropped axle should be much easier than it was with the cross steering. Keep me posted when you get back to work on your truck!
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