I have a 1950 Chevy 3600 with 8lug wheels. I have considered sending my front beam off to have it lowered 4" and putting the 3" blocks in the rear however it seems that 3/4T brakes are expensive and hard to come by. So I'm trying to map out the most sensible suspension route. I know that the front beams are the same when it comes to lining up and bolting and I can put 1/2T spindles on but is that a good method? What can I do with the rear? Can I mount 1/2T brakes onto a 3/4T axle? This is all new to me and I'm looking for some guidance on a budget. Is this the most cost effective way for someone with limited knowledge and is it safe? I have contacted Sid at Drop Axels and it seems like this is about the most affordable way to get the truck lowered however I would prefer to run either 5 or 6 lug wheels and get brakes that are affordable. Thanks in advance for your input.
I'm pretty sure the rear axle would have to be changed out to get the 6 lug brakes. IIRC the 8 lug has hubs that you can take out the axle with out having to remove the wheel or drum. The 1/2 ton 6 lug have the bearing on the axle, meaning that you have remove tthe drum to get the axle out. You would have to change the rear axle out for a 1/2 ton to get the 6 lug. jerry
Your stock rear axle limits your options. And if you ever have to put new bearings in it you'll find they are very expensive. Plus your 4.57 gears while not real highway friendly are hard to replace with anything that is. All that to say figure out what you're going to do at the rear because your options are more and easier at the front. If you want 5- or 6-lug hubs I'd suggest choosing a rear axle you like and then putting that under the back. Then swap to a 1/2-ton front axle and convert to 5- or 6-lug disk brakes. Because you have that big box in the rear and could be tempted to carry a significant load I'd strongly encourage upgrading the brakes as you make this change. You won't want someone to talk you into hauling a load of dirt and then discover you can't stop because your brakes aren't up to the job.
3" blocks in the rear? Isn't your axle under the springs? That's how my '54 3600 is set up. Besides the spindles, the 3/4 ton shares the front suspension with the 1/2 ton. Mono leaf springs are also very popular for lowering the front and a little bit more cost effective. The rear is a whole different setup.
Your '50 runs huck brakes and the front drums are no longer made or available so they have some value in them. Don't just throw them away. Jerry's correct that you have a full floating rear axle so unless you change the whole enchilada, you don't have too many options. GM14 is a popular and proven rear swap on 3600 and 3800 trucks. Any change in front ch***is geometry will affect handling; that could be either positive or negative so lowering the truck might not have the desired ultimate effect and you need to know what you're doing here to avoid making it squirrelly. Those AD cabs are top heavy and roll in turns unless you have the proper front suspension balance. Monoleaf is ok as long as you don't plan on using it as a truck, but they will deflect a lot under any significant load. 3/4 ton and 1/2 ton huck brakes are the same, so if you are going to go five or six lug, why not convert to discs like Sub suggested? The rim/wheel you plan to run will dictate your front axle mod options to some degree, so watch your backsets on any rim mods for interference with the tie rod ends. On the original 8 lug spindles, most replacement rims will rub them and bind up. White spoke wheels seem to clear ok, but that might not be your plan. What about a front cradle out of something newer that you can bolt up, get lower and get discs all in one package? You have access to a welder and the skills to section a '73/'79 1/2 ton front cradle? Pull an inch and half out of the center of it and weld it back up and it will go right on your 3/4 ton frame rails like it was made for it.
I have a friend that suggested that and he has the skill set for the front sectioning. Do GM14's come out of the same year? I will have to figure out the rear so I can start looking. Thanks for the input. Another rookie question are the body panels the same on 1/2 and 3/4t trucks? Thanks again
The 14-bolt first came on the scene in '73 and was made up until recently. It comes in two basic versions, a semi-float and a full-float. The full-float is always 8-lug. The semi-float is available as 5- and 6-lug and possibly an 8-lug though I'm not sure of that. Shadow is correct that the axles are under the springs, so blocks will not lower your truck but instead raise it. The IFS that Kook refers to is essentially the same from '63 though '87 plus a few years more under Suburbans. It is 6-lug from '63 through '70 with drum brakes. Starting in '71 they all have disk brakes with a 5-lug version on 1/2-ton trucks and 8-lug under 3/4- and 1-ton trucks. The rear axle swap is not very difficult. The IFS swap is not as easy as many would have you believe. The most important part is making sure you keep everything including the steering box and idler arm in the same relationships they were in on the donor truck. The sheet metal on these trucks is the same on 1/2-, 3/4- and 1-ton trucks except for the bed sides.
On all of the newer braking systems don't they use a booster? That was my other concern and didn't know if that was going to be an issue on how to set that up. I appreciate all of the input as I'm getting an education for sure. I have lowered a few cars but they were all VW's and that process I have down but this is completely different. As I continue to play with it one of two things will happen. I'll either get it figured out or completely screw it up. My guess the latter but one can hope I'll figure it out. Thanks again guys for all of your input.
Boosters are nearly universal on vehicles with disk brakes because they don't have the self-actuating action Bendix drum brakes have. It takes more effort to create the same braking feel. I do not have a power booster on my 1/2-ton '55 1st with disk on the front. But I never carry a load. If it were a bigger truck and I was running around loaded I'd have the booster to be sure I could stop. On your 3/4-ton I'd say add a booster if you can.
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