That diagram is incorrect. The only time you want a straight driveshaft is in a drag car. The correct set up is the second option. 1 degree to 3 degrees is optimal, equal on each end, and opposite. What this means is this: if transmission output angle is +2 degrees, then pinion angle must be -2 degrees. The reason that a driveshaft should not be set-up on a straight centerline is because the U-Joints are actually designed to rotate eccentrically....there should always be an offset from centerline to centerline where the angles match (cancel eachother) and the centerlines are parallel but do not intersect. You will actually get more vibration if you attempt to run a straight driveline on the street..especially when decelerating (not under power).
I have a question about the front axle shims above: I ordered these and when I received them I noticed that the base has a hole in it for the leafspring center-pin, but that the top surface has a slot. Since the center-pin bolt head only rests in a shallow hole in the axle, isn't there a risk of the leaf not staying centered to the axle if you install the shims and do not also extend the pin so that it goes entirely through the new thickness of the shim to the bottom, and back into the leaf sprint locator hole? And if you need to extend the pin, how in the heck do you do that? Currently the button head hex key center bolt has a head that is only 3/8" thick or so. How do you find a bolt with a taller head? Anyone have a creative idea on how to fix this issue?
I don't really see wheel hop happening since the truck rear has no weight to it, unless of course your spring shackles or bushings are shot. I would rebuild these if they never have been rebuilt before. You won't know they are sloppy until you unbolt the rear axle and then push and pull on them side to side to see if they budge. Mine swung 2 inches either direction before rebuilding and wouldn't budge after I rebuilt them.
Yeah, that's probably the only way to make this work. I guess I was hoping to see if someone had already done this with something they found at a parts store...just being lazy. Honestly, at this point, I just want to drive the thing. My project has taken on a life of it's own...
Buzz, I think I put mine in with the groove slot opposite of the button, so it locks into place once it's all bolted. As far a wheel hop, I had it bad with my 283. It went away once I installed a big block.
So you flipped them over...which puts the angled side (non-square side) down. I figured that might work...maybe I'm over-thinking this. I was just concerned about the axle not staying centered to the springs if you hit a pothole or speed bump too hard.
Buzz, yes, I put them where the back (thick) edge is at a 90 degree angle from the bottom of the spring surface. It seamed like the right way to do it
Oh suspension woes! I am trying to figure out how much the front end is going to drop when I add the doors front fenders hood radiator windshield everything else I am not thinking of..... Right now I am running 7 leafs out back with the axle flipped. I am running 5 springs up front and with the fender mocked up it of course looks nose high. I am thinking of removing the smallest front leaf up front to see where that gets me. I am so tired of dealing with effing leaf springs to get a nice ride height. My driveway is sloped toward the street so the stance is actually worse than it looks in the pics. Found the upper drivers door hinge mount inside the door is only being held on by one bolt which allows it to pivot around. Need to install the missing two bolts to shore this up. How do I drive out the old door pins to replace the bushings?
Holy smokes, just put a 2x4 (1-3/4") between the front bed rail and the frame which closed the gap that shows in the back of the cab. Also stacked two 2x4 (3-1/2") at the very ass end of the frame to raise the back of the bed up and things are starting to look better. From the side, I am thinking of just raising the rear fenders so the lines match to the front fender/door line....... Next thing you know i'm gonna say lets chop the roof and pie cut the hood
Just as a reference, I dropped the front of my truck about 5". My truck sits just right now with the front only slightly lower than the rear (with 28" tall tires on all 4) I'm not going to lower the rear yet I never realized how high the front actually sat
Personally I don't think the rear fender beltline should match the cab/door beltline....it will look odd. I flipped the axle in the rear netting a 7" drop. In the front, I already had removed 2 front leafs (the shortest ones) and had a 2 1/2" drop. After flipping the rear axle, I installed a drop front axle that added about 3.5 inches of drop in front. So, I now have a total of 6" of drop in the front. When I removed the engine my front end raised about 1" max, and the front sheetmetal only accounted for about another 1/2" height difference. IMO, you aren't going to get the total drop you want just by adding the front sheetmetal and radiator back on. Personally, if I were you I would consider doing what I did. I left the two front leafs out (which I had originally intended on reinstalling) and added a stock front anti-sway bar (off a '57 panel delivery), and will also be adding stiffer, performance oriented shocks. This will help with the handling, body sway and suspension travel due to the missing springs. When I am able to afford to buy a new set of front springs that are slightly de-arched with possibly less total leafs to begin with than a stock set, that will help improve handling and still maintain the lower stance I want. Currently my trucks stance is perfect with the ass end sitting 1 1/2" higher than the front end.
Driving out the door pins can be a major PITA. It is easier to drive them out when they are cut flush with the door hinge than when the part of the pin you are hitting is stocking out. The problem with hitting a part that is sticking out is that it can and usually will mushroom on you and then become impossible to remove without cutting the mushroomed end off. Just cut the extra part off and then drill a small pilot hole in the center (make sure you are at absolute center. When drilling, DO NOT hit the hinge with the bit in any way...if you hit the bushing it's ok, but it means you are off center and going up to the next sized drill bit will continue your off-center drilling, making it difficult to proceed. At a certain point you will be able to use a drift and a hammer and knock the pin out. You will likely have to do this at both ends if the pin is really stuck. it's worth the effort to have rebuilt door pins, but you can't be in a hurry. This same frustrating mess applies to the leaf spring bushings and the king pins locator pins. I once spent 3 hours on removing my passenger rear leaf spring bushing. I didn't mar the housing one bit, but I wanted to give up at least a half dozen times.
Holy schneikie, you type alot. I thought I typed it out, but you go to town on some keys I will have to read the above with some coffee in the AM, not tonight with my Honey Browns !!!!!!
Looking at the front axle pic, it appears the bottom of the axle is pretty close to being as low as the bottom of the wheel rims? Maybe my eyes are crossed? Be sure to give yourself some distance in case you should blow a tire. I hope it's OK.
You probably don't want to mess with the springs too much until the rest of the truck is put together. You have a lot of weight to put back on it. The door hinges...some of them come apart easy, some are a real pain, it depends on if the pin is rusted or bent. If not, then it's easy. I don't think I'd be shimming the bed...at least not until I had the front fenders and doors on the truck.
Some of my door hinge pins were rusted in place so to get em' out I just lit a fire in my fireplace and threw the hinge in there for a little bit. Pin came right out then. Having a small press helps too.
Sorry guys, I didn't take any photos before I removed the bed and the front sheetmetal. I could take one as it sits now but it wouldn't give you an idea of how it sits. To be honest I have a different issue, I'm a bit nervous about my rear tires fitting inside the rear fenders. I have 275/60/15s out back and though my new axle is 1.5 inches narrower than my older one, the wheels I'm using have a different offset.
OK, so the top drivers side door hinge pin was a piece of cake. Only thing is the new pins are too long and need chopped off, no big deal. Funny thing was the old top and bottom hinge pin spacers were made of plastic, not a soft metal????? The drivers side lower hinge was a damn wrestling match with the torch and hammer. It finally gave up but after removing it I see that the bracket portion is hammered. Not so much from my wrestling match but from the PO who torched out a spot to get to the nut on the back side. The bore in the hinge is also wallowed out. I might be able to weld it back into shape, we will see.
normal stuff.... The bushings were plastic, the funny thing is they lasted a lot longer than the metal ones used on later trucks. I think I have some spare hinge parts, not in perfect condition but might help you fix yours. don't cost nuthin.
Squirrel and Buzz, I would be interested, thanks! Please let me know what you find. I would like to offer something for the parts and would of course cover shipping.
here's the free stuff....and I'll probably see my son this weekend, so he could bring it up to Chandler. You'll need to fix the pin and spacer that limit hinge travel, since this truck got it's door opened too far.
Jim, THANKS thats awesome I'll take it! Is there a difference between the upper and lower hinge brackets?
Squirrel beat me to it...thanks bro. I have a bunch of parts lying around. i plan on selling some to help finance my project, but I have a bunch of stuff that I'd be willing to give as freebies. In the 55-59 Chevy / GMC pickup group we have a section for "haves and wants"...we should use that group to help others get their projects moving forward.
Thanks for the link Buzz, I just joined. Spent all day building a battery box......and rebuilt the passenger side door hinges.
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