Technical Front Axle Set up questions

Wondering about others opinion of this axle set up. Not too familiar with this, Is there anything needed to be done or checked? Thanks in advance for any advice or insight on this.

 

How does it drive?

 

It drives fine.

 

Looks like they raised it 2” but never put in longer shocks.
See the old oil type marks on the extended shock ?
Maybe time to take the blocks out ?
Welding on front left shackle bracket looks dubious. - Unusual heavy bar that is bolted to ch***is, possibly owner wasn’t confident of his welding abilities to directly weld to ch***is ? Is that the original spring hanger on the end of ch***is ?
Here, we have to have 2 threads extending past any nut, so one of the U bolts doesn’t have that…….
The more I look, the more I see……..

 

Thank you for your comment.

 

It needs bolts securing the outboard sides of the front cross bar, if it doesn't have them already. Short bolts threaded into the bar through the outside frame lip/s would help keep the ends of that bar from flexing up and down with spring loading and unloading.

 

Here is a close up

 

Thank you for your comment.

 

I'm wondering what they used for centering pins on their homemade blocks.

How do we feel about the heim joints on the cross steering shaft? Think I'd rather have tie rod ends on a heavy street driven car, but I'm asking for other's opinions on that.

 

Not sure where you are located, but in several states lift blocks in the front are illegal.

I would make sure that this isn't going to end with a ticket, leading to you removing them.

 

Do you think with some work the front end could be set up correctly?

 

I would like to hear opinions on that also.

 

I am wondering if re-welding of the bracket would be a good idea? Thanks for your comments

 

The 4 bolts holding that flat bar to the frame rails is a bit sketchy, and I would want either more bolts, or go over it with welds at inside and outside of both frame rails. The shocks show that they're traveling in about a 2" area, but can't see why that is a problem. The blocks are also OK as long as the U bolts are at least flush with the end of the nuts, and don't stop shy up inside the nuts. Nice flat drag link, which is great to see. Looks like a 30's-early 50's Chevy frame?

 

If you're thinking of redoing part of it, you might want to redo all of it. But if it drives Ok, and you're Ok with the excessive height, then you could leave it as is. Kind of depends on what you want the car to be when you're done with it. It looks a bit crude, maybe that's not what you really want?

 

It looks basically ok, here’s what I would do.
Clean and weld the ends of the bar to the frame.
Weld a 1/8”-3/16” rectangular gusset onto the front of the spring perches and the frame. This will add a little strength and cover the unattractive double welds. Be sure to remove the shackle bushings before welding.
Again, I would check the spacers and maybe gusset the upper shock mounts. Cantilevered like they are, if the shocks are effective, the brackets/bolt could eventually break.
Remove the drag link and, at a minimum, inspect the Heim joints and the bolts. I would replace the Heim joints with new chromoly ones and add a Seals-It rubber seal top and bottom to both to keep out some road dirt. Make sure that the bolts are grade 8 and that the Heim joint and the arms are riding on the shank of the bolt, not the threads. Use lock nuts with a thread or two protruding or castle nuts and cotter pins.
Make sure all bolts are the proper length, good quality, and tight. It IS front suspension.
Clean and paint the bottom of everything!

 

Thank you, Yes - Chevy frame

 

Thank you.

 

Thank you for your comments, I like the height and, I am interested in any problems that might arise. Need some ideas from people with more experience. I would only want to change stuff that needs to be done for safety reasons.

 

I know you didn't ask, but if it was mine I would remove all the lift stuff and put it back stock or lower it. Raised trucks have a higher center of gravity and under panic driving situations can rollover. Plus it wood ride nicer. Just my opinion.

 

Probably the most important thing...drive carefully. Make sure all the nuts and bolts are tight, except the shackles, which have to pivot.

The bar that goes across the front to support the shackles is weird looking, but it's not under much load. There's no front-rear loading on it, only side load, and it has some vertical load when you lift the car by the frame, but not when it's sitting on it's wheels, as it almost always is.

It's hard to tell if it has sufficient caster, which is the angle that the kinpins lean back from vertical.

 

As shown the suspension is dangling from the car. What does it look like when standing on the ground? Are you happy with that look?
Raising blocks and an axle with a drop in it seem illogical to me, but if it works well enough then why mess with it? But a straight tube might be more to your liking if it is, as I suspect it must be, that you like the nosebleed g***er style stance.

Chris

 

Of course it can be reworked.

The notion behind not accepting blocks in the front is that under braking they are an extra lever that enhanced spring wrap.

That results in caster change, in the way that makes the car steer more quickly under braking.

That's bad, especially that the harder you brake, the twitcher the steering will get.

 

A straight tube with no blocks would pur the nose about 2" higher than it is now, give-and-take.

 

I think the look is fine. I do like the stance, it has an old hot rod look to it. Just trying to learn.

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

You are welcome, good luck.

 

Chevy tophat frames have much of their strength in the combination of the top box's flanges and bottom plate. But alone, neither is very strong. That's why you see all the original brackets and crossmembers attach on the flanges. Usually with a bolt or rivet holding the part to the flange.

I see your rear spring mounts welded to the middle of the bottom plate, with just a single weld on the front, and probably the back edges. And it's right in the middle of the plate, not near the flange.

I foresee this mount cracking the bottom plate from all the road forces traveling from the axle through the spring, right to those mounts. The thin bottom plate will probably crack from the end of one of the welds over to the edge.

I'd suggest cutting those mounts off and grinding the weld off. Then welding those mounts, or new ones, to some plate, probably at least 3/8" thick, that reaches maybe 6 inches long and as wide as the frame flanges. Then use at least six bolts to hold each one to the bottom of the frame, attached at the flanges.

 

The leaf springs look a bit like trailer springs to me. Do you know what they are....... original or not???