im looking to lower my truck about 3 inches and im thinking mono's for front and rear. what will happen if i put them in? what changes do i have to do to the frame? will the overall ride be affected? also if any one has pics of 55-59 truck 3 or 4 inches lowered or with the same body style i would Appreciate it thanks -kujo
I've never been a fan of monoleaf springs for safety reasons only. I like the idea of a tapered leaf to give progresssive spring rates but if you break a spring you have a big issue, not so much with a multi-leaf spring pack. Look at getting reversed eye springs, re-arched spings, flip kits for the rear, and dropped axle for the front. Many other ways to get that truck to the ground.
I've seen a lot of vehicles driving around on broken springs, it does happen. What if they had been driving a monoleaf? Probably would have made the evening news...
I put a Camaro front suspension clip on my 1956 Chevy truck and lowered the rear about 3-4 inches by putting the axle above the rear springs after removing 2 spring plates. I ended up having to cut out some of the cross member material to allow the drive shaft to have a place to move up and down. I don't really like mono springs because if any spring brakes on any axle you run the risk of the other one breaking before you get your ride stopped. This could end your whole day and maybe your life. Just a thought!! Here are a few pics. (see attached)
I tried them on a '55 first series truck in the rear. I even bought the "correct" shocks from the same vender. Truck rode like crap. On a bumpy road like we have here in milwaukee the truck would bounce from front to back so much that it was hard to control. I ended up going with reversed eye springs and lowering blocks. Now all is well.
Just a thought... Every leaf spring is a mono-leaf if you look at the small area right before the spring eye... Ya think??? JG
Yep....but they tend not to break there. Not that they couldn't, they usually break closer to the axle housing inside the spring pack.
See the following link....a spring manufacturers article on the dangers of mono-leafs. http://www.eatonsprings.com/monoleaf.htm
thanks for all the help guys i think im gona go with the drop axel in front and maybe rearch leafsprings or axel flip in the back im not sure yet. still debating on what to do with the rear anybody have any other ideas i would apreciate it. thanks alot guys -kujo
I've flipped a few axles and seems to be the most bang for the buck. You'll need a mig welder, and a grinder if you want to do it on the cheap or you can pop a little more cash and buy a flip kit that bolts on. I haven't done one on that style frame, so I do not know if you'll need to C-Notch it or not. Have fun, those style trucks are one of my favorites and look great when dropped.
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