[ogre]

bwc
you have some serious tubs (and meat) on your truck
what frame mods did you do?

your truck rides about the same height as mine
my punkin hits my bed and i spend some time on bump stops with a 3'' c-notch

[B.W.C.]

Originally Posted by ogre

bwc
you have some serious tubs (and meat) on your truck
what frame mods did you do?

your truck rides about the same height as mine
my punkin hits my bed and i spend some time on bump stops with a 3'' c-notch

Hey ogre, I have a Chrysler 8 3/4 rear end I had narrowed about 5" each side, my tires are 31 x18.5 x 15. My frame is boxed and I have reverse eye mono -leaf springs from Durant Springs in the rear but my rear end housing is in the stock location. Meaning the springs sit on top of the axle. I did not have to c-notch the frame. I moved my springs inboard or (between the frame rails). I took the leaf spring mounts and swaped the left side with the right side so the springs could be mounted inboard. I am replacing the rear mono-leafs because one spring has a slight sag and they are unsafe. A few cars and trucks have crashed because the springs have been breaking. It doesn't matter what brand they are, it is an inherent problem with mono-leafs. A few places sell them but they also have split mono-leafs or dual flex out there for folks that had issues with the monos. I am also using a No Limit Engineering adjustable traction bars. I have new No Limit Engineering Posies multi-leaf springs and a flip kit to relocate the springs under the axles. I will still be able to use my traction bars but I might have to C-notch the frame the way you have. I wil have to cut off the old spring saddles on the axle tubes and weld the new ones on the underside of the axle. So I am hoping that the flip kit will be enough to get her down some more, if not a 1 or 2 inch lowering block should do it and of course the drop spindles on my Mustang II should give me a level stance. I don't mind the slight rake I have but I would prefer no rake at all. Look at that picture of the red '57 Chevy pick up I posted. I realize he has a competion four link out back and coil overs but I have seen leaf suspensions make it down that low.

[B.W.C.]

OHH By the way Ogre your bed is awesome. That is truly a one of a kind, I have never seen that done before, it looks gr8.

[ogre]

thanks bwc
here is my rear setup


89 trans am axle w/disk brakes, i cleaned off all the coil spring & shock mounts.
3'' c-notch, fully boxed frame, shortened 8'', stock springs minus the overloads (4 leafs) in stock location.
reinforced the top of the frame at the c-noth by adding 1.5'' to the frame at the notch.
fabricated bump stop mounts off to the side of the frame and used autozone bump stops.
used the stock trans am sway bar with custom links & hangers
bought new spring pads from a trailer supply, u-bolts from a spring shop
and re-used the stock plate and shock mounts from my 58.
total cost of my flip kit was $40

with the bed on my 58 i have 3'' of suspenssion travel
under heavy acceleration my punkin rotates and my drive shaft rubs on the stock x-member in front of the rear end
i'm sure if my 58 was heavier this would cause wheel hop as the punkin rotates and relaxes
the stock 89 trans am had a torque bar set up off the punkin all the way up to the rear of the trans
i am going to reinstall a shortend version of the torque bar, using a sway bar link off that same x-member

i did not think i would need tubs but 8'' rims w/10'' tires barely cleared and would have rubbed cornering.
i could easily fit 12'' tires in there now, but won't because i drive this everywhere.

[B.W.C.]

Yeah, OGRE,
Notching was something I thought I might not have to do, but I am sure I will have to go that route once I put the flip kit on. Thanks for posting the picture. I am not certain I have seen all the photos of your truck where on here can I see them all? Thanks, BWC

[ogre]

bwc
if you do c-notch raise your bed wood or hump over the punkin
mine barely hits when i go on the bump stops
i noticed the red 57 pic you posted had no bed and the punkin was 3'' above the wood line

i have some build pics on photobucket
look in the mobile uploads folder too
i send a lot of pics directly to photobucket from my phone

[Tri5Nerd]

Originally Posted by mkabwe

Tri5,

You over here to? Man you get around just like me.lol

Yes sir, I like to follow you. LOL

[octanejunkie]

Hey guys, nice trucks, love the Task Force line!

I bought my '59 shortbed about 10 years ago and it's been slow but I am now at the point I am driving it daily and loving it - touched or changed just about everything at this point.

I haven't gone as radical as some but I love the old truck look, and ride actually, but have spruced it up a bit:
-0.040-over 350, mild (214/224 @ .050) 112 LC cam,
-vortec heads, air-gap intake, 600cfm carter
-summit crossflow alu rad with large electric fan on thermo relay
-vintage air (not finished install)
-2-1/2" rams horns with 2-1/2" exhaust all the way back, H cross over at trans
-rear frame gas tank with electric pump
-level2 Bowtie Overdrives 700R4 w 2200rpm stall with B&M HighTech trans cooler, thermo relay
-'79 trans am rear with posi and 3.42 gears
-CCP power disc brakes up front, drum rear, firewall hung brake pedal
-1" tie rod and moog ends
-31.5" BFGs all around, new springs and SensaTrac shocks
-1" body/bed lift, 2" suspension lift, front and rear sway bars
-GM tilt column w power steering via Toyota 4x4 PS box
-3rd row bench seat with head rests from an Astro van
-3-point adjustable seat belts from a Tahoe
-painless fuse box and harness, all new wiring with relays where it matters
-auto meter gauges, trans temp gauge, vac gauge
-probably more to mention...

Future plans include EFI, paint, body and interior - and a better e-brake

Here are a few pics







Best part about it, I did most everything myself. Next project is a '71 scamp wtih 360 roller motor, then a '61 chevy PU onto a mid-80s 4x4 frame

[mkabwe]

Hello octanejunkie,

Its nice to see another So Cal Classic Truck guy. Let's keep em rollin.

Mkabwe

[ericrcan]

I have a 56, and I just converted to a tilt steering wheel and power steering, but now im thinking about power brakes.. I dont mind keeping the drum brakes, but trying to figure out the best way to add a brake booster. What do I have to do to convert it this way and get rid of the original brake booster under the cab?? Thanks

[ogre]

eric
there are a variety of kits available to add power brakes to our trucks.
check all the vendor sites, most keep the mc & booster under the floor
if your good at fabricating you can mount the booster anywhere you want
i preffer the under floor mount as it keeps the firewall clean

this is my setup; hydroboost mounted under the floor.
all home fabricted using jy parts, this is for 4 wheel disk setup
using the stock pedal and swing arm

[ericrcan]

did you get your kit online, or did you get it from a donor car? We have another brake booster and dual master cylinder at my house, but we werent quite sure how to get it to work. I guess keeping it under the cab is probably the best thing, even though we dont want to have to pull up the carpet when we need to fill it...

Also, another question.... If we want to go with a normal brake booster and m.c. on the firewall, is there a way to swap the brake pedal to a newer style one that is mounted to teh steering collumn inside the cab? That way we wouldnt have to worry about the pedal hitting the exhaust pipe. Thanks

1 last thing... can i find any of these parts off donor cars, if so, which ones?

[ogre]

you can use what you have if it's drum/drum.
they make drum/drum, disk/drum and disk/disk mc's.
i made all my brackets, it's an easy fab job.
if i had it to do again, i would use a heim joint and move the booster back 8'' or so.
my exhaust goes under my frame, the mc is to close to the trans to run next to the mc.
my mc/booster is from an 03 mustang, it is a hydro-boost and uses power steering to boost.

i personally like it under the floor, i glued my carpet down and use a squeeze bottle to fill the mc.
i have never had to filled it since i repaired a leak 2 yrs ago.
a couple of guys here have hanging pedals, maybe they will chime in as i can help you there

[octanejunkie]

Originally Posted by ericrcan

I have a 56, and I just converted to a tilt steering wheel and power steering, but now im thinking about power brakes.. I dont mind keeping the drum brakes, but trying to figure out the best way to add a brake booster. What do I have to do to convert it this way and get rid of the original brake booster under the cab?? Thanks

I got the firewall pedal kit from CPP along with the booster/mc/proportioning valve for disc/drum. I also got a disc brake kit from GSPP before they moved to NV years ago - but all you need to get is the spindle adapters and caliper brackets, the rest of the front disc brakes can be gotten at parts stores from a 75 Camaro - this will give you a 5 on 4-3/4 bolt pattern. There is a 6 lug disc kit too.

You can also get a MC that is valved for disc/drum from a Mopar A body like a Dart, Baracuda, Valiant, etc - no proportioning valve needed. You can add a junkyard booster to this setup pretty easily but they are not that expensive new and if you make good vacuum the firewall is a handy place IMO - not too cluttered for my taste.

[ericrcan]

Thanks for both your replies!

Its actually my dad's truck, and he just decided to go at it.. ha. So we took our brake booster and re-manufactured mc and got it to work. Now we have a hanging pedal and hes happy. octane, what size booster is that? We were just talking about how he may not have room for a ronud air cleaner because of the size of ours, but that looks great