[kay's 51]

Is there a newer front suspension assembly with power steering and disc brakes if possible that is not a mustang 11that will bolt or weld on to my 51 chevy sedan delivery with out a lot of modifications.

[jetnow1]

The 80's (to 87) chevy pu front end is probably the closest- it unbolts from
the stock frame and is only about an inch wider than the ad frame. It does
set the vehicle quite high if you care about lowering it you will have to
spend money on lowering springs, dropped spindles etc. There are also
issues with the placement of the power steering box. There is quite a bit
on this swap on the various boards that cater to these vehicles- google it
and you should find some more specific info. Good luck with the truck-
Jim

[dsraven]

try the hollister road company, they put the '80's style front end in an old truck. it didn't look right to me, but to each their own. some of them have too wide of a track width so they will have to use offset wheel, maybe that is why they look different. there is also a site that sells adapter plates and spacers etc to put your old truck onto an s10 frame. it would sit lower from what I have seen. i went through this dilemma on my 57 gmc and ended up going with a MII set up from TCI, with the advice of some of the guys on this site. I would recomend doing your homework and actually see one completed if possible, or at least some pics of the build. some guys will "clip" a front end from something else and adapt it to fit as well. just make sure you get it right the first time because once the frame is cut it's cut. there are lots of guys who have done each one of these conversions so there should be some before and after pics available. I believe TCI and some others sell a complete frame for your truck, it could be a little spendy though. one for my 57 was going for about $8000 I think. I don't remember what it came with for suspension options etc but it was ifs for sure. just the MII kit for mine was $2500 with 10" discs, power steering rack, stabilizer bar, with air ride bags but no controls etc. check out heidts, art morrison, several others. take a look at the ads in custom classic trucks, they usually have a bunch in there. try to get a price, all in, to do a complete front end or frame or whatever and then do a comparison from there. would you be doing the work yourself? don't forget to ad the cost of wheels because unless you go with that option of 6 stud wheels (cost more in the kit) then you will end up swapping wheels too. i do sort of remember a bolt in kit for your style of truck, but it was MII stuff.
good luck and keep us posted
dsraven

[tomslik]

uh, guys, he said it was a sedan delivery, not a panel truck....


BIG difference!

[dsraven]

hey, sorry man, I was thinking panel truck. big difference, HUGE. my bad. I'm gonna take my ball and go home now.......
sorry, don't have any info on a bolt in kit for that. I would imagine it has the same frame as a car would. one of the car guys would maybe have an answer. there is an article in rod and custom magazine, feb 2009, called "how it works: independent front suspension" that is interesting.
here is who I was looking at when I got my 57 gmc stuff. it was all MII though I think. there are probably more if you google it
.
no limit engineering
total cost involved
heidts
fatman
streetrod engineering
full tilt street rods
jim meyer racing ( has a bolt in kit for your car, but hold onto your wallet, or start skimming cash into the hotrod fund now, ha ha)
speedway motors
art morrison
welders series
rod and custom motorsports (cater more to fords but make a front end for the chevy car up to '54)
chassis engineering ( has bolt on kits)

good luck,
dsraven

[Centerline]

The short answer to your question is NO. You're not going to find a "bolt in" front suspension that won't require some serious modifications. That's why most people go with something along the lines of a Mustang II IFS. These systems are easy to install and can be bolted or welded in and won't require you to build new mounts for the radiator and front sheet metal, which by the way is not an easy job.

For your car you could use a Camaro or Nova clip which would give you everything you want but it will require cutting off the front frame and welding in the clip..... and it takes a lot of work to make sure the clip is aligned correctly and this is not really a job for armatures. Then, like I said before you'll need to fabricate new mountings for the inner fenders, radiator and front sheet metal.

So the answer is.... Yes there are other suspension systems that can be used other than the Mustang II IFS..... but NO they won't just "bolt in" without major modifications.

Centerline
HotRodsAndHemis.com

Never pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just shoot you. - Anonymous

[swvalcon]

s-10 front frame or 78-83 elcomino or chevelle will work.