[solowookie]

here is where I'm at with my project;

<a href="http://www.vtengineering.com/stovebolt/AD-1.jpg" target="_blank">Picture 1</a>
<a href="http://www.vtengineering.com/stovebolt/AD-2.jpg" target="_blank">Picture 2</a>
<a href="http://www.vtengineering.com/stovebolt/AD-3.jpg" target="_blank">Picture 3</a>

pretty quickly I will be going junkyard shopping for a rear suspension (i.e. springs & hangers). I will be going with a TCI crossmember and power rack, and I'm planning to just find some decent riding springs for the rear with a spring under setup.

this truck will not actually be used for a truck (i.e. tailgate may not even open - and will have a hard cover with the spare in the rear of the bed for more weight & better traction). however, I may do some light towing with it (i.e. up to 4500 Ibs.)

I'm considering the 57" ford f150 springs cuz I've heard the longer springs rider better? any suggestions?

[Centerline]

I'm working on a '53 3100 now.

One option for the rear suspension is to use Dodge or Chrysler Caravan springs and hangers. They can be had for a song, about $40 at a wrecking yard and come complete with bolt-on hangers. They are also available in 4 or 5 leaf varieties.

I chose the 5 leaf Chrysler springs since I'll be towing a car trailer with mine but a friend in Canada used the 4 leafs on his AD truck and loves them. He has over 30,000 miles on his truck with no problems.

If you are using a late 70's Camaro rear end (which is the perfect width for these trucks) the springs will bolt right up but the ease of installation to the chassis will depend on you. They can be bolted directly under the frame rails or you can build brackets to install them parallel. (The rear of the frame kicks out as it goes back so if you want true parallel springs (which will give you the best ride) you'll need to fab some mounting brackets. After my installation I thought it sat a little high so I chose to discard the rear shackle mounting brackets and move the mounting near the top of the frame to lower the suspension a bit more. (I did this because I'm using some home made CalTrack type traction devices that prohibit the use of lowering blocks).

Complete installation pics etc. are on my site below. Like I said this is just one option.

Good luck.

[57Chevyman]

I see little reason why you can not use the origonal springs over again. If your springs are still good replace the bushings and reassemble them. You can remove a leaf or two to soften the ride. This will also reduce the load carying capacity but I do not think you will be hauling stacks of drywall or tons of gravel You can get a lower stance by mounting the axle on top of the spring and also by having the main leaf re-arched making it a reverse eye spring. Any good spring shop can do this for you

[Don Meyer]

A other option is the Dodge Diplomat/Crysler car/staionwagon spring. I used them on both a 48 Chec trk & a 53 Ford Trk.....Don

[Studebaker]

I recently finished a 50 Studebaker truck and I used the 8" ford rear and leaf springs out of a Ford granada for the rear axle and suspension. It worked great and rides very nice, another plus is that it does not wheel hop on hard acceleration. I had to fabricate my own spring hangers and rear shackles. If you consider using this rearend set up, check the width, obviously the chevy truck may be slightly different than mine, GOOD LUCK!