Howdy!

How's it goin- I am trying to start a conversation with Chiro, but have not been able to figure out how to get the process started- I see the "Conversations" area under the "Information" tab in my profile, but tt I am not seeing any way to initiate a conversation? I also went to Chiro's profile and didn't have any more luck there. Maybe since I'm new, that function is not enabled yet?

Anyways, below is the message I am trying to send to Chiro and possibly another member may be able to help point me to threads on the subject. I read about the first 20 pages of the 47-54 forums and it seems like I saw one other member praised for developing a solid suspension set up (specs) for the stock configuration- Thanks again advance and looking forward to contributing soon once I find a victim for my project !

Hi Chiro,
I saw your name mentioned in another thread regarding proper stock chassis set up and that you had several posts on the subject. I went through all of your posts ( I think....) and I didn't see the topic- I want to drop my truck 3-4" with minimal mods. I also want to make sure it's properly aligned, nice and tight etc. Planning to buy a drop axle and rear block kit from Sids, probably use 18 or 20" steel wheels from Nissan / infinity SUV, at least a front sway bar, would like to add Bilsteins if there's a fitment that works on the stock set up with minimal mods. I had a 1952 3100 in high school (1978) and they are my favorite vintage body- There are several candidates on farms out here where I live ( pics in my album) A 1953 GMC, ran when parked 5 years ago, for $1500, fairly straight, not much rust, but front fenders have seen better days- . There's a '52 3100 that is a one owner, was a milk delivery truck. Engine blew in 1972, owner had it rebuilt, got it home and the water pump failed. He parked it in his barn and it sat there for the last 40 years- It is unbelievably straight with the exception of a dent in the right front fender, That one is $2000 and then there is a 1950 3600 daily driver that just showed up on Craigslist for $4500, but afraid it probably sold instantly as haven't been able to get a response from the guy. My project is just gunna be a fun week end cruiser, local cruise ins and to take my vintage MX bike to the track once in awhile. Planning to plasti-dip it matte black with gloss black trim or matte gunmetal with brushed stainless / silver trim. Safety and reliability are key- good brakes and decent handling and I'd like to be able to cruise 65 at a comfortable rpm. Anyways, if you do have some guidelines in a thread or can point me to another thread, that would be great! Thanks and have a great week end!

 

Andy (Chiro) has done his truck much like you are shooting for. The big factors for safety and highway cruising speed are disc front brakes and shallower rear end gears. His is a 55 first series which is the only AD with an open drive shaft so a rear swap was easier but many torque tube type rears have been swapped for open ones. 3.56 gears are offered for your rear end or a swap to the 55-59 rear will make 3.38 gears available. You don't say whether you are keeping the 216 engine but it will run 65 with either set of gears but not much higher with the 3.56. Be careful with tire selection as anything over 6" wide is going to make steering a real effort, especially radials as they have a much larger foot print than bias tires. I posted a thread titled "which is best" withing the last several months which went into this a bit and others chipped in with their thoughts. Welcome and good luck.

 

Hi Ed,

Welcome to the forum. Here, you will indeed get answers. Most guys here are a wealth of knowledge. Let's go over some options.

How I first built my truck with my kids:

1955 first series with 1957 235 I6 engine, 1949 SM 420 4-speed trans, 1954 closed driveline (torque tube) rear. I have '47-'53 sheet metal for the nose. This truck was an ex Old Navy store display truck and almost all of them had the '47-'53 nose on them. I like it. The one piece '54-'55.1 windshield with the early nose makes the truck a real looker in my opinion. This was a low budget build done that way to keep the kids interested in the truck. They helped a lot and absolutely love the truck.

Now let's talk about how it is now:

Stock frame and suspension front and rear. Stock ride height. Original AD Suburban front sway bar (a WORLD of improvement). Speedway front disc conversion (changed lug pattern from 6-lug to 5 X 4 3/4" Chevy pattern). 1972 Nova rear with 3.08:1 gears (also 5 X 4 3/4" lug pattern). Had to convert the back of my SM 420 4-speed to open driveline to do this. 1 1/4" billet wheel spacers on rear. 14" X 7" mid 70's stocker type steel wheels (nothing fancy), 55 Chevy car dog dish type caps.

The truck is much more driveable now. The brakes are a dream and swapping out the rear for the Nova rear was the best thing I ever did. The trucks engine used to SCREAM at 55 MPH. I was just waiting for it to blow up. Now, highway speeds are easy and I expect it to go on forever. The kids and I are extremely happy with the truck.

Now for your truck:

Sid's drop axle and blocks have very good reviews. You may want to look into his spindles as well. The problem with that route is you STILL have a straight axle when you're done. You may not be happy with the way the truck handles. Straight axles feel every bump in the road in an AD truck. You may want to think about grafting in an independent front suspension, especially if you are going the SBC route for power. The 216 I6 engines that came in the AD trucks are hard to kill but they do die. Many "farm" trucks replaced the 216 with the later 235 I6 which is a MUCH better engine, but it is still an I6. Not going to get you 0 to 60 any time before tomorrow around lunchtime.

I built my truck as a low budget truck and use it as a truck too. No fancy paint, interior, etc. The great thing about AD trucks is that there are so many options. They have become one of the hot rodders favorite platforms over the last ten years due to their stunning body design. Prices for finished trucks (restored and hot rod) and starter hulks have gone up.

You can do it anyway you want with these trucks. I did a remodel on my home many years ago and was asking the architect about options. He said, "You can do whatever you want if you have the money to do it". That applies to these trucks too.

So, my truck is not really what you want. I think maybe Russ (ol' chebby) can help you more in the direction you want to go. You should check out his threads at the top of the forum. He has gone through meticulous documentation of the assembly of and AD truck with tons of pics and explanations as well as modification installations like a fatman M2 style independent front end. Just remember, all upgrades cost money and TIME and require acquired skill sets or farming out fabrication items to those that have the skill set (read MONEY again here).

To start a conversation with a member, just hover your mouse over their Avatar and click it. It will open up some options for you.

Evan (coilover) is one of the best fabricators I have ever seen. My bucket list includes taking a ride down to his shop in Texas in the '31 Hot Rod Model A I'm currently building (for the last 6 years!). His shop puts out some of the most incredible work I have ever seen and he is a wealth of knowledge. There are others who have done meticulous build threads on this forum too, like Zig, mobile ortho, ricos54, etc. Too many great builds to name them all.

In my opinion, you should stick to a 3100. The larger trucks are a bit more difficult to get parts for.

Good luck finding and building your truck and welcome. Just remember, we like pictures. So when you finally get a truck, post some.

Andy

 

You might check out the December 6th thread "Which is best" that has what Chiro and several others have done to upgrade their trucks to good drivers and stoppers. Pretty much a consensus on brakes and rear end gearing. If you go to wider radial tires the steering effort will increase in a hurry with the straight axle.

 

Thanks for all the info Coilover! I'm hoping the steel wheels Andy used are narrower than the Infinity / Nissan wheels I've been seeing on line that are 8" wide. Maybe the spare tire rim for those models is narrower than the stock steel wheels and I'll be able to stick to a tire that is around 6" wide, at least in the front I'll ask Andy-

I suppose the smart thing to do is to get the truck road worthy and spend some time behind the wheel to see if I can live with the 1950 ride quality or if an IFS / C notch project is in the works.

It looks like the general consensus is that a disc brake upgrade for the front will be mandatory-

Trying to keep my project cost at around $5K and minimize the amount of hours in the build as my spare time is limited for the next couple of years- May be unrealistic as ~$2K for the truck, $1800 for the bolt in IFS, $500 for C notch, $600 for wheels and tires, $600 and a weekend for the matte black plasti - dip paint job and another $1000 or so for the hidden issues! One of the trucks I've been looking at has a nice original patina, and I'll keep it that way if I end up with that one, so that could save quite a bit of time and budget.

My wife is saying " Just buy one that's done...' which would be the smart thing to do, but where's the fun in that!

 

Ed, welcome aboard. You are in good hands. MANY of them! The best part is the vast array of trucks- and the different directions they have gone in will let you see what others have done. Got a question? Chances are the answer lies in a forum member's ride. Ask away!

And yes, the Infinity/Nissan steelies are 20" x 8". See my thread "Progress..." for pictures. Remember, there are options in 16, 17, and 18 to consider as well. Narrowing is an option, but then you run into the added $$, and a tire selection that gets pretty slim.

 

Thanks for the detailed reply Andy!
And what a great project with your kids, so rare nowadays that kids get any experience with mechanical stuff in our throw away society.

I am petty sure I will keep it an inline 6 as I don't have any desire to roast the tires or do any long distance heavy towing, mainly just for fun local week end cruises, stuff like that. Sounds like a rear end swap to something newer in a lower numerical ratio like you did is the way to go.

I have read through Ol'chebby's stickies, lots of amazing info there!


Thanks again and I will definitely post pics as things progress!

 

Ed ;

You need to go to your account page and change the details , you're not set up to allow messages , I just looked at your album with the nice green '52 , no way to post a comment nor to contact you whatsoever .

 

HI Nate,
I checked my profile settings and it looked like everything was set to receive contact, however I didn't see a check box for conversations or allow messages? Any suggestions?

 

Thanks! looks like I'm good to go now-