I have installed a 409 V8 engine in my 56 3/4 ton pick-up. My leaf springs really sank. Did Chevrolet use different springs in the 6 banger versions than in the V8 versions and are the 3/4 ton front springs any different. What I have is a 3/4 ton 6 lug that originally had a 6 banger. Bottom line is that I need more spring. Can someone suggest a solution?
I thought the 3/4 ton trucks all had 8 lug wheels. I'm not sure about Chevies, but the GMC Master Parts Book shows 8 lug on 3/4 ton.
My S/N is 3E56KO23616 I think that it was originally a long bed. I thought that 1/2 tons had 5 lug and 3/4 tons had 6 lug and 1 tons had 8 lug. At any rate I need to know if they all used the same front leaf springs.
1/2 ton (31xx/32xx series Chevy, 10x series GMC) used 6 lug wheels. 3/4 ton (36xx series Chevy, 15x series GMC) used 8 lug wheels. Your VIN # decodes to a 3600 at http://www.americanclassic.com/paint.htm?p1=vin so it should have 8 lug wheels front and back. Of course someone could have mounted the cab from a 3/4 ton onto your 1/2 ton running gear. In either case, front springs (in the GMC Master Parts Book) are the same for 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton, even though the axle is different. Not sure that Chevies are the same, but would guess that they are. For 1/2 ton GMC offered a six leaf front spring standard and optional 7 and 8 leaf front springs. Mine had the 8 leaf spring. I removed the #2 and #4 (counting from the shortest) leaves and reduced the distance between the front bumper and ground by about 1.5". Also made the truck much faster because it is now going downhill most of the time. Assuming your "W" engine isn't a Z11, it's dry weight is somewhere around 665 pounds. The 6 cylinder 235" engine was around 610 pounds and the 283 V8 was somewhere around 570 pounds. 100 pounds shouldn't make a huge difference in front end height. Could just be tired springs.
Thank you very much for the valuable information. I believe that you are correct about the cab being put on a 1/2 ton running gear. This truck apears to be cabbaged together from several. Also, someone has taken one leaf from the 6 leaf springs and yes I believe that the springs are tired. Sounds like I'll be buying a new set of springs. Here is a photo.
