Hey Guys I got a ton of help from Nate and the boys last year when i got her rolling. Thanks again for that. I got a 1950 pickup from my uncle last year. I got it going and drove it all summer. I parked it for the winter and now im getting excited to get her out for the summer. When i get her going this year i want to upgrade the suspensoin a bit. My linkage is all worn so im going to replace that. I was also thinking of buying a swaybar for it. I drive the sea to sky hiway from Vancouver to Whistler Canada all the time. Its a pretty windy mountain road and it would be nice to be a bit more stable. What do you guys think. I got to figure out how to get some pics up. hope all is well. Jeff Bryson
Jeff, sounds like a good idea to me. I think the sway bar is a nice improvement. I rebuilt the whole front end on mine, and upgraded to the 1 inch tie rod, with the newer style ends. I'm not sure it is critical, but just that much less flex up front. I would also recommend checking the springs and shackles, etc for wear. They tend to be pretty bad on some of these old trucks. I don't think mine had been lubed for 50 years, and were ready to break off completely. Good luck.....Mike
Jeff, Mike is right on about the shackles. Give them special attention. One of mine was bent and I couldnt get grease in the other one. I would replace them and move on. Sway bars are good. These old trucks were meant to work on the farm and not designed for highway use at our speeds today. You might consider replacing the front ball and cage wheel bearings with roller style bearings. They have a lot more surface area to spread the load on the cups meaning less wear. Big tie rod is a good plan. Dont forget to adjust the steering box, and get an alignment. Drive slow, smile and enjoy the ride. Sully
He's right Check everything and anything. Don't forget the king pins, shocks,etc... Sway bars have some purpose but mostly on turns. Make sure you install a Good set of shocks Gas charged are best. Your old truck is still pushing a lot of weight down the road Good Luck
I remember that road quite well;I was sideswiped by a logging truck a few years back. Front stabilizer bar is very effective on these old trucks and all the previous good advice too.
Adding a leaf or two to the springs helps a lot . Not to forget : radial tires , truck rated of course ! . I has my '49 out over the weeekend carrying a Moto and I surprised quite a few guys in newer trucks with my handling ability in the curves ~ I need to get a sway bar though . Ball bearings are not any trouble -if- you remember to service them annually
Alright Nate, How do you add a leaf or two to the springs? I have TWO frames here. One I'm using and one I'm not. Both have front and rear leaf assemblies. Do I just take a couple of leafs off each and add them to the ones I am currently using? which ones would I use, the shorter or longer ones? What about those metal straps on the leaf assemblies that seem to wrap and hold it all together? Or do I have to go elsewhere to get more leafs Andy
Wow , you still have wrapped springs ! There's prolly a science to it , I just add another leaf from an old spring . you'll of course need longer U bolts . Proper way is to have new springs built up and tell the builder you'd like an extra leaf of two ... Springs are fairly cheap .
Cheaper than new springs is adding a leaf from the other truck and just getting new u-bolts. Remember...low budget rebuild, not restoration. Thanks for the info Nate and yes the springs are still (mostly) wrapped. I'm guessing by your post that they don't really need to be. I will be putting a sway bar on the truck for sure as well. Andy
Wrapped Leaf Springs This is actually a very good thing -if- you live where it's damp (IE : snow or rain country) as the idea is : you disassemble them once every year and clean off the old grease & dirt then wires brush them where they rubed and rusted a little bit , pack grease between the leaves then re-assemble install and finally , re-wrap them to keep the grease in and road grime & salt etc. , out . It works a treat and provides a very smooth ride (a GM hallmark in the 1930's & 1940's) with _no_ squeaks . It made the springs last nearly forever too . If you ever decide to try lubing your springs , use a graphite based grease and prepare to be pleasantly surprised at the result . I used to spray Chrysler's most excellent graphite based heat risor solvent in my springs but I've gotten lazy in my later years .
Sweet as Hey Guys So im going to get some new shackles, bushings and all that. Some new shocks and a sway bar. Im pretty sure the leafs in the back are good but the fronts are saged for sure. I really like the look of my truck with the front a bit low. Can i just ad a leaf to make is stiffer that low or do i have to replace the whole leaf and get drop axles? I like the idea of lubing between the springs. I bet my truck will have a way better ride with all the upgrades. Thanks guys.. Jeff
Low down Here's what I r gonna due. Eaton Springs makes 2" lowering springs for these things. I've e-mailed them to get a parts # and price list on front springs and shocks. Haven't heard from them yet, but they make them and it's a good way to get low. Putting new leafs up front is a good saftey idee, and cheaper than a dropped axle with old springs. (Especially ifin' yer V-Natin' like I will be!) When I hear from Eaton, I'll pass along the info.
OH NOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo Not a 'NOTHER V-ate ! Whine......... I dunno how you guys do it ~ I replaced my front springs with brandy new onces and I -still- bottom out all the time . I tried to use Task Force springs but they're too wide . I agree , wait for the info from Eaton to come in , DON'T toss out your old springs as you may wind up using a leaf or two off them as a helper if it's too low or bottoms out on normal speed bumps etc.
