Hello all

I have a 1942 Chev truck that I am about to start working on and looking at Brake and wheel options. The truck is a Holden bodied 2wd 160 inch wheelbase ex Australian army truck that has 10 stud spit rim wheels and drum brakes. This thing measures just short of 2 meters (6 foot 8 inches) across the frond guards so a bit wider than the standard pickups.

I am not looking to do a resto but would like a regularly derivable truck. I am not interested in looking for a different truck as I started driving this truck from the age of 5 until I was 16 and left home. I have a spare chassis of a shorter wheel base model that I will most likely use. For the purists this is not a pristine example and was used hard as a farm truck. I remember many late nights driving in circles with the hay loader on the side and dad stacking hay bales on the back. I also remember putting it in first gear and pointing it across the paddock whilst I got out an climbed on the back to throw out those same bales many years later to half starved cattle in the middle of a drought.

What I would like to achieve is 5 or 6 stud steel wheels with hub caps and more modern drums or disk front and drum rear. What are the options. I am leaning towards keeping the front I beam axle but if cross member swap from something like a C20 is the only option I am keen to hear. I would also consider an I beam of a late model Japaneses truck. I understand there are some postal vans in the states that may have parts that may work but we did not get them in Australia so I can't just drop into my local wrecker.

Thanks in advance

Steve