Originally posted by GMCpanel:
Hotrod,
Here is the link to the article about narrowing a '73-'87 IFS crossmember: http://www.chevytrucks.org/tech/50ifsswap.htm
The last picture is the most telling - the wheels actually fit under the fenders.Take another look...the caption under that picture reads
"(The photo above is with stock suspension--not IFS)"
Having just done this swap on a 3/4 ton truck, I can tell you *for sure* that if you see the wheels inside the fenders on a truck with one of these suspensions, it is *not* because the front end was narrowed 1-1/2", which is only 3/4" per side. It is because the right wheels were selected. Here's a shot of my truck, with front and rear ends from a '78 or so GMC 3/4 ton. All I have left to do is fabricate swaybar mounts.
[img]
http://www.brakecylinder.com/images/52chevy/chev032.jpg[/img]
Those are late model (2001-2003) Dog** 3/4 ton steel wheels, which have almost 6" of backset. It takes all of it to compensate for the 7" wider track of the late suspension compared to the original straight axle. It would be nice if the wheels were another 3/4" under the fenders, but I don't think it would be worth the large amount of time and trouble it takes to do the narrowing.
Due to the taper in the '52 frame compared to the '78, I used 1" spacers between the frame and steering box/idler arm to maintain the original spacing and geometry. Since the spacers are so thick I was able to machine the back of the steering box spacer to receive the bumper bracket. (I'm kind of proud of this trick...I haven't seen a photo yet of another truck with this suspension that had the front bumper mounted.) If I were to narrow the frame, the spacer would be about 1/4" thick and mounting the bumper bracket would turn into a major project that would probably turn out marginal at best.
Joe
