Lets get something straight here guys. I used to do the same thing. I immediately thought to advise that such and such was dangerous, made no sense, better solutions out there, non stock, screws up a good old truck. We are mostly "original" types here. Maybe a slight brake or lighting or bearing upgrade. But cutting into a frame or tearing out the suspension.....OH NO! Not on Stovebolt. Well..........here is what I think. I have read the description of HiPo shop/Hot Rod Shop. It's advertised as "Thinking about a hotrod, street rod or other custom work? It's not for the AD type, the TF type, originalist, nostalgic or the old design is OK. It's what you call a special forum for HiPo. Ford introduced the "K" code and other High Performance Option choices in about the early 60's. Referred to as HiPo. Now used to describe all kinds of motors and accessories. HiPo Tires, HiPo air fresheners and such. Chevy had HI PERF. Other designations are H.O., SPHP, Z28 and so on.
I've realized that this forum has folks who have already considered doing a custom/radical/deep upgrade for performance reasons, Until they ask if they should do it, we should stick to answering their question. We can go off on someone in the other forums. Repeat, I include myself and past posts.
We probably should not give unsolicited poo pooing advice in this one forum as Martin said. The poster is past the "keep it original/don't screw up a good truck" phase. Usually. They are polite and understanding but they just want the answer from someone who has done the HiPo job....or someone to help research.
It's pretty hard to argue that a 50's straight axle is "better" than Modern IFS in a HiPo build. There are bolt-on IFS for 48 and up Chevy trucks. Obviously designed for whatever load and weight of the truck or liability would be at risk.
They try to cover that by warning that a professional must install it. Even a bolt on! This is so they can blame the owner if they install it or the professional installer. The bottom line is there are no failures that we know of anyway. It's seems like if you can measure stuff and drill some holes, you are in fat city. I have done radical DIY fabrication to TF (55.2-59)
