Hey 34 Dually (nice name, by the way),

Sounds like you really need to decide what you want to use the truck for, how far you want to take your "hot rodding," and what your budget will allow.

As far as I know, there are no disk brake conversions for a 34 ton-anna-half (or for any year of big trucks, for that matter). So, you're left with a couple of options---You could swap in an IFS (independant front suspension) which always have disk brakes, but these are a lot of work and money. And, you'll also have to put in a new rear axle, because that low-geared axle you have won't work for hot rodding (besides that, it's mechanical linkage and you can't really have hydraulic brakes up front and cables in the rear).

An easier way would be to do what OldSub suggested and install a solid front axle from a 47-54 1/2 ton and then install one of the disk brake conversion kits. You'll still need a new rear end for the reasons described above. Either of these options will de-rate your truck to a 1/2 ton rating.

Then, of course, there's the option of putting your 34 sheet metal on a newer chassis that already has disk brakes. From what I understand, an S-10 chassis is a popular choice, but be sure to take lots of measurements to determine what fits the best. Modern full-sized trucks are much wider than they were in the 30's. This is also a lot of work fabricating and figuring out where to put the body mounts.

If you want to keep it as a ton-anna-half, you could do what I'm doing, which is to steal the axles from a Chevy 3500 HD (early 90's, not the current one) or a P-30 chassis (step vans, motorhomes, etc.). My 89 P-30 step van had a leaf spring solid front axle and disk brakes all around. The rear axle (Dana 70HD or Rockwell) can be used as-is if the gear ratio suits your needs, but the front axle will have to be narrowed about 12". Otherwise, it's a pretty straight forward swap. The other benefit is that you can use 8R19.5 (radial) tires/wheels that use the same 5/10 lug bolt pattern as your 34 and your truck looks almost stock. Here's a guy who did it to a 36 fire truck:

http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/callahan_tom_1936.html

Another Stovebolt member, "Grigg," is also doing this on a 48 truck. Search for some of his posts because he has a lot of good pictures of the process.

Hope this helps. Good luck whatever way you decide.

Bob