The truck that’s on the cover of “how to restore your Chevy pickup”; does this truck seem to be at stock ride height? This is exactly how I want my truck to sit. It seems a bit lowered to me. Maybe 2 inches? Any guesses? Picture is attached.
Well, the front end looks to be sitting at stock height...and the side looks lower by possibly an inch or two. However I'm thinking it could just be shadows or the two-toned color scheme (another subject altogether) altering the perception a bit. There are some perception issues going on with this image. The rear tire seems to be leaning in at the top for one point.
~ Jon 1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
OK- - - -the wheel centers look approximately even with the running board or very slightly higher, so I'd suggest looking at a few of the trucks in the gallery to compare. The apparent height off the ground can be tricky, depending on the size of the wheels and tires. The truck in the picture appears to have 15" wheels installed, and fairly high-profile tires. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
My '50 Chevy 3100 5 window, '62-235cu, 3:55 rear My truck ....... Respect The Rust If I'm not working on my truck, '65 m00stang or VW camper, I'm fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
OK- - - -the wheel centers look approximately even with the running board or very slightly higher, so I'd suggest looking at a few of the trucks in the gallery to compare. The apparent height off the ground can be tricky, depending on the size of the wheels and tires. The truck in the picture appears to have 15" wheels installed, and fairly high-profile tires. Jerry
Hotrod Lincoln. Thank you. I took a look at the gallery. Seems darn close to stock. I would think it would be kind of like blasphemy to put a lowered IFS truck on the front cover of "how to restore your chevy pickup"...᠁ Quick question: What is your opinion of the power steering kits? I need to move my steering box to clear a big 390 caddie motor. The simplest thing I've found is the kits that use later model truck steering boxes located on the outside of the frame, they all have power steering.
I haven't been involved personally with a power steering conversion on a stovebolt, so anything I say about it will be a SWAG, with no real hands-on experience. The ones I've seen that mount the steering gear outboard of the frame seem to be pretty Mickey Mouse, with a lot of room for problems due to the oddball geometry involved. The most effective PS conversion seems to be a Toyota Land Cruiser box that mounts very close to the original position, but I'm not really sure how that will work with your Caddy engine. I'm going to assume you're planning to keep the straight axle, right? Good on ya! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Yes! Keeping the straight axle. I like the stock ride height and in the end I think it will be less expensive. Ok, maybe I’ll keep researching steering box options. As long as people have been putting V8’s in these trucks, it really surprises me there is no simple solution. Currently my steering wheel sits at least 4 inches to the left of where it should be.... pretty hokey. Thanks again.
Power steering kit will work just fine. You will undoubtably have to use a couple of ujoints and a section or two of DD stock along with a stand off support or two. Your steering wheel will be back to the stock location. It is going to require some fabricating skills, drilling, cutting and maybe some welding. Your stock AD steering column may have to be replaced with a more modern style. I just did it last year on my ‘62 and it wasn’t a big deal. If I can do it in my driveway anyone can do it.ðŸ›
Martin '62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress) '47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project) ‘65 Chevy Biscayne (Emily) ‘39 Dodge Business Coupe (Clarence) “I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one! Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop! USAF 1965-1969 Weather Observation Tech (I got paid to look at the clouds)
Power steering kit will work just fine. You will undoubtably have to use a couple of ujoints and a section or two of DD stock along with a stand off support or two. Your steering wheel will be back to the stock location. It is going to require some fabricating skills, drilling, cutting and maybe some welding. Your stock AD steering column may have to be replaced with a more modern style. I just did it last year on my ‘62 and it wasn’t a big deal. If I can do it in my driveway anyone can do it.ðŸ›
Very cool. Thank you. Yes, I think that is the direction I will go. Are you planning on doing it on your 47 as well? Or are you sticking with the straight 6 to avoid all that?
49 shep: I am a stock height guy those old trucks were bought mostly by farm guys (not all) but you got to remember we drove dirt roads and farm fields. I was a farm guy. Anyway that truck looks very close to right height for rear wheel tilt that is the picture every time I took a picture of my restored 63 Chevy convt. it would show that tilt. Trust me it didn't tilt. Now for power steering I put a Chevy 383 rebuilt in my 59, didn't like the outside steering, wanted to keep the straight axle so I went with POL straight axle power steering conversion. I absolutely love it was easy to install, added new Idiot column kit to that. Going to add headers so that might or might not be a problem! But my friend a little patience and us guys always figure it out. Patience you say LOL it has only taken me 18 yrs. to finish this ride. My last hurraah!
My ‘47 if/when I get to it will be an all out Streetrod. The frame has already been cut off and a Camero front clip welded in place. PS, PB and A/C will be part of the process.
Martin '62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress) '47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project) ‘65 Chevy Biscayne (Emily) ‘39 Dodge Business Coupe (Clarence) “I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one! Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop! USAF 1965-1969 Weather Observation Tech (I got paid to look at the clouds)
I've been tinkering with an idea to put a standard GM power steering box on a straight axle stovebolt ahead of the axle without all the usual Mickey Mouse drag link setup the popular kits use, by simply mounting the box on top of the frame, rotating it 90 degrees and letting the Pitman arm hang down parallel to the frame. Just one problem- - - - -the steering would operate backwards that way- - - -turn the steering wheel left and the truck steers right! I'm in the process of designing a simple 1:1 ratio spur gear box to reverse the steering shaft rotation just ahead of the steering gear, which should solve that little problem! The steering shaft would run along the top of the frame rail and connect to the steering column with a couple of double-Cardan universal joints, eliminating the tendency for the U-joints to try to lock up every 90 degrees that some very expensive aftermarket steering systems that I've driven do. The result would be a much more rigid Pitman arm/drag link/steering arm relationship that would be a lot less likely to cause bump steer problems once the height of the steering box is set up to make the drag link parallel to the ground. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
On my '37 GMC T-18, I was able to remove the inside the frame steering box mounted just in front of the rear spring hanger to a Saginaw power steering outside the frame box('94/'95 P3500 HD, baby school bus) to just to the rear of the front spring hanger, both boxes were fore and aft movement, just had to shorten and rethread the drag link, two U-joints in the driveshaft.
Your larger GM truck may be similar.
Ed
Last edited by EdPruss; 02/09/20196:16 PM.
'37 GMC T-18 w/ DD 4-53T, RTO-610, 6231 aux., '95 GMC running gear, full disc brakes, power steering, 22.5 wheels and tires. '47 GMC 1 ton w/ 302, NP-540, 4wd, full width Blazer front axle. '54 GMC 630 w/ 503 gasser, 5 speed, ex fire truck, shortened WB 4', install 8' bed. '55 GMC 370 w/270, 420 4 speed, grain, dump bed truck from ND. Works OK.
Jerry, if you put together a kit, I’ll buy it! But if it steers opposite, I want half off. Speaking of front spring mounts, mine are welded on. Is that typical? The rivets get loose so someone welded them on? Any harm in it other than being a pain to get off if I ever need to remove them?
I'm a little spooky about welding on suspension parts. Chances are it will be OK, but a few decades of building dirt track race cars has taught me that "Where there's welds, there's gonna be cracks!" That's particularly true of welding cast steel (or cast iron) spring mounts to a mild steel frame. I'd recommend inspecting those welds on a regular basis with a strong light, looking for the beginnings of stress cracks. There was a good reason the factory chose to rivet them instead of welding. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
