The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Chop and Drop?

I Have a '48 3600 and I have a '50 five window cab thats chopped 6 inches. Im thinking if I leave the original stance its gonna look kind of funny. So to my question I have a Ford 9" rear end and the only reason Im using it is because its in good shape and free. How Am I going to mount that so I can lower the rear end. I also can't figure out how to match the drop and rims in the front with ones that will fit my rims on the 9". IM puzzled. Thanks jess.

I am very poor and the cheaper the better I am going to run mono leafs in the front and my main concern now is how to do the rear drop. Will this being a 3/4 ton make any difference?

At the risk of sounding sarcastic, YES.
Now consending, sorry I have a 1/2T and can't help you, sure someone else will.

Six inches is a lot of chop... Is the chop complete? The doors done, and you're sure everything is sorted out and going to work?

How tall are you? An average size guy will probably be fine, but a tall guy is going to be cramped in that cab.

On a 1/2-ton the rear axle is mounted on top of the springs. On a '49 through '54 it was mounted using a rotating mount that allowed the axle to move on the springs. That changed in '55.

On a 3/4-ton I'm pretty sure the axle is mounted UNDER the springs. I know it is on a 1-ton but I don't currently have a 3/4-ton, so I can't just run out and look. On the 3/4- and bigger the axle the axle is mounted solid to the axle and at least the back half of the dirveline is open instead of closed like the pre '55 1/2-ton.

So what does all this mean for your project? Put the rear axle on TOP of the springs for a starter. That lowers it quite a bit to begin with.

Your 3/4-ton front has 8-lug hubs that are difficult to convert to disk brakes. You're running a chopped top and lowering the truck. You probably don't care about the 3/4-ton load rating.

You might look for a 1/2-ton front axle allowing you to convert to car type front disks using a kit. That probably puts 5 x 4.75 hubs on the front. Then you can have your rear axle redrilled to that pattern instead of the Ford pattern.

There is more to all this but a few paragraphs, but this is one approach you could chase. If you are on a budget I don't think there is a cheaper approach that doesn't including lucking into free parts. Of course a free 9-inch Ford suggests you might be able to do that.

Keep coming back with updates and questions.

like old sub stated mount the rear on top of the leaf springs you may have to c notch the frame.

Old Sub
What no 3/4 ton in all the iron you own? I guess you now have something for the Christmas list.....

49 I had a 3/4-ton once and ended up scrapping it because every piece of it was rusted into paper thin metal holding the rust holes together and even the frame was flaking off.

I do have four 1-tons, a '50, a '51, a '79 and a '89.

The chop is all done its a five window and all the bodywork and glass is finished. I am pretty big though 6'3'' 250lbs. Ill make it work I could probably trade my 3/4 ton for a half ton.(I gave my '53 half ton to a local AD collector)The '48 is in decent running condition and the '53 is nothing but frame wheels and a cab.I got the in, now. So what do you guys think....

I'm moving towards what another bolter in this forum did, and add a section to the middle of the cab and door and made a longer cab and bigger door too. It gives it a chopped look and still has the cab height.

Did that guy ever post some finished or more up to date results?

why get rid of it, now chop the frame and shorten it and put a 1/2 ton bed on it. update the front and rear axle then it will be a 1/2 ton

Well I'm wondering what that chopped top is going to look like with an eight foot bed. That might be interesting. I'd love to see pictures of the cab, especially if you have pictures of the chop. If you don't have any place to post them email them to me and I'll host them for you.

Have you said how you want to use this truck? A lot of choices depend on the intended usage.

Oh I forgot to mention im running it as a flatbed made completely out of sheetmetal.No wood. I want to use it as a little fun truck to screw around in when im off work maybe do a couple burnouts here and there, no hardcore driving. Probably will drive it every day of summer though (which aint much up here.)

I almost forgot here's a picture. Mind you its just the cab grill front fenders and hood. [img]http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL275/7334067/13973695/208818609.jpg[/img]

Great looking truck Jess. I don't know that I've seen one with that much taken out; very nice.

Along the same theme... Has anyone seen a sectioned AD, or done it themselves? I'd be interested in seeing how that might look. Say for instance a chopped top similar to what Jess has done here, and another three or so inches taken out of the doors, bed, fenders, grill etc.
-Chris.

I actually saw something very similiar to what youre talking about once and it didn't look so good. Kind of like a ute or something.

Could be one of those, better in concept than reality, things. Still like to see it though.

I saw one with a 6" at a show but the hood had a "pie" cut out of it. It brought the nose down and kept it from looking kinda fat. I like the truck though.

Sorry to bring this up again. But I brushed all the snow off and hadn't realized how little room there is between the top of the spring and the frame. Maybe only 4 or 5 inches(this is mentally subtracting the extra 3/4t leaf pack wich I'm going to remove.)Guessing the axle will be about three inches in diameter, This only leaves me with an inch or two of travel. How much extra room will C-notching the frame give me? I also hadn't noticed before the springs are located on the outsides of the frame not undersides will this make a difference when putting the axle on top of the springs?????? Still confused in Alaska, Jess

I've seen frames notched so deep the axle could be above the frame... How much room do you need?

You might want to mock up the truck using the axle and final wheels and tires to determine what it will look like, and how close things are, and then work out the notches and the location of the springs based on that.

If you want to get radical in drop and don't use a rear bumper you can cut off the frame in front of the rear axle, use a ladder bar to locate the housing, mount coilovers on the front of the housing to the bobbed off frame, and use a pannard bar from a bracket that mounts to the 9" pinion bearing housing over to the frame. With pennies being tight you could fab your ladder bars and use some coil springs with seperate shock mounts. You could maybe even mount coils from the frame to the ladder bars kind of like the 67-72 chev pickups did to the torque arms. Mind you, your bed will only be for looks because it will have no support at the back but on a chopped dropped ride that's not a concern. Either way you could then lower it till you hit the underside of the bed. Good luck