The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop lowering '49 on a budget

Hey, I got a'49 3600 and I want to basically get the truck as low as I can (and still be usable) but without having to spend a lot of money on say a whole new camero/ nova or Mustang II front end. I'm trying to do a lot of the work myself and don't know if I'm capable enough to swap in a new front clip. I've seen the 3" drop front axle but can some of you guys tell me if there will be any clearance probs that have used it. And maybe a set of drop spindles. I'm not too worried about the rear, I know it's much easier. I think a spring flip on the front would cause a lot of clearance problems. Basically I want to know what works the best without causing a lot of clearance issues and still be inexpensive. Thanks.

Welcome to the Stovebolt!

This is a 3600 right? A 3/4-ton with 8-lug hubs.

Most the suspension mod parts available are for a 1/2-ton so you may have trouble finding pieces designed for this truck.

I've seen a front axle flipped up on top the springs. It was done on a truck that I doubt was ever driven and the clearence was basically zero. I think I posted a picture here when I saw it as an example of what not to do.

Since you are lowering the truck I doubt you care about the 3/4-ton rating. You might look at buying a dropped 1/2-ton axle and switching to 1/2-ton front spindles and brakes. This approach opens the door to disk brake swap kits which are not available for your current set up.

Another possibility is to have your existing axle dropped. Basically you send it to someone who heats the ends of the axle and stretches the drop longer. I've even heard of people doing it themselves, but I think you'd want to know your stuff before you tried it.