Does anyone have some pictures to share of their gas shock conversion, front and rear, on a 46 1/2 ton? I have the instruction sheet from chevs of the 40's but will defer to actual experience. Any suggestions or tips are welcome.
As always, your time and advice is greatly appreciated.
Big Ed
"it's only old if you can't find a use for it; otherwise it's cool and i'll use it."
the front shocks I am comfortable with location, in accordance with the direction sheet. It's the rears that are puzzling me. stock knee shock was mounted inside the chassis. the diagram shows the gas shock conversion being mounted outside the frame rail. would this cause clearance issues with the bed body, or possibly the rear wheel? Now the kit is listed for 47-49. but literature says it works for 41-46. did you mount the shock in the diagramed position? I have seen trucks with shock mount cross members installed, was that necessary for this kit? would mounting the shock outside the frame rail necessitate reversing the spring mount plate so the shock mount tab is now on the outside of the spring.
I don't think you'll have issues with the rear shocks mounted outside the frame. the box on your 46 is narrower than on the AD trucks and I believe the track width is the same. so unless you're running real fat tires you should be fine.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
I added gas shocks to my 46 some time back. I'll see if I can post a picture or two. My setup is a little different than yours but it might help. My rear shocks are on the inside and I also kept the lever arm shocks on the back just because they look cool.
this is what i am trying to figure out. I have bolted the lower shock mount in position, it is a fixed point, no adjustment. the upper mount can be randomly located and drilled/bolted. the pictures show the natural angle of the shock, which is in a position where there is not enough frame to mount to. The next pic shows the shock in a position where i can mount it, however, it produces the lower bushing pinch in the next pic. I don't believe the lower bushing will survive with this much distortion. Any thoughts or pictures of installation would be greatly appreciated. This a 46 1/2 ton pickup, 3" drop axle. The shock kit is from chevs of the 40"s
"it's only old if you can't find a use for it; otherwise it's cool and i'll use it."
Jack the truck up from the frame, so the suspension is fully extended and see where the upper mount fits on the frame. Also check where full compression would be with the top mount in that position. You can measure from the bumper to the frame to see where full compression would be, or you could use a jack and chain to fully compress the springs. Be careful if you try that as the jack may come flying out if not secured. [on edit]On the AD series trucks that used tubular shocks, the rear top bracket is fastened to the frame with only 3 of the 4 holes.
Last edited by klhansen; 03/20/20227:15 PM.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
Installed...Here's what I did, hope it helps someone. First, make sure you assemble everything correctly. I misplaced the lower retainer and it did not compress the lower bushing correctly. You can see my mistake between my first and second set of pictures. Next, I had to spin the bump stop so the original shock mount is now on the inside of the spring. This made clearance for the new shock. Tighten the lower shock stud so the lower bushing compresses slightly, the shock should be able to stand vertically in a natural inclination. Next assemble the upper mount to the shock. You can now compress the shock and mark your mounting position. I am about 1/8" to the rear of the first rivet on the frame rail side. Only 3 of the 4 bolt holes will be usable as the frame is not wide enough in relation to the angle that the mount must be positioned. I also reamed all of the bolt holes out to 3/8". From the manufacturer the holes were an odd size, 11/32", and I did not like how sloppy a 5/16" bolt was, especially under the stress that the suspension will produce. You must supply your own mounting hardware, mine is all grade 8, 3/8x1". I may go back and place a 4th bolt in. Once the upper mount is in place, the shocks were torqued to 9-11 ft/lbs., compressed the bushings nicely. And that is a gas shock conversion on the front end of a 461/2 ton pickup. I will add the rear in the future.
Thanks to all the Bolters who added their advice and knowledge.
Ed
Last edited by bigedpa; 03/21/202210:27 AM.
"it's only old if you can't find a use for it; otherwise it's cool and i'll use it."
