The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 3-link suspension in AD

This is a response for Marlo to a post in the Body forum.

I have been working on a '60's Chev pickup rear suspension swap into an AD frame over the last couple of years. ( I work kind of slow.... ).

Here is a link to pictures of my frame.

\'49 chassis with \'66 pickup rear suspension

I made drawings of the frame and the '66 suspension in a Computer Aided Drafting program (AutoCad) and then proceded to make the mods to the frame based on the drawings. The only obstacle was that the spring pockets are right at the outside edge of the frame on the '49. I made the cut in the bottom flange right out to the vertical section of the frame and then welded in a curved piece of metal that tied the bottom flange into the 2X4 cross member. The pictures at the link posted above show the installation of the '66 cross member that anchors the trailing arms and the new transverse link.

Give a yell if you've got more questions. My wife got a new digital camera for Christmas so pictures are a lot easier to post than they were when I made these pictures

Ol blue those pics were fabulous... That is exactly what I want to do! Seems really easy at first then you realize the cutting and the measuring. I really appreciate the help and I will give you a yell when I get started doing mine. Great job and thank you again for the wonderful pics.

Marlo

Marlo,

Look forward to hearing from you.

WOW! Hats off Olblue, that is some awsome engineering! I started to do something very similar on my girlfriends '48 but got overwhelemed at the amount of work, and the fact that the trailing arms would hit the gas tank that I really didn't want to move (she liked it in the stock spot, and its her truck) so I've chickened out and ordered a triangulated rear suspension. Once again, nice work! Any chance your going to post your cad drawings? Thought I'd ask.... :p

51,

Thanks for the kind words! There's only a couple of dimensions that are critcal and suppose I could put a sketch together one of these days.

I have a '38 1-1/2 ton truck with a hydraulic unit similar to the one on your COE. The hydraulics (pump, cylinder and valves) are all in a single unit. The PTO has a long driveshaft back to the unit.