The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 1955-59 Front Suspension

This may be a touchy subject, but I’m gonna dive in and ask the question. Those of y’all who have 55-59 chevy pickups with stock front suspensions, how do they handle at highway speeds 60-75 mph. This question presumes the trucks are geared appropriately.

Another similar question is how well does the stock suspension perform for those who have higher horsepower 55-59 trucks (300-450hp). In other words, how well does the suspension allow you to maintain control when you get on it.

the sway bar offered for those adds some at 40mph or less on curves. but not much.
as long as all the stock suspension parts and related hardware are up to snuff, it should handle well
with most any engine. Mine with 327`s cruise very good at 60mph w/ plenty of passing lane power.
But come to think of it, the only thing I`ve passed has been an Amish buggy!

I run a 1956 chevy 3200 long bed it now has a 6.0 with 6 speed trans.
It will run hwy speeds no issue but when it first went in all stock front end and original parts aka old it was a hang on tight ride.
Adding a sway bar on the front made a large improvement in turns. At least for driver feedback it took a lot of roll out. replacing the springs, and shackles, shocks made the ride much better. having tight suspension made it better.
At some point the cross rod on the steering got bent and became out of alignment with toe out. Since it was a straight axle it will continue to track fine in that situation but any bump would pull you all over the road.
A scarry situation when your doing 75 down the interstate.
So a good alignment is a critical part. I cannot stress this enough. it was a massive difference.
We did convert to power steering. and recommend some added caster. this improved some steering as well.
Also note. We did notice some flex in the main steering knuckle arm on driver side because we run some really wide tires compared to stock. We upgraded the steering arms to the 3/4 ton version they bolt right in but are not reproductions and originals are really hard to find it took us a while finding some in someone's back yard pile of truck parts out west.
It now has power brakes and disc up front drums in rear and stopping is now a much better situation as well.
This truck was my sons daily driver in Atlanta area from 16 all thru high school. 4 years of college at clemson running home and back up and down 85 with all the construction. At 25 he need a more "reasonable" vehicle.
Pot holes was both hands on wheel but otherwise paying attention and knowing your truck well running 75+ was not a issue on good roads and 65/70 was no issue on most any road type.

I daily drove a '57 GMC 102 V8 HydraMatic with a 3.08 rear gear from 1990 until some idiot T-boned, rolled and totaled it in late 2012. Like HCB3200, I went through the front end completely in my early years with the truck, including changing to disk brakes, roller wheel bearings, new kingpins, new tie rod ends, new drag link, new springs and shackles, 235/75 x 15 radial tires, new the caster shims with a bit more angle and a good front end alignment.

The top observed speed on my GPS verified speedometer was 85 MPH on I-45 near Huntsville TX.

I had a lot of control issues above 35 when I got the 58, but after going through it and replacing the wheel bearings, king pins, and tie rods, it is rock solid up to 85 (I have not tried going faster).

I am running the stock(ish) 283 with a T5, a 3.73 rear end. I can't comment on the higher power question, but I have no concerns with the suspension design/capabilities as long as it is in good condition.

I will say that if you are going to put in a high power powertrain and go fast, upgraded brakes should be high on your list as well.

A younger and slightly more stupid version of myself tow-barred a '68 Impala behind My '59 3100, from St Louis to Ft. Stewart GA. The steering was so sloppy that it was about 3/4 turn on the wheel to get anything to move. I came down I-24 Mount Eagle at a high rate of speed to say the least. I learned a multitude of valuable lessons on that trip.

I rebuilt everything up front and added gas shocks. Once all that was accomplished the little 283 would push the truck along 60- 65 comfortably. It drove like an old truck but at least it stayed in it's own lane. Much later I added a front sway bar, that made a tremendous difference. If everything is solid and tight you should be fine within reason...

single improvement are the leaf springs and related. Ive replaced 10 leaf springs in 4 years on my 58/59`s.
If the springs have never been replaced, they need it.

I think i hear a consensus. Replace kingpins, tie rods(at least the ends, bearings, leaf springs and hardware. I should be ok. Add disc brakes (at leastvthe front), and sway bar, i should be better than just ok.

Probably need to replace the idler and piman as well?

I read no regrets from anyone about not replacing the original 58 front end with coil overs.

What about the steering system? Mine is worn out. The freeplay in the box is from 11:00 to 1:00. Plus it complicates bigger exhaust pipes whether headers or upgraded manifolds on a 350 sbc. I have looked at all the options to relocate the box and add power. Cant say i like all the swivels needed.

Are you sure that amount of play is in the steering box and not the rest of the system? It might be worth having someone look under it while you turn the wheel to verify where the play is.

The steering gear play is adjustable up to a point. If the play is in your box, that would be the first place I would start.

I would not mess with the king pins if you don`t have to. as long as they take grease. I don`t think anyone mentioned coil springs.
Does yours have coil springs?

In stock configuration with all components working as they should, there is no reason you can't drive safely at highway speeds.

I drive a 1950 3100 in stock configuration (including Huck brakes).

New radial tires and wheels, and shock absorbers are the only new parts on the front and rear suspension. The tires are large diameter, close to stock diameter on 16" rims.

216, 3spd, 4.11:1 rear end.

I drive the truck weekly on the freeway at 60mph with no craziness or scariness. I can let go of the wheel and it tracks straight. A newer truck with a bigger engine like yours ought to drive and handle just fine at 60-70mph.

How much of a weight difference is there between your new, souped up drive train and the original drive train?

Like you can tell from all the post. it is all about the total package. a little loose here a little loose there, worn out over there all add up. As long as they tight where the need to be tight and not a lot of slop where it is supposed to move then it should be good to go.
and don't forget the alignment

No need to replace everything just because it's old. Test each component for slop and play. If the parts aren't worn out, leave them alone.

If your steering gear really has that much slop, send it to Lares to be rebuilt. They do an excellent job. Make sure it's really the steering gear that's worn out and not a combination of other component.

Isn't there a front dump exhaust manifold for an sbc that won't interfere with your steering box?

www.larescorp.com

Thankyou for all the input. I’ve checked into 3 different front end replacements. It seems all will lower Stellas front end by 3-4”. I don’t particularly care for low riders. I will rebuild the front end when i pull the cab off the frame. I need to deal with frame damage before spending any $$ on reconditioning.

I do plan to add power brakes with disc up front as a minimum. I hope the new master and drive unit will fit on the fire wall.

I can turn the steering wheel 4 clock clicks before the steering output shaft moves. A rebuild would be needed.

If coil springs were an option, i might consider it. Stella came with leafs all the way around.

Stella originally had a 6 banger. Someone changed over to a 350 with 3 on the floor. I doubt the engine weight is an issue as 58s had a 283 option. Not much weight difference.

Thanks again for all the posts. It all helps me formulate a plan after i pull the cab.

By then, it will be a nice break from sheet metal work.

I don't know what the respective weights are of a 235 and a 350 but I'd suspect that the 350 may aactually weigh less. As long as the front of the truck isn't pointing at the moon and the suspension and steering geometry remains stock, driving at 70mph won't be a problem.

My truck also has leaf springs all the way around and it handles just fine.

When you say "front end replacements", are you talking about the mustang 2 style crossmembers that convert the front end to a double a-arm setup?

That kind of conversion can be done, but as you said it lowers the front end by 4" or so (with "standard" spindles) and more with drop spindles.

That drop is fine if that is what you want and the kits work pretty well if installed correctly, but a lot (I would say most, but I don't have hard numbers to back it up) are installed badly.

The 4-wheel leaf springs work just fine for any kind of normal driving.

If you want to discuss brake upgrades, I recommend starting a thread on that over in HiPo.

Before you rebuild, try adjusting the sector gear lash and the worm bearings as shown on two pages in the GMC (uses the same steering box as Chevy) Maintenance Manual starting
here. Could make a big difference. I use a cheap fish scale that I bought at Walmart.

Maybe it is just my bad luck, but I actually broke two of these steering arms over about a 15 year period. The first was trying to turn while backing out of a parking space. I didn't realize that there was a curb on the right side of the truck and that the tire was right up against it. I pulled on the steering wheel and it didn't turn (much) so I pulled harder. SNAP! Then it turned real easy.

The second steering arm broke at a dead stop waiting to make a left turn. Again I turned the steering wheel hard and SNAP! Afterwards, you could see a crack in the curved portion of the arm about 1/4 of the way through with rust showing in the crack, then fresh metal.

Later, I decided I wanted power steering. BIG mistake. The only kit that would fit my GMC (with a stock Pontiac V8 that has the starter on the driver's side) had a GM 800 series power steering box, mounted outside the frame and forward of the axle. It had a real short drag link that was not parallel to the ground. That made for nasty bump steer, especially when you hit a nasty expansion strip that was at an angle to your direction of travel.

This one died when a bolt pulled out of the kit-supplied substitute for the stock steering arm. Again at zero speed. My brother had backed it out of my driveway and was turning to go forward down the street.