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I am currently restoring a 48 cheby truck and will be using a the stock straight axle setup. I want to improve the ride and had read various post on mono leafs and was wondering if anyone had used a set of rod ride springs eaton detroit springs. I will be adding power steering and lowering is not necessary I was considering running a 20 inch wheel instead of slamming the truck. I have also conteplated using a 3 inch dropped axle and running a set of 15 inch chrome rally wheels. What shocks do you guys prefer with these straight axle trucks and how can I achieve my best ride from this set up? Any suggestions will greatly be appreciated.

Using a dropped axle is good because you don't loose too much suspension travel,it'll lower the truck but not radically.
It's the same as using lowered spindles on an IFS,it wont alter the geometry too much,if at all.
Fitting 20" wheels,even at stock height will always compromise the ride slightly due to the lower profile tire (less sidewall) so consequently it will be firmer.
Personally I would go for a gas tube shock set-up as they tend to have better bound and rebound characteristics.
A straight axle is a lot of unsprung weight to control.

Oh...and Welcome to the 'bolt!

P.S Post some of your truck!
Jock.

I would advise against 20s. I work in the tire industry, 20" tires on light trucks have a rather short life expectancy. They also tend to agrivate any aligment issues, plus the extra weight puts exess strain on steering, suspension, and brake components. I would suggest something more in the line of a 17 or 18 max, and keep the width no more than 10.5" to prevent suspension and steering component contact issues.

I guess my thoughts in using 20's were to have a none lowered truck with eaton detroit rod ride spings and a full fender well. I want to do something unique that makes people say thats cool but at the same time be able to drive and enjoy my truck. The problem I face when wanting to use 20's is the power steering issue. I will be using the p.s unit from classic performance and I have heard that you can not use a wheel with 3.5 inches or more of back spacing. I think I am now leaning towards the 18's or slamming the truck with a dropped axle and set of springs. Unless someone makes a bolt in kit that uses G-body parts I will stay with the strait axle. I believe mustang 2 suspension is not an option for my truck.

Don't think you have told us what size truck you have yet?
If it's a 1.5 or 2 ton then 20" wheels are stock.
If it's a 1 ton then 17" single wheels, or 18" dual wheels are stock.

If it's a 1/2 ton then I can't think of a good reason to use 20" wheels, probably not even 18" wheels.

Take a look at trucks like yours, and like you want yours to look, if you can "preview" your ideas on someone else's truck it may help to decide what you want.

Grigg

I can't think of anything much more ridiculous-looking than an Art Deco truck with 20" wheels! Those big fenders will look totally out of place, with a huge wheel with no sidewalls on the tires! Lowering it with a dropped axle will make it look even more comical!

Jerry

OOPS! I was thinking of a 47 or earlier body style! 20's on the 48 would look pretty ridiculous, too!
Jerry

I guess you are opposed to lowering with a dropped axle. What are your suggestions and what kind of truck do you have. I am trying to build a driver on a budget. I recently had a meeting with stacey david and he assured me that I could get my truck lower with eaton detroit springs and make it ride and handle pretty well. I was considering the dropped axle to lower the truck 3-inches and the stock height rod ride springs to give me a good ride. I wanted the larger wheels to make the truck look modern. i was going to use the 20's instead of the dropped axle and keep the truck stock height.

A dropped axle is fine, My truck has a 2" dropped axle (and 2" lift springs to level it out again).
I would suggest a more stock truck. My trucks are a 52 1 ton PU, and a 48 2 ton.
Trying to build a driver on a budget is best done stock, or close to it. My 52 1 ton was a daily driver for several years, at the time the only modification was a 55 model 235.

Funny looking wheels and lowered springs don't do much for the drive-ability of a truck, in some cases actually hurt it.
For a daily driver first get the truck mechanically perfect, starting with he brakes. Think about a dual circuit master cylinder, appropriate gears for the rear, and possibly a disc brake upgrade and PS. If you drive fast then a 261 may be a good engine choice. At least that's how I would start for a daily driver on a budget.

The cost of funny looking wheels and low profile tires could cost more than the simple modifications needed update a stock truck to an enjoyable and reliable daily driver..

Grigg

The logic between the tall wheels is to get a short stiff sidewall while retaining an overall tire diameter. The reason for that is to improve handling through wheel and sidewall stiffness. My own opinion is that in most cases the 20 and 22 inch wheels are a case of if more is good, too much is just right. The 20's might make sense on a vehicle designed for maximum handling, but ride suffers because of the stiffness.

Have you priced 20 inch wheels and tires? Usually when people say 'on a budget' they mean on the cheap, and 20 inch wheels and tires are not cheap.

I have two old trucks that are currently drivers (three if you count my '91), one of them my total investment, including a set of new wheels and tires, is less than the retail price of 20 inch wheels and tires. A few years ago I took this particular truck on a 3200 mile road trip, pulling another car half that distance.

The other runs 15 inch Cragar mags I found on craigslist and actually represents an investment of about three times what I expect 20 inch wheels and tires would cost today.

My point is that while there are reasons to run the tall wheels, unless you score the right set used for cheap, they could easily be a budget buster. Running 20's on my '72 Chevy would double my investment in it. Running them on my '55 1st GMC would mean spending one-third of what I've already spent to gain no real handling benefit and hurt the ride characteristics.

I have a 59 Suburban, a 54 1/2 ton, a 72 C-10, and a Blazer that's a bit too new to fit the criteria for this site. I'm an ASE certified Master Technician in the auto, heavy truck, collision repair, engine machining, and advanced engine performance categories, (22 certificate categories) with 50 years' experience as an automotive professional. I teach auto mechanics at McGavock High School in Nashville, and build NASCAR round track engines on the side.

Most people who attempt to alter ride height do not understand enough steering and suspension geometry to do it right, or safely. I grew up around a shop where we worked with straight axles as a matter of everyday routine, and the alignment man there wouldn't touch a dropped axle under any circumstances. He had 40+ years' experience with them, beginning in the 1920's.

You would be much better off converting to an independent suspension system on a front frame stub like a Nova or a Camaro, one that's been engineered to work properly with the benefit of millions of dollars' worth of factory research and development. My brother does engineering modeling for new designs for the automotive manufacturers, at the pay rate of $1,000.00 per day. Few, if any, hotrod "experts" can afford that type of expertise.
Jerry

Thanks for your input Jerry. You are very knowledgeable. I will be using a bolt in mustang 2 suspension from chassis engineering. my welding skills are not good to say the least. You answered a post about a 305 rebuild I had posted in another section. here is the total build for my truck. mustang 2 suspension using manual rack and pinion. disc brakes, camaro rearend with 2.78 gears, 305 mild build good cam flat top pistons edelbrock performer intake 500cfm carb headers and good dual exhaust. My truck will be satin black and I will be running a set of 15 inch chrome rally rims. How does this sound? thanks for everything trying to figure out the starting of my project has been hard so many ways to go with a limited budget.

Sounds like a plan,should be fun,
Glad you steered away from the ridiculously large wheels for such a small truck.

Grigg

I've had a very limited experience with the M-2 suspension, and what I've had has not been good. It gives the truck a nasty-looking droop snoot, with the front bumper almost dragging the ground. Some people like that, I guess, but there's just no way to achieve a level ride attitude, because of the way the system attaches to the frame. Lowering, within reason, doesn't pazrticularly bother me, but I feel the truck should have approximately the same bumper height front and rear, and the caster angle should allow for normal steering wheel return toward center after a turn. Also, the M-2 system was engineered for a 4-cylinder compact car, not a 4,000-lb. truck with a V-8 engine right over the front suspension. It's sending a boy to do a man's job, especially when it's combined with a rack & pinion steering system.

My 54 pickup is getting a re-frame job, with a mid-70's Nova frame and suspension grafted onto a mid-80's S-10 leaf spring rear frame. That puts the body and bed onto a disc-brake independent front end, with all the engine mounts, steering, and suspension already in place from a V-8 powered modern vehicle. No guesswork engineering, and if I want an altered ride height, there are plenty of custom-height springs available through NASCAR suppliers, in all sorts of weight-bearing capacities.

The 59 Burb is getting a narrowed mid-80's disc brake 3/4 ton suspension, to match the lug bolt pattern from the Dana 60 positraction rear axle out of a late-70's GMC. It's going to be powered by a Caddy 500 engine, and a Turbo 400 trans. It's going to be my trailer towing rig. That one's a bit more tricky, because the crossmember, and the relay rod has to be narrowed, plus I'll have to fabricate mounts for the steering gear and the idler arm. The standard-width 3/4 ton crossmember is a bit too wide for the 59 frame without some modification.

Whatever your choice for powertrain and suspension, please make safety and reliability your top priority, and take advantage of as much factory-type engineering as possible. Too many hot rodders end up going for appearance ahead of safety, sometimes because they just don't know any better, or they believe the advice of someone who is going to solve all their problems by selling them something. I'm not a salesman! Drop by the school shop sometime, and let's talk!
Jerry