The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop corvette IFS suspension and IRS

I haven't been on the site for a while, winter makes it hard to work on my project. but I have decided to go with a C4 corvette front and rear suspension in my 1950 truck.

I have sold several parts to fund the new parts, one being the original front suspension. Unfortunitly I forgot to take some measurments or mark on the frame were the centerline of the axle was. I still have the leaf spring pertches on there but am not sure if it was centered. Can anyone measure were the center of the front suspension is either in relationship to the spring pertch or the front end of the frame?

Also i would need to know the overall wheelbase of the truck if anyone can measure that.

Thanks for the help

THIS help?

Thats great... I have been googleing that forever with no luck.

I don't have the front bumper but I can work it out from the back part of the frame.

Thanks for the info.

where do you want the measurements to be taken from? I can provide you from the centerline of the front spring shackle mount straight back, or down each frame rail from the top edge of the front of the frame.

PM me what you need.

dont go off the original wheel base, I would center the wheels in the openings as the original wheel base has the rear wheels about 2" off, and the front wheels about 1" off of centered in the openings.

Adding to Scott's comment, the wheel openings are not symmetrical and the visual center changes depending on how high the wheel is in the wheel well. The dimensions that are perfect on one truck may be wrong for what you are trying to do.

if you are at stock ride height, I would move the rear back a bit, and the front forward a bit. then again, to further Steve's comment, you need the truck together to get it to look right at the ride-height your shooting for with the wheels and tires you want to run.

I wanted to update the post on my truck. I got the front end in with the help from you guys on dimensions. I'll post pictures this weekend. It looks great fit pritty good, I had to cut the front half of the frame off to get the sway bar in there. But everything went pritty smooth.

I'm working on the rear end know. I bought a rear end but it just pieces. I have the differential, outer knuckls, dog bones, leaf spring, and the toe end bars. But I am missing parts to completly assembole it. Can anyone give me dimensions off an assemboled rear? I need to know how far appart the outer knuckle assemboly is. I think knowing the distance from the inside to inside of the dog bones would be the best. This would help me mock it up and make some drawlings. I need to get brackets made but I have to draw them up.

The other thing I was thinking about doing is getting rid of the leaf spring and doing some sort of air bag setup on the rear. I don't want to do any sort of valving but just the bags to give me some adjustability. I'm not to confident in the single fiberglass spring holding the truck up expecily if I haul anything. It's not like this is a work truck but I want to haul something. I know the easiest way is to buy the air over shocks but I'm to cheap for that there like $400 a piece. I have found some picture of the low riders cars and truck were they make a mount of the rear diff were the original spring goes and then some arms to the knuckls and put air bags on top. What do you guys thik about this idea? Anyone done this?

The empty weight of a C4 Corvette and an AD 1/2-ton are very close to the same so empty I'd have no concerns about that fiberglass spring.

But you are right, the GVWR (LOL!) of the Corvette is nearly nothing more. Basically a couple of passengers and a little hand luggage will have the car touching bottom in my driveway.

An additional reason to consider alternate springing is that the fiberglass springs are really very stiff designed to create extremely good handling. Depending on the year and model your ride may be very harsh. The earliest ones are the worst.

Steve is right, and can not bear to think of his daily driver as a parts donor yet. I would go with a coil spring conversion.

I was wondering how the ride would be. I have had sevral muscle cars but have never drove a corvette so I was un sure how stiff it is. What do you think about the air bag idea? I like the adjustability of the air and when I want to through a load in I can just pump them up. Plus there like $80 each for 2500 lb bags.

Could you take some measurements off your vette sometime? I still need to know the width at the dog bones.

pictures....
This is of another site I think it is like a late 60's to 70's corvette but the same concept.

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af322/dreasoner/bags.jpg

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af322/dreasoner/bags2.jpg

Here is the front end.

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af322/dreasoner/truck/DSC01034.jpg

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af322/dreasoner/truck/DSC01037.jpg

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af322/dreasoner/truck/DSC01036.jpg

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af322/dreasoner/truck/DSC01035.jpg

The rims are off my cutlass a little tight considering I don't even have the calipers on there. Going to have to get at least 17" rims. That kind of throws out the steele rims I wanted.

I'm at least one and maybe two months from being in the same town as my Corvette, so while I could 'sometime' take some measurements you'll probably find them much faster from someone else. I'm having medical treatments that leave me weak enough I'm not sure I could open the hood today...

I would consider that rear setup very poorly thought out.
http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af322/dreasoner/bags2.jpg
Heim joints are not designed for side forces like that. The air bags are also in the wrong location. The air bags will have to exert three times the pressure than they would if they were on the ends of the trailing arms.

I know that is not the best design but I like the concept. If I go this route I would do something different than the heim joints, something like the end that is on the differential side and then a flex joint off the spring pirtch. Then move the air bags as close to the fram as possible. maybe something off the top of the knuckle were the sway bar mounts. Thats a more solid point than the eye hole were the OE spring hangs.

Otherwise I'm still thinking...... A few beers and a lawn chair this weekend might helo me think of something. Theres a lot of cool designs the low rider guys do. I might go crazy with it. I'm having a friend that I use to work with CNC a bunch of brackets. I'll figure it out.

I have the same corvette suspension on my 52 .I used 17x8 in Vintage rally wheels and really like them .275 60 17 tires