The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop flipped my rear

guy, i have finished the rear flip on my 57.

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/...00/?action=view&current=DSC03559.jpg

got it down right where i wanted it, with the fender just about at the top of the rim.
i have 1 inch of travel before bottoming out, but with my gas shocks it dont bottom out easy, so thats good.
now i gotta get the front down some more. hopefully in the next 2 weeks i will accomplish that.

leonard

Looks good, Love the color of your truck.

That really looks nice.

thanks guys... cant wait til i get the front down hopefully within the next two weeks..

leonard

Hey Leonard, you've been conspicuous by your absense!
(That usually means you've been doing something to the truck)

You do have a good excuse though,it looks like you've been busy!

Can't wait to see the front down as well.

Looking good as always.........

I had the same look on my 54 and the fabricator said i should raise the rear to match but i said lets lower the front so he cut the springs and it went down too much. so i had to put a spacer in to raise it and it is still to low for me. rides hard. would like to put air ride springs but the cost is more than i want to spend. be cautious. looks good. ron

Looks real nice! Did you ever install the extended rear shackles?

thanks guys.... with this heat down here, and the lack of funds, the truck hasn't been moving much.
and now i got lower back problems hampering me from messing with the front for a few weeks. i gotta get the front down a tad, because i do like the rear the way it sets now.

mbarrad, i did have the extended shackles on it when i had the 3 leafs in it and not flipped, but even with all original 7 leafs put back in, the flip made it too low, so i had to put the original shackles back in to get it an inch or so higher.

i will keep you all posted when i get around to messing with the front leafs.

leonard

Lookin' good Leonard! Would you gain anymore travel by cutting the old mounting pads off?

Sorry to hear about your back, take care of yourself and don't overdo it.

thanks waldo...
i did take the rear rubber snubbers off and ma using some 3/16 thick rubber now as bump stops.
the flip kit "U" bracket fit right up into the original leaf mount on the axle. worked perfect.
once i get the front end completed and dropped, i will drive it for a while and see if it ever does bottom out and hit the rear frame. i already have a c- notch kit, but will hold off unless i absolutely have to install it.

how did you say you dropped your front ? i know you have a 3 or 4 inch axle from Sid, and i think i remember you are running dropped front leafs also ?

im gonna pull 2 out and see where that put me in the front. i already have one out and the 3 inch axle.

im gonna have to wait probably a week before digging into the front because of my back, and even then i will have to limit myself. the past 2 weeks i would come home from work and mess with the rear for 2-3 hours each night.... cant do that much any more.

leonard

Yeah, I'm thinking with your welding skills (and a strong back at some point in the future) a C-notch would definitely keep the rear from bottoming out.

I have a 3" axle from Sid's and am running mono leafs now. You might take a look at Posie's 2-leaf lowering springs from Speedway. A little spendy but should give a good ride. Other than that you could experiment with removing front leafs.

Your truck looks great. Looking forward to see what you do next.

Edit: I forgot to tell you, I scored a free '54 pass. IFS and am thinking about rebuilding it and putting it under my truck. That was another "old school" mod.

thanks for the info waldo. i want mine to set like yours does.
one day i would also like an IFS. if i ever get out of this money rut i am in...

loenard

ok guys, i have an update..
the back has been feeling decent the past week, so today i decided to get the front back together.
first i took 2 more leafs, the shortest, out of the leaf pack. i already had one removed when i put Sid's 3 inch axle in 2 years ago. so now i have 3 leafs of the original 6 pulled out.
got new leaf eye bushings and shackles and threaded pins, and ran into another problem with them. the slightly tapered holes on the shackles were not deep enough and would not let them tighten down enough onto the tapered threaded pins and crush the rubber grease seals, so i had to spend about 30-45 minutes with my dremmel tool getting them opened up. easy enough.
then i get it all back together, drop the truck on the ground, and notice the tie rod was now rubbing the oil pan in the front area of the sump. not good.
took the tie rod off and 'massaged" that area with a hammer and a piece or round pipe. got enough clearance to where it dont hit while setting there, but when i bounce up and down on the bumper i can get it to hit.
im afraid to massage the oil pan anymore, so i gave Sid a call and confirmed that all i need to do is take the steering arm off, take them to work tomorrow, and heat the area where the tie rod end is, and bend them down an inch or so. that will give me enough clearance, hopefully.
here is what the tie rod and pan look like now.

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/...0/?action=view&current=DSC033333.jpg


do any of you guys know where my oil pump pickup screen sets in this oil pan ? its a 350 out of a 1980 1/2 ton truck. hope its more toward the rear of the pan, and i didnt mess anything up by hammering on the front area shown...


the leafs, with 3 now in the pack, actually arc reverse of what they did with the 5 in. do you guys think this will become a problem ?
also, i cut half of my factory bump stop off, and have somewhere around 1.5-2 inches of clearance. sorry i didnt actually measure it or take pics of it. with my gas shocks installed i have to really bounce on the front bumper to get it to move. i know going down the road and hitting bumps in the road will move it somewhat easier, but time will tell how it rides once i get it back on the road.

i didnt take any pics of the truck setting on the ground, since the cover was still on the truck and it started to rain. once them things get wet they weigh a ton.

so, i have the steering arms off now, will hopefully get a chance to heat and bend them tomorrow at work, hopefully have it all back together by tuesday night, and have some pics later int he week, or the weekend by the latest.

thats it for now, but i am really pumped about FINALLY getting around to lowering my truck some more...

leonard

ok guys, another update...
i took my steering arms to work today to heat and bend them down 1" so the tie rod would clear the oil pan. when me and my boss were looking at them, it seems for us to get a 1" drop in the tie rod end of the arm, and keep the tie rod lug parallel with the two bolt holes on the steering arm, we would have to bend that arm probably almost straight up and down, and we didnt think that would work, since it would have thrown the tie rod right up against or under the axle. so he talked me into taking a section of the arm out, move the forward section up one inch, then add some solid round stock. i TIG welded it all together. hope i explained that well..... here is what the steering arms now look like

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/...00/?action=view&current=DSC0356a.jpg

and here is a couple of pics of how the 3 leaf springs now set in the truck, kind of warped backwards..... and also shows my trimmed bump stop.

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/...00/?action=view&current=DSC0356c.jpg

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/...00/?action=view&current=DSC0356d.jpg


i have not driven the truck yet, but hope to do so later this week or by the weekend at the latest. i did pull the cover up enough to take this pic of the new stance..

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/...00/?action=view&current=DSC0356f.jpg

i am now very happy with the way it sets. i have been wanting to do this for 2 years now. taking two more of the shortest leafs out of the front pack gave me right at 1.5" more drop. ( i already had one leaf pulled before all this). my buddy, UnklRod, measured his all stock 57 3100, and mine now sets 7.5 inches lower than his does, front and back.
again, it is now setting with one of Sids 3" front axles with 3 of the 6 leafs pulled out, and out back i have all 7 original leafs in, with a DJM suspensions flip kit, putting the rear on top of the leaf pack.

leonard

Hey Leonard,
What a slick looking ride!
I think I could still beat you in the quater mile though....
I get a head start!!!

Jon S

Leonard, you got her stance dialed in!!!!! Looks GREAT

thanks guys.... cant wait to take it for a drive..

leonard

I agree with you,the frontend should now come down. I used the TCI Myustang2 setup in my 55 which worked out very well.Howwever it is quite pricey.When I bought mine,a friend was a dealer for TCI,and he got it for me at his cost,which was a huge savings at the time. He is no longer a TCI dealer.But hey with the independant front suapension,coil springs and all,it rides and handles just great.Good luck finishing up your truck,it is a real good looker.

Lookin' sharp Leonard.

thanks guys.... yea, an IFS would be great.. maybe one day.
well, took it for a 5 mile cruise today. all seems well. actually rides pretty nice. gotta take it easy on the bigger dips in the road, as suspected. had it up to 60mph and all was smooth.
i will know more this weekend when i can put a good amount of miles on it, but man, am i happy with the way it now sets.

leonard

Beautiful truck! Sits great...

ok guys, here are a few pics of the 57 all cleaned up and ready for the weekend of cruising..

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/gg307/RATRODKING/1957%203100/?action=view&current=DSC03574.jpg#!oZZ6QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs251.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg307%2FRATRODKING%2F1957%25203100%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3DDSC03574.jpg%26

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/gg307/RATRODKING/1957%203100/?action=view&current=DSC03574.jpg#!oZZ7QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs251.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg307%2FRATRODKING%2F1957%25203100%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3DDSC03575.jpg%26

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/gg307/RATRODKING/1957%203100/?action=view&current=DSC03574.jpg#!oZZ8QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs251.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg307%2FRATRODKING%2F1957%25203100%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3DDSC03576.jpg%26


leonard

Nice