The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk lowering the rear end of a 1950 Chevy 3/4

Im thinking of lowering my 1950 Chevy 3/4.

I'll be using a 4" drop axle in front, that should be simple enough. But my problem lies on how to do the rear end. The springs are on the outside of the frame and axle is under the springs. I know if I put the axle on top of the springs there won't be much room between the frame and axle (it could have been so easy). Anyway if anybody has any ideas or has done this project just chime in.

My wife called me from work one morning in September of 2006 and said that her coworker that had the '50 Chevy truck had finally decided he wanted to move on to another project. He’d been telling her for a couple of years that he was thinking of selling it. I'd been looking for a nice half ton AD for about ten years but it had to be a rust free truck and the right one still hadn‘t come my way. I hadn’t seen this truck but she said that he only lived a few blocks away from the office and every once in a while he would drive it in to work and park it right outside her window. She said it looked like a really nice old truck. It just so happened that she learned to drive in a ’50 AD that her grandfather used on the tobacco farm in NC.
Needless to say as I could get my boots on I jumped into my GMC and headed for the city. The hour-long ride gave me time to think, and I was really hoping that maybe after a decade of searching I’d finally got my chance to grab the brass ring.
As I drove past the factory parking lot on the highway that runs along side, I got a glimpse of the ‘50 sitting down by the front entrance. The gate to the lot was at the far end of the lot and as I turned off the four lane my mouth was getting dry and my heart was racing . Once down on the same level as the truck, which sat about a block away at the other end of the lot, it struck me that it wasn’t a half ton at all but a long, high three-quarter ton AD. I stopped right there at the entrance and sat for a few minutes thinking of just turning around and heading home.
Dummy me, It never occurred to me to ask what model it was, I just naturally assumed when you were talking about a ‘50 pickup it would be a half ton. As I sat there staring down the line of cars something stood out about that truck. She sat there real nice and proud amongst all those modern foreign low-riders and kind of beckoned to me, “come on down and look me over.” Yeah, that was it, she sat there with her head back and her chest out like she was saying, “I’m 56 years young and I’m still standing, where are all you off shore miracles gonna be in 56 years.”
That was the moment that I fell in love with the AD 3600 Chevy trucks. So much so that I just bought another this past summer, an example of the last of the breed a ‘54, 3600. So now I have got one from the end of the run, the middle of the run, and I’ve got my eyes open for one from the first of the run. All I need now is to hit the lottery and enough time to finish restoring three trucks all by myself.

So you want to lower that 3600 so she looks like she‘s crawling around on all four with her belly dragging on the ground? Naw, let her stand up proud and trade her for one of those half ton low-rider’s.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Yea, like he said. Just looking at my '50 3600 puts a smile on my face, dents, faded paint, and all.

Welcome to the site, Boardwalk Joe. I usually move questions like yours to the HiPo Shop. That is our forum for modifications from stock. But since these guys have changed the topic to the merits of keeping your truck stock, I'm leaving the thread here. There will probably be others chime in with the merits of modifying it.

If these guys can't convince you to leave it stock, please re-post your how-to question in the HiPo shop.

It seems these days that the "in thing" is dropping the floor pans into the dirt. It take courage to keep them original.

...love my 3600.
she's just 2" lower, one can hardly notice, and if I ever get her rolling she should corner a little sweeter.

Well thanks for all the comments. I love hearing about your stories and trucks............you ve given me food for thought.

In the end Joe, it's your truck so do as you will, and don't let us purests discourage you.
DG

I have a 50 3600 as well. Since it's hauling days are over, I removed a few leafs from mine.

Big Chevy 3600

I looked at your pics.......thats quite the project you have. How did you lower your back end.

Denny

How many springs did you pull and how does it handle?

When you have questions for a specific member about his truck it is best to use PM. Otherwise, please ask your lowering questions in the Hipo forum. As stated above, that is the forum for modifications from stock.

Thanks for the info......I ll get this posting stuff down yet.

When I want to lower my '53 3600 with overload springs, I put it to work with ... say about a 2400 lb. payload.
Then if it's not low enough, I throw in some more.