The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Stock Height for 37 Chevy 1/2 Ton

Trying to bring my truck back to stock height, but the original specifications list all vertical dimensions only under "loaded condition" (which I take to mean with the full payload in the truck). In the specs it lists the deck bed surface as 25-19/32" above ground. Any idea what that would be in an empty bed?

I assume you are looking at this, http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/3712.htm

How would adjust the height?

I would think the spring arc and strength is going to set the height for you.

Joe

Joe,
The link you provided is where I got the height from. However, the PO made some mods that may impact final weight and height (installed a 307 engine and Turbo 350 tranny, installed 15" wheels, removed some leaves, put lowering blocks on the rear, etc. Also, I know nothing about the truck's former life so I don't know how tired the existing springs are. Rather than replacing the entire spring assemblies at each wheel, I'm trying to save money by having a shop add the leaves that are missing (and I assume steel leaves are made stronger today than they were back in 37). Bottom line, with all these variables, I'm not sure what the finished height will be when they add the leaves back so I'm trying to find out what the original "empty" bed height would be--if too high I may forego installing one of the leaves at each wheel.
Thanks,
Mike

The 307 will be lighter then the 216, the T350 might be a little heavier then the stock trans, if it is, it won't be much heavier, so over all you are slightly lighter in the front. The tires, wheels, axles, brakes, and anything else under the springs don't count, so you are left with sheet metal and wood. The oak bed floor will be heavier then the pine they came with and the fuel tank location will change the rear height if it has been moved.

Removing leaves doesn't change the height all that much, I have removed four from mine in the rear and three from the front.

I think what you will find when you raise it back up with more leaves, is it going to ride very stiff and jarring over bumps. That was the main reason I removed mine. On the front I had blocks to replace the missing height of the springs I took out. It might have been 1/2" lower with the leaves removed and spacers installed, I have since removed the spacers to drop it some more for more of a hotrod look. I would keep the springs as they are, add teflon liners between each leave and add raising blocks to get the height you want.

I replaced my modified spring pack, with two new ones in the front a few years back. Each had 7 leaves like it came with, it took about four miles of driving to figure out they were way to stiff. I thought the windows were going to fall out on a rough road. I removed every other leave leaving the two top ones in place, add teflon and removed my spacers, it rides pretty good, looks good to me and I don't worry about having 70 year old springs in front.

My truck has a 250 inline 6, turbo 350 trans, aluminum radiator, lots of cab insulation and carpet, oak bed wood, 18 gallon fuel tank behind the axle, 4x15 frt, 7x15 rear wheels, disk brakes, no radio or a/c. With me (160 lbs) in the truck and full load of fuel, it weighs in a 3250 lbs.

Right now, as described above, the center bolt of the front bumper is
14-1/2" off the driveway, and center bolt of the rear bumper is 20-3/8" high.

As a reference to worn out springs, the front leaves should be straight front to back with normal driving weight on the truck. If they are arched with the center higher then the ends, they are worn or weak, if they are arched the other way with the ends higher, they are good or better then new. Originally they were straight across with the drag link running parallel to them. The rears always had a big arc to them with nine leaves and some even had helpers springs above the nine others. Mine truck came from the Flint Hills of kansas, it was a heating and plumbing truck, the leafs were so worn, they dug grooves in the one above them, so much so they could not bounce or move any more. I ground all the sharp edges off, smoothed each end and ground each leaf smooth front to back and added teflon liner. It was a difference of night and day on how it rode, I couldn't believe how much better it was, I guess before they were almost solid!

Joe

Joe,
Thanks for the info. Truck is still in the shop (so I don't know how it will drive yet), but I went by yesterday for a pre-final assembly look. Considering all the variables above, I told them to add whatever leaves were necessary to get the front back to the "flat" configuration and base the rear off of that. They added back two of the three leaves in the front and it looks about perfect. In the rear, they removed the 2" lowering blocks the PO had installed, and removed the trailing arms (remnant of the 69 Camaro coil spring suspension; not sure why the PO left them) and the truck sits almost perfectly level front to rear without adding any leaves. Center bolt of the rear bumper is about 19-1/2" off the ground, and the center bolt of the front bumper is about 16-1/2". Now it looks like a real truck again. I'll pick it up tomorrow afternoon, my only concern is how it will handle/ride. The tech said the steering geometry should be fine...we'll see.
Thanks again,
Mike

That sounds good Mike, yours is only a few inches higher then mine. I can go down the highway at 70 mph one handed with out fear of it going haywire, it drives as good as my Toyota out on the road. If your steering box is adjust right, yours should drive just as well.

Joe

The rear of the bed is now about 2 1/2" higher than before, and the floor of the cab is about 2 1/4" higher than before. I never measured the front so I can only assume it's about 2" higher there. Before I could barely get under it with my back on the ground--now I can lie on a creeper and get around.

Drove home (about 70 miles) at just over 60 MPH with no problems. Alignment is very good. I won't say it drives as well as my '99 Chevy, and I keep a tight grip on the wheel, but it seems to handle pretty well.

My steering box leaks like a sieve so that will be another project fairly soon (I've slowed the leaks with RTV applied all around the outside). I was hesitant to take it apart until I was completely read-up on the subject because the adjustment sounded rather complicated.