The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop 50 front suspension upgrade

i want to upgrade my 50 3/4 ton to front disk brakes and independant suspension but keep the 8 lugs. i am going to use the origional rear axle. i am thinking of trying to use a 1 ton chevy van front crossmenber and narrow it. has anyone tryed this or heard of it being done.
this truck actually belogs to my wife truck and she wants to drive it. it was bought new by her dad who for years in his trucking company.

Yep, I swapped mine with a narrowed IFS from a '79 1/2 ton.

Yup it gets done alot.Search around on this site.I think there is a right up in Tech Tips,

When you do it,make a bolt template from the donor frame,it will make it a lot easier to put back together.I used a 78 3/4 under mine.I have some pictures if you want them.

please send me or post the pictures. i need as much guidence as possible. i have the idea, ability but am new to this type of swap.

mobileortho, that looks exactly like what i need to do. did you need to modify the frame or just narroww the crossmember? nice job with your.

No frame mods needed. The cross member was narrowed about an inch & a half and bolted onto my frame.Take tntrucknut's advice and make a template of the bolt holes, it'll make a lot easier. Oh, thanks for the compliment!

Wow! That looks like it was way easier than grafting in a clip. You don't have to worry about the placement of the radiator support and rehanging the fenders because the original frame is still there. Plus you get the driveability of a Chevy. Very cool.

what steering box did you you use and where did you mount it?

All the components came form the donor truck.

It's posts like this that make me sad. I see you guys doing amazing work coming up with inovative solutions to problems with outstanding craftsmanship. I don't have anywhere near that level of skill. If it can't be done with a hack saw and Craftsman 150 piece tool set, it's out of my league. That makes me sad. :-(

Mobileortho: you do beautiful work. Great job!

Larry, thanks for the compliment! But don't underestimate your ability! You'd be surprised at what you can do with the tools you have! Heck, add a roll of duck tape to your list and your golden!!!
All joking aside, just get out there and turn some wrenches! I was just like you until I decided to take the plunge. The IFS I installed with a drill, grinder & a few hand tools. I also had lots of help from articles and posts by other members. Over time, I worked up the courage to teach myself basic welding,(it's not the prettiest but the metal sticks together) body work, and I'm working on painting now. I'm not doing this to impress anyone, just getting the satisfaction of having done it myself!!