Solid front axle ride?

[mac57truck]

How bad do they ride using the solid axle?

[nvrdone]

does it ride and handle like a Mercedes or Jag ? NO !!
Ive got a Sid's 3 " dropped I beam under my 49 AD and it rides fairly well. I did new king pins, shackles, tie rod endsm shocks etc plus added in about 7 deg of caster so it tracks well. I also added teflon liners between the spring leaves so that helps alot. Right now it tracks well at 80 + mph on Seattle freeways which aren't the best. The problem is in the rear end. It bounces bad everytime I hit a pot hole. But it does need new shocks - that's next

[NEWFISHER]

Love mine, it's not a 2013 Silverado

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by nvrdone

does it ride and handle like a Mercedes or Jag ? NO !!
Ive got a Sid's 3 " dropped I beam under my 49 AD and it rides fairly well. I did new king pins, shackles, tie rod endsm shocks etc plus added in about 7 deg of caster so it tracks well. I also added teflon liners between the spring leaves so that helps alot. Right now it tracks well at 80 + mph on Seattle freeways which aren't the best. The problem is in the rear end. It bounces bad everytime I hit a pot hole. But it does need new shocks - that's next

What I've always heard is that if you're expecting a 60+ years old vehicle to ride akin to a newish vehicle, you will be disappointed.

BUT, if you do what nvrdone has done: rebuild all the stock components and take advantage of modern components where it applies before you start modifying you will be more than satisfied. i.e. rebuild kingpins, use modern tie rods & shock absorbers, add negative caster, and improve the springs ability to slide on themselves.

The thing is, you can't lower a straight axle truck as low as an IFS equipped truck unless you're willing to live with a harsher-than-necessary ride. I keep debating what I'm gonna do, but if I stay with the straight axle it'll be all of this stuff, or nothing....and it will only be a 3-4" in back and maybe 4-5" lower up front.

[nvrdone]

I found that the lowest I could go safely was a 3" drop due to scrub line with 15" wheels.
Would I like to go lower? oh, yes. But I'm not a fan of clips and I can't afford a complete chassis from Jim Meyer or Art Morrison, so I work with what I can.
I do like the more traditional look.

[Denee007]

I like the way my 59 Apache rides/drives! I have the stock straight axle with 2 leaf posie sliders with a 6 degree caster shim(I sent my axle to Sid for overhaul, and steering ends modified for tie rods), and the Saginaw power steering. I can't wait to get my rear end back together to drive the darned thing!
dne'

[mr48chev]

The key is a well rebuilt front and rear suspension and the right shocks along with the right tires.

I'm not sure if all Suburbans had sway bars but there were sway bars available for the Suburbans that would help a bunch on a pickup.

It still won't drive like a new rig as others said an if your daily is an 08 five series BMW you probably won't like the ride or handling on the truck with the stock suspension but many of us have driven the stock suspension hundreds of thousands of miles with no major issues.

Do things right though and don't shortcut with so so mods. Mine has leaves removed from the springs as it was supposed to only be driven that way for a few months before I blew the truck all apart and redid the whole thing and 100,000+ miles and 21 years later it still hasn't been blown apart and corrected. It rode like the proverbial lumber wagon and drove worse but I had a heck of a lot of fun with it in those 100K miles.

[_Ogre]

i've had both over the past 40 yrs, definitely like ifs better
got tired of hitting a pot hole and having the truck thrown to either side
can't lower a straight axle much unless you Z the frame

[JR25]

Glad to see familiar names on this thread! Can anyone show me what I can expect since I have just flipped my stock axle to the top of the springs? Im still curious as to what the stance is gonna look like when I get it all back together! Not sure of wheel/tire size yet. Not looking for the "bagged" on the ground look, but want to fill the fender wells at least!

[zenchal26]

Mine rides good 3" drop axle 3" monos 6" monos in the rear. no bump steer tracks good. not sure if the stock seat is soaking up the bumps but I was suprised how well it rides on these newengland roads.

[_Ogre]

flipping any rear axle to the top of the springs will give you 7'' of drop
since your going thru the work, upgrade to a better highway gear
you will need a minimum of 4'' c-notch, 5'' is better and your punkin may hit the bedwood occassionally
i like the look of big rubber on trucks, no rubber bands for me. 28 tires on 15'' rims

[dubie]

I used a 3" dropped axle from CPP along with a set of mono leafs to drop the entire truck 6". We also replaced everything in the front end,the only thing that is stock are the spindles and steering arm. It sits very low but it's the look I was going for. I haven't had it on the road yet so I can't count for the ride, but others tell me it'll handle and ride well for a solid axle set up
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[JR25]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

flipping any rear axle to the top of the springs will give you 7'' of drop
since your going thru the work, upgrade to a better highway gear
you will need a minimum of 4'' c-notch, 5'' is better and your punkin may hit the bedwood occassionally
i like the look of big rubber on trucks, no rubber bands for me. 28 tires on 15'' rims

I was hoping to not have to notch the frame, but Im starting to think I might have to do the front and rear unless I buy a dropped front axle!
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[LordDevlin]

Originally Posted by nvrdone

I found that the lowest I could go safely was a 3" drop due to scrub line with 15" wheels.
Would I like to go lower? oh, yes. But I'm not a fan of clips and I can't afford a complete chassis from Jim Meyer or Art Morrison, so I work with what I can.
I do like the more traditional look.

Been looking to get a dropped axle from Sid but after doing some measurements looks like I can only get a 2" drop safely. I am also running 15" wheels. Were you able to run the 3" drops safely?

[Raymo]

I did the same thing Denee007 did. Went to Posies 2 leaf sliders. My 56 had single leafs, the ride was rough. The Posies had a noticeable improved ride and just the right height.

[nvrdone]

When I was deciding between a 3 or 4" drop, I took a pair of 15" wheels with out tires on them and mounted them on the stock axle. Then I set it down on toe garage floor. I measured 4" from the bottom of the axle to the floor so I decided 3" was the most drop I was comfortable with. I've had the dropped axle in about 5 years now and have been quite happy with it.
You may need to re measure because I think you could drop more than 2"
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[zenchal26]

gotta go with at least a 16" wheel to be below scrub line with a 3" axle.

[Coach529]

Mine rides rough. Although it tracks 100% straight and no bump steer.

I blame the cheaper shocks I purchased.

[dubie]

I'm running a 15" wheel and tire with a 3" axle and everything checks out on the scrub line
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[LordDevlin]

Originally Posted by nvrdone

When I was deciding between a 3 or 4" drop, I took a pair of 15" wheels with out tires on them and mounted them on the stock axle. Then I set it down on toe garage floor. I measured 4" from the bottom of the axle to the floor so I decided 3" was the most drop I was comfortable with. I've had the dropped axle in about 5 years now and have been quite happy with it.
You may need to re measure because I think you could drop more than 2"
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Originally Posted by zenchal26

gotta go with at least a 16" wheel to be below scrub line with a 3" axle.

Originally Posted by dubie

I'm running a 15" wheel and tire with a 3" axle and everything checks out on the scrub line
Posted via Mobile Device

Thanks for the info guys. I went out and measured on my fathers truck, essentially same truck, and it measure to be about exactly 3" that I could fit in and still be ok with the scrub line. The previous owner measured for me and its less than 3" on the truck I bought and am waiting on. I find it hard to believe that the measurements could be correct and that I really can't safely put anything more than a 2" drop in. I mean many guys have 4" drops, and that would mean that they would need bigger than a 16" wheel. I have read of ppl with 4" drops on the 2nd series trucks, and they dont seem to have super big wheels, what size wheel are they running or are they just taking a chance and ignoring the scrub line concern?

[LordDevlin]

Ive been emailing with Sid as well and he stated that a 4" drop on a 16" wheel would put me in the scrub line, meaning not safe. That being said, if I have a 15" wheel, then it would make sense that a 3" drop wouldn't fit.

Well thats how I interpret that logic. Pls correct me if I'm wrong.

[LordDevlin]

Originally Posted by LordDevlin

Ive been emailing with Sid as well and he stated that a 4" drop on a 16" wheel would put me in the scrub line, meaning not safe. That being said, if I have a 15" wheel, then it would make sense that a 3" drop wouldn't fit.

Well thats how I interpret that logic. Pls correct me if I'm wrong.

Nevermind my logic, just got my head out of my *ss and thought about the fact that 16" is the diameter, and that the drop size would be more in terms of radius, so an inch less in wheel size would only equate to about half an inch in radius or in terms of this drop topic.

[zenchal26]

double check your scrub line guys running 15" rims pretty sure your axle will be sitting on the ground if your tires go flat. just let the air out to see

[zenchal26]

Originally Posted by LordDevlin

Thanks for the info guys. I went out and measured on my fathers truck, essentially same truck, and it measure to be about exactly 3" that I could fit in and still be ok with the scrub line. The previous owner measured for me and its less than 3" on the truck I bought and am waiting on. I find it hard to believe that the measurements could be correct and that I really can't safely put anything more than a 2" drop in. I mean many guys have 4" drops, and that would mean that they would need bigger than a 16" wheel. I have read of ppl with 4" drops on the 2nd series trucks, and they dont seem to have super big wheels, what size wheel are they running or are they just taking a chance and ignoring the scrub line concern?

people running a 4" drop axle with 15" rims must either not care if there axle plows on the ground if there tires go flat or just never thought about it.

[LordDevlin]

Originally Posted by zenchal26

people running a 4" drop axle with 15" rims must either not care if there axle plows on the ground if there tires go flat or just never thought about it.

Hi Zenchal, thanks for the insight. What are you running for a drop on your truck? Even tho the pic is small I definitely like the look of your truck