New here, need help

[mygirlz55]

Hey guys, just got a 55 for my daughters to start driving. There are three of them and they decided on the truck. And they weren't 'coaxed ' in any way at all by dad.
Anyways, I want to make this truck safe for them to drive (steering, suspension, etc) but don't know where to start. Its all pretty much stock but the steering seems REALLY hard and it floats all over when its driven. Looks like a leaf may have been taken out of the front suspension on each side. And the shocks are shot (old air shocks).
Thinking about putting a new set of shocks on and then going from there. Will the stock front suspension be good enough if its just rebuilt or should I even mess with it?
As for steering, again will stock be ok if rebuilt or is it even worth messing with?
willxpost some pictures when I get to my computer.
thanks for any help.

[Denee007]

Well, welcome to the club!! Sounds like you have a project!! ; ). Ther should be plenty if ideas here for you, just depends on how much time and money you have. However safety is utmost important!!
Dne'
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[Denee007]

Oh, where's the pics?
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[mknittle]

You will fin that this is one of the if not the best place for info on these trucks from mild to wild.

[Kim57]

Welcome.
Is it an early 55 or late?
We do need pics.
Kim

[mygirlz55]

The truck is a late '55. I got under it yesterday to measure the shock measurements loaded and extended and realized that, when I tried to turn the wheels from left to right, the rear mount for the drivers side is shot causing the wheels to hang up and the axle shifts a little.
Looks like I need a front end shackle and bolt kit to take care of this.
How about power steering?? Anyone running stock front end with aftermarket power steering as apposed to a front end swap??
Heres a couple of pictures too....

[Kim57]

Sorry no help on the power steering for the original suspension as mine is clipped.
I know Brothers has a kit but I can't comment on how good it is.
http://www.brotherstrucks.com/
That looks like a real clean truck.
Kim

[Speedbumpauto]

You'll get lots of opinions about front end stuff here, but if it's my family driving that truck, I'd get a complete front suspension kit and get rid of the solid axle, leaf springs, etc. you can low ball it and do a universal kit based on a M-2 or you could get that NO LIMIT unit which is a little pricey but it takes all the guess work and lots of the labor out of the conversion. The rear is something you can modify at lower cost by getting leaf springs with urethane bushings and good shocks. Flip the axle over the springs to match the ride ht. of the new front. Get power brakes that will fit in the stock location. It still won't look different on the outside and the interior will still be the same, but it will handle, ride and stop really well and be pleasant to drive. Then ya'all can do some father/daughter stuff to make the rest of the truck pretty while still driving it.

[mygirlz55]

Originally Posted by Speedbumpauto

you could get that NO LIMIT unit which is a little pricey.

OUCH! Being that I have 3 girls, I have to work on a 'budget' so the NoLimit setup is out of the question for now. They wont be driving far, just to and from school, etc. probably not more than 5 or 10 miles max.
Thinking about a rack and pinion setup for steering (any suggestions/opinions about these??)since the manual steering is the biggest drawback right now. Follow that with disc brakes and go from there.

[OrrieG]

Myself, my girlfriends and female cousins survived driving 50's trucks with straight axles when they were hand be downs from our logger, builder, etc. family members. If the front end is tight it will be ok, I put 80K on mine after I bought it with 100K on the speedo before converting.

I would consider upgrading to power steering unless your girls have pretty good upper body strength. CCP has a kit, but if you look at my build I had it figured out before they developed their kit. The ford guys have also figured out how to use a Toyota box that sits in the same location as the stock chevy. You would have to use a column saver kit to modify the stock column.

Well maintained drum brakes will work fine, I would upgrade the master cylinder to a power unit with newer dual reseviors and proportioning valve and emphasize defensive driving and no tailgating. You can get it a little lower (2-4") using the stock suspension (there are threads in the build section about that), but if you want in a LOT lower a new front suspension is what you will need.

I restored a 67 Mustang with my daughters when they were in high school. 20 years later they still talk about it and appreciate the mechanical education they got. Oldest is looking for another to do now, maybe with her son.

[Denee007]

I'll have to be quite honest, I don't know if I would have let my girls drive an early model vehicle. No safety stuff! They may be the best drivers, but distractions are crazy these days, cell, texting, girls gabbing, carbureted vehicles, etc. I couldn't live with myself if their pretty faces made contact with a metal dash or windshield. I won't even let my girls drive my 67 mustang. Get em a nice girl vehicle with all the safety stuff. You drive the truck. It's just my opinion.
My girls never step once in my garage to look, help, and to appreciate classic cars , much less how to respect driving and handling characteristics.
; )
Nice looking truck btw; )
Dne'
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[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by mygirlz55

<snip> ...Thinking about a rack and pinion setup for steering (any suggestions/opinions about these??)since the manual steering is the biggest drawback right now. Follow that with disc brakes and go from there.

I installed the Fatman M-II setup. Pretty straightforward installation, but welding is involved. It came with the front discs. There are cheaper routes to an M-II setup but Fatman has great support. I bought 2" dropped spindles and found out 2 years later they were too low. They exchanged them no questions asked -- even brought the new ones to the Street Rod Nats for me, no shipping, no charge.

[Speedbumpauto]

The down side to just doing the power steering is it's pricey and in the end, you still have old suspension stuff cobbled together with newer technology. Most of the conversions already have the PS deal worked out as well as the disc brakes. It becomes the base for other mods and you don't have to sell stuff at the swap meet when you upgrade. My four daughters all learned to drive in an older(at the time) 4x4 with a manual trans, but it had disc brakes, 3 point belts and good power steering. It served them well as they outclassed many guys with their ability with the clutch and trans. None of them became gearhead types but their experience is still subject of conversation at family gatherings with a few beverages. Spend a little more now and upgrade. It's also easy to install the 3 point belts in these cabs which, with the other upgrades and the trucks mass will make it nearly as save as a current car.

[mygirlz55]

Well, looks like a camaro front end swap is on the horizon for us. Found a complete car on CL for $300. Going to pick it up today.
I haven't done a search yet but will I be able to use the rear end out of this car as well as the front???

[buggy5872]

you will be able to use the camaro rear. I put a camaro sub frame under mine and it was super easy. I do have a few skills so it might not be super easy for everyone but if you take your time and keep everything level and square you should be good. Here is a pic of my frame to give you an idea of how it looks installed. a lot of people cut the ends off the camaro sub frame but I like to leave them on. Pull them tight against the bottom of the frame and weld her in. Suspension geomety is correct when you use this method and it is plenty low for a driver. I think somone out there sells a video on it also.

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by mygirlz55

Well, looks like a camaro front end swap is on the horizon for us. Found a complete car on CL for $300. Going to pick it up today.
I haven't done a search yet but will I be able to use the rear end out of this car as well as the front???

On the HAMB board (google it) there is a thread titled something like "Camaro sub frame in a day" the guy has done a bunch of them and it is the basis for a lot of the ones here. Even if you do not trust your welding, you can get it spot welded into place and hire a certified hot-shot guy to do the finish welding (or another member here that works for beer! lots of them in Central CA).

[mygirlz55]

The HAMB forum was what pushed me to do the Camaro swap.after reading the thread on the swap, and pricing what it would cost to modify and add after market stuff, the almighty dollar was the deciding factor. Don't have a ton of cash to throw at the truck, but want the power steering/disc brakes/and i.f.s to make it easier to drive.
Looks like I'll start a build thread tomorrow.
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