> Hi:
>
> Dusty and Dave here again....the '50 is almost finished! New wheels (15x7
> front, 15x8 rear) and tires go on this week! We want to see how it looks
> with the new rims before lowering it the couple inches Dusty wants.
>
> Questions:
>
> I've been advised to remove a couple of leaves from the front springs - has
> anyone tried this and experienced any adverse reactions to this? (Sagging or
> weakened reamining springs, bouncy ride, diminished ride quality, etc.) Any
> new issues raised in doing this, such as different clamps/hardware, etc.
> required?
>
> I've seen the mono-leaf conversions - do these bolt straight onto the AD
> truck, or are any modifications or adaptors required? How much does this
> lower it? Is the ride quality compromised?
>
> Finally, lowering the front obviously alters the suspension and steering
> geometry. Has anyone experienced adverse effects in steering due to this?
> How is the handling affect?
>
> Regarding tires, since we have stock suspension, steering, brakes, etc., I
> understand that the wider the front tires, the more it will wander, and the
> handling/steering suffers. How wide should we go? We're thinking about
> 60-series BFG T/A radials....
>
> Thanks!
>
> Dave Destler
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 17:27:47 -0500
> From: "Hanlon, Bill" <Bill.Hanlon@COMPAQ.com>
> Subject: RE: [oletrucks] Lowering our '50 GMC
>
> Dave & Dusty:
> I have added my comments to three of your questions below based on my removal
> of two spring leafs from each side of my 57 GMC's front springs. My original
> front springs had 8 leafs in each spring assembly. Counting from the shortest
> (bottom) spring, I removed spring # 3 and 6.
>
> - -----Original Message-----
> From: Dave [mailto:dave@juniorbaseball.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 4:38 PM
> To: oletrucks@autox.team.net
> Subject: [oletrucks] Lowering our '50 GMC
>
>
> Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 16:06:52 -0700
> From: josiah.bartlett@exgate.tek.com
> Subject: RE: [oletrucks] Lowering our '50 GMC
>
> Dave and Dusty,
> My '50 is completely stock except for 15" wheels and I have the stock
> springs. I just finished rebuilding the front end with new spring shackles,
> king pins, u-bolts, and shocks (gabriel red ryders). The improvement over
> the ride I had before is 10fold. I have Dunlop 235-75R15 tires and I don't
> suggest going any wider than that on the front with stock steering- the
> steering effort becomes really difficult (even for me, 6'2" and muscular)
> and you will find that the steering box and tie rod ends will wear rather
> quickly. It tracks really well with what I have done. You can still tell it
> is a solid axle but it actually feels safe not scary like it did before. If
> you go with 60 series low profile be aware that the ride will be pretty
> harsh and the motor will need to spin faster to get to the same highway
> speed (not a problem if you put in taller rear end gears). I am going to go
> with narrower tires on the front when I put new ones on. I know that a
> monoleaf will get you lower and I expect that it will ride better but not
> corner as well (less stiff). You will want to add an anti-sway bar (a good
> idea anyway) My truck has stock leaves that have sagged to almost flat over
> the years and I didn't remove any leaves so they wouldn't bend backwards.
> The truck rides better than the 4wd heavy duty Fords I have driven. Don't
> expect a car ride though. If you put in a monoleaf you may want to get a
> shorter pittman arm. Keep the drag link between the steering box and
> steering knuckle as parallel to the ground as possible to avoid bump steer.
> Get the truck aligned before you drive it too much on the new tires.
>
> - -----Original Message-----
> From: Dave [mailto:dave@juniorbaseball.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 2:38 PM
> To: oletrucks@autox.team.net
> Subject: [oletrucks] Lowering our '50 GMC
>
Josiah:
Thanks much for the info! Well, Dusty and I just came back from the tire
store, where we chose P275 60R-15 BF Goodrich T/A Radials for the rear on 8"
wheels, and although we at first were going to go with P235 60R-15s on the
front 7 inchers, we opted for P235 70R-15 to better fill the wheelwells and
to keep the steering effort at reasonable levels.
When they dropped it down from the jacks, it was just stunning! We were so
jazzed, after those wheels being stored new in boxes in his bedroom since he
was 15! He drove the truck home, and the ride quality is terrific - smoother
than the previous 75 series tires, tracks straight and true, no wander, and
actually quieter than the M+S tires that were on it! We stood back and
looked at it for a long time in the backyard, admiring our work. Still a few
things to do (including the bed wood!). But it's getting close! We refitted
the grille yesterday too, a big visual change!
He still wants to drop the front a couple inches - personally I don't
think it needs it now - but the rear weenies fill the wheel wells right to
the edge, looking very cool, and I'd be wary of rubbing it we lowered it.
The new stance has added a bit of attitude to the truck!
When it's finished, I'm going to post photos for everyone on the list who
is interested to see it, and thank everyone for their help!
- Dave
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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