Carl:
Let me throw my hat in the ring. This is going to be a long one so just
bear with me I 'm trying to help, really! I did a lot of research as well
before I did anything to my 56 TF.
My first decision was: did I want to weld in a front clip from a donor or
weld in an MII crossmember? I chose the MII route because I don't have the
skills to do too much fabricating. Not that all front clips require a lot
of fabbing, but I just didn't want to worry about it. The MII seemed
easier. The trade off was initial cost.
The next choice was: which manufacturer did I want to use? I knew I wanted
to go with someone that has been around a while. For me, that narrowed it
down to Heidt's, TCI, or Fatman. I didn't like the way the Fatman
crossmember attaches to the frame. Looked like it would let the frame rails
twist. The TCI and Heidt's crossmembers looked very much the same.
Although, TCI's setup was cheaper than Heidt's. I ended up going with
Heidt's. Why? Well, I ended up winning a couple of auctions on ebay for
some Heidt's tubular upper a-arms and Heidt's 2" dropped spindles. Since I
wanted to use all components from the same manufacturer I ended up going
Heidt's. Instead of buying the complete front end package, I started
piecing it together over a period of 2 or 3 months. I got the big brakes
from here, power steering rack from there, and a lot of stuff from Yogi's
(They had free shipping on Heidt's stuff at one time). After I had
everything, I had the big brakes, power steering, tubular a-arms, all name
brand stuff for less than the cost of buying the complete package all at
once from TCI or Heidt's and it was all new stuff as well.
You have to use the big brakes (11" Granada rotors with GM calipers is what
I used) on the TF trucks. The 9" rotors just aren't going to cut it. Also,
make sure you use the steering rack extenders so you don't have to use
extended tie rods. This is for Heidt's, I don't know about the others.
Heidt's says that using longer tie rods than stock will introduce bumpsteer.
Another thing, if you are using a GM power steering pump with the Ford rack,
get the spring kit from RB's. It matches the fluid pressure of the pump to
the rack. I can say this, my 56 drives very smooth and handles well with
this front end setup. I have been driving it for about 3 months now and
have about 300 miles on it. About half of that at highway speeds of 60 to
70 mph. Overall, I am very happy I went this route. The truck drives very
"untruck" like.
OK that settles the front end. If you have any questions let me know.
Out back I used a Ford 9" rear end from a Lincoln Versailles. This gave me
disc brakes in the rear as well as the front. I flipped the stock leaf
springs and C notched the frame. The only mod to the rear end was to move
the leaf perches out a little. The Lincoln rear end is 58 inches wide I
think. This is a little too narrow for the TF truck. It sits low enough
that the calipers hit the bed. I am working on making this work and it only
hits if I really nail something. Although, I would advise a wider rear end.
A wider rear end fixes this and the fact that your wheel selection will be
more varied. I used Chevy Rally wheels that were custom made. 16x8 with
2-1/4" backspacing in the rear and 16x7 with 3" backspacing up front. If I
had used a wider rear end, my wheel selection would have bee better and the
backspacing would not have been an issue. Wheels of Steel in Vasalia, CA
made my wheels for about $360. In my opinion, this setup rides a little
stiff for me and the caliper issue is not acceptable. I would like a wider
rearend and maybe the coil overs & 4-link setup from Heidt's or TCI. My
current setup is not as smooth a ride as the front end.
I know you didn't inquire about this but I thought I would add some
additional information on my drivetrain and my choices there. I had a 1985
IROC Camaro that was totaled. So, I took the Tuned Port Injected 305 and
700R4 tranny out of it and put it in my 56 TF. Computer and all. This
gives me good mileage and performance. I also used the steering column and
the front calipers. The overdrive tranny coupled with my 2.73 gears really
helps on the highway. Low RPM, high gas mileage. I had 3.70 gears but they
started to howl. So, I swapped the center section with another center
section that I had from a different project (67 Mustang GT fastback). It
drives much smoother with the 2.73's but not as snappy as the 3.70's.
Another trade off to think about.
I have some pictures of the front end, engine and truck on Shutterfly.com if
you want to take a look.
www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b332b02e6500
www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b332b0366518
www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b332b033e42d
I hope this gives you some of the info you needed and if not hopefully you
weren't bored to tears!
Thanks!
Jeff Engel
1956 TF
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-oletrucks@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-oletrucks@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Carl & Becky Ham
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2003 2:36 PM
To: oletrucks@autox.team.net
Subject: [oletrucks] Any more advice on IFS or Rear End swaps for TF
trucks out there?
About a month ago I posted a message asking for advice or past good/bad
experiences with independant front suspension swaps and newer rear end swaps
for a TF (55-59) Chevy truck. For the record, my truck is a fair weather
driver (summertime) and I don't plan on trying to win awards or drag race
the truck. It has a 283 V8 and 4 speed auto with original front and rear
suspensions. I simply want to finish upgrading the drive train to
newer/better riding and handling and more reliable components
I only received one reply for the IFS and 2 for the rear end swaps. For the
IFS, Heidts or Total Cost Involved (TCI) mustang II's with tubular upper and
lower arms were suggested and I've found the TCI unit is about $800 cheaper
than Heidts. I would appreciate any further comments or advice as I will be
buying an IFS in the March timeframe.
For the rear end, it has been suggested I either use an S10 or Ford 9 inch.
I'm told the S10 may be a direct swap (width-wise), and the Ford 9 inch
would require some custom work. Any suggestions from other list members?
Appreciate any and all comments. Thanks,
Carl Ham
'56 Chevy TF Stepside
Pontiac, IL
_________________________________________________________________
MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE*
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
|