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Copyright 1996-2004 Dan Wentz
Improvements to the Straight Axle |
quick liNksmaintenanceSpecifications modificationsF-Series historyCanadian Ford & Mercury Trucks Early F-Series in Film & Television Online ToolscommunityMy 1950 f1 |
Some people are surprised to find that that their 50 year old trucks drive and handle like 50 year old trucks. A lot of people convert to independent front suspension, which solves the problem, but you don't have to do that. If you're like me you think that the rough handling is part of the charm of driving an old truck. You can get a good ride out of the original axle of you do a few things: Make sure it's in good shape. By this time the original suspension has just about had it. Common points of wear are the steering box, pitman arm, drag link, steering arm, king pins, springs, shackles, bushings, shocks. Hmm...that's just about everything, isn't it? It is. Unfortunately these are expensive things to replace--but it's worth it and it's still cheaper than buying an IFS kit. Don't expect too much from it. It's kind of basic, but remember that your truck is old. Even when it was new it didn't handle all that well. I think it's acceptable though. After rebuilding my front end my ride was comparable to the ride in my 92 Mustang on a smooth road. If you get onto a bad road or gravel you're going to feel everything--but that wouldn't exactly be a smooth ride in any new car either. After that there are a couple things you can do to enhance your front end. Power steering. I don't have to explain the benefits of this. If you've driven an old truck you know what it's like. There are box conversions out there, but the simplest thing to do on a stock truck is to use a power assist ram. It bolts onto your stock steering box and axle and works really well. Even if you still have the flathead engine you can add a power steering pump. Disk brakes. This improves your stopping ability a lot. There are numerous kits available for adding disks to the stock axle. Mono-Leaf springs. You can replace your stock spring packs with a single leaf. They are supposed to give a smoother ride (less friction that the spring packs I suppose) and they lower the truck. Radial Tires. Basic, but radial tires are softer than bias ply so they give a better ride. Webmaster's setup: I think my truck gives a fine ride. I'm running a basically stock front end with reversed eye spring packs, disk brakes, power ram assist, and 235-75-15 radials. Front suspension upgrades are probably the most expensive things you'll encounter on your truck, but for safety and comfort they're also the most important. |
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Copyright 1996-2004 Dan Wentz |