Hi,
Has anyone used a 2wd Astro subrame in a Ford cabover? I'm thinking about changing the front suspension in my 46. Right now I'm running a F-1 axle on the front with the rear frame from a 87 Chev 1/2 ton grafted on the back. It needs to be lower. The front frame is tweeked from gramps getting hit by a slow moving train in the early 70s, so I'm going to have to either build a new front frame section or clip it.

 

Trying to decide if "cute" is appropriate for your COE !

 

The old truck is so ugly it's cute. My grandpa bought it in '48 to replace his '26 Ford Model TT as the farm truck. It had an engine fire in '67 and the run-in with the train. He left it to me as I was always facinated with the truck, in fact one of my earliest memories is riding on a little wooden seat mounted between the two factory seats. The old girl has a long history with my family.

 

i LIKE it... it's just plain KEWL !!!!!!!!!!

 

Having seen the inside of these trucks and knowing how much space the doghouse takes up, it's hard to imagine enough room to put a board in there vertically.

There was a COE on Ebay awhile back that looked about like your's. It had a shortened F350 frame under it and an LSX or LTX motor under the seat. Seems like there are a couple of others on the web like that too. I'm interested in how the steering works with the Astro steering box. I've got to figure out how to make the steering work under my truck. I looked at the Astro, but it is too wide for what I want to do. The S-10 has the steering box pointing straight back (almost), but is about the right width for my intentions. I guess my other option would be to find a R&P front end. Maybe. I'll be watching your upgrade to see how it turns out.

Dave

 

Here is a picture of a '48 COE sitting on an Astro subframe that I found on the HAMB. The steering box angle looks like a slam dunk.

 

Is that the OEM mounting for the steering box? If so, I think I can just rotate the S-10 box 90 and use it. I did kind of wonder what would happen since the pitman arm wouldn't swing through the same plane, but if it works there, I guess it isn't that big of a deal.

Dave

 

Yep, that's the way they are. I have an a S-10 frame sitting around also that I thought of using for the front frame stub, but the steering box was always gonna be a potential issue.