During the rebuild of my 56, starting this weekend, I plan to move the Dodge car rearend to the top of the springs. I know the frame will need to be notched for clearance. I want to use locally available parts. Which are better, round notches, like a piece of round tubing or pipe, or some bent from flat steel? I will be boxing the frame in that area also.
The rearend under my truck is from a 68-69 Dodge or Plymouth mid-size. I would like something with a slightly higher gear , but have been unable to find a replacement "punkin" for it.Any on here ever use a complete rearend from a newer Volare or similar Chrysler product?Thanks

 

Imho, round is stronger than flat. But 'C' notches have been done both ways successfully. Especially if you're planning to box the entire area.

 

Suggest you insure that the rear end housing will not hit the bottom of the bedwood when you "flip" the rear. Not familiar with Chrysler rears; but a 9" will give you about 1" clearance (and a choppy ride).
......and empty your PM box.
good luck with it,
Brad

 

Here's a nice link to Adam,s 53 he's dropping in the rear. He has some nice fab pictures of of how he's notching his. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ith-picts.html I been over to his house and its looking pretty nice.

 

This is good advice, I inititally discounted these words of caution when I started my build some time ago but soon found out that they held merit. Here is a pic of my bed after I installed the bed floor risers...not only is the floor 2 inches higher but the whole bed is a lot stronger.

 

I used a Mopar rear end in my 48 F-3 from an 87 Chrysler M-body. If you are planning on a cruiser it will hold up fine. The one I used had over 100K miles on it powered by a 318 so I figured it would hold up under my 350 just fine. So far it has. My only regret was that the ratio was too tall (2:26). The M-body does not have a removable third member so changing the ratio is not a do it yourself project. I mounted mine over the springs for extra lowering but I did not need a C-notch since I used the Chrysler rear springs as well. The Chrysler rear springs have more arch so they gave me additional clearance.

Here is a view of the truck from the side....

 

Vern , that is a great looking truck! Are there more pics I can see?Thanks.

 

Thanks, look in my gallery under 48 F-3...

 

ever the smart **** ............... i'll say what some have prolly thought of ............... throw a lot of weight in it ! i am dropping mine via extended shackles , and spring removal for a total of 2.5 - 3 inches and shorter tires than the current p235 75 15's on it now .

 

I have now discovered a broken torsion bar on my volare ifs.I will replace the torsion bars before I do anything to lower the rear.I want to see how the front "sets" with the replacement torsion bars . I might not need to lower the rear as much as I thought.
I have not replaced the bed wood in my truck yet so I can raise the bed floor if I need to.

 

You seem to be going through a large amount of work to have this particular rear end. You can install a MN12 IRS & get a 5" drop without altering anything except a minor cut into the rails. You can check out Team321 LLC Ford Truck Independent Rear Suspension (321)960-5945 dheld@cfl.rr.com as Dave makes a mount kit. You can also check The FORDification.com Forums • View topic - 1970 F100 CV/Thunderbird which is my build thread putting a MN12 under a bump using Dave's mounts.

 

Thank you. I have actually been considering the irs swap.I've even thought about starting with another frame and swapping my cab & bed onto it , but the DMV in North Carolina is getting so strict I worry about having any parts on my truck with mismatching numbers. I might just go the irs route though.