I'm doing a power steering upgrade (CPP 400 series box) to my '56 and have a few questions about the front end.

1) Before the upgrade, the drivers side of the I-beam was sliding front/back under the leaf spring (nuts were loose, everywhere, I discovered). How do I locate the I-beam properly? I tried measuring from the fixed leaf spring support bracket (to the rear of the front axle) on both sides (with a tape measure), but with the suspension unloaded (truck up in the air in the front on a floor jack on the frame) everything seems pretty arbitrary. Is there a process/technique for getting the axle in the right place?

2) How do I know if i need new springs? when the truck is on the ground the springs look "saggy" - meaning that they seem pretty flat/almost curved upward in the center at the axle mounts. Is that the normal look? From the street, it doesn't look to be riding especially low - the stance looks about right I'd say. (Everything is stock.)

3) Similarly, how do I know if I need to replace all the spring bushings and pins?

4) One final question: I'm replacing the tie rod (putting in the MidFifty solid one) and ball ends. I've removed the cotter and the nut from the ball end stud going into the spindle arm. However, it didn't drop out like I expected. There's a slot in the top of the stud - do these unscrew, or do I just tap downward on the stud to drive it out of the spindle arm?

Thanks!

 

4. Get a BFH & strike the mount for the tie rod ends. They are tapered and bind in when you tighten the nut.

3. Jack your truck up by the frame. You should see the pins and bushings move (side to side or drop excessively). You should grease the grease fittings too. You should not see any movement while greasing the pins and shackles.

2. The front springs do look almost flat. Depending on the weight of the engine. You can measure the vehicle height using this chart. Keep in mind worn parts and wheel/tire combo will change vehicle height.


Heights the same for a 56

1. The springs use a center bolt to align them properly. Remove the nuts off of the U bolts and separate the spring from the axle. Look at the mounting surfaces.

 

Here's another diagram that might help.

 

As to Question #1...There is supposed to be a center bolt that goes thru the leaf spring, which also doubles as a locating pin for the frt axle,

 

Wow! Thanks bjmayberry2! Great info, none of which I had. Interesting detail about the centering bolt between the springs and the axle...I clearly have some more exploring to do.

Great info about the ride height as well. I'll check that. I'm guessing that my springs are probably ok, though I also bet that my bushings are shot based on what I've seen already.

Thanks a ton for the great info!

 

As AVF100 stated, about the center bolt. Replacing it should pretty well center up the axle.