56 Clip and Flip!

[Mac the Yankee]

Sorry that it's taken so long to get to this point (new teaching job, new kitchen, and life in general have gotten in the way), but I'm about a week away from taking a major step with my '56 Fleetside (MANY thanks to thump16 for swapping beds ), by clipping the front end and flipping the rear axle!

I've spent the last year collecting info/pics on the different approaches to doing the 78 Camaro clip. Will be going the route of JAWS' procedure from the HAMB "Clip in a day" thread, but do have some questions about flipping the rear axle:

- What length U Bolts will I need (anyone have a part #)?
- What size/length of Grade 8 bolts will I need to flip the rear spring hanger
- What is your preference for a rear axle? I've heard 70' Camaro/Firebird, Caprice, etc.

As for wheels, I'll be using 15x7 Ansen sprints, and 225/70r15 tires on the front and 235/70r15 on the rear.

Any help, thoughts, suggestions, "Don't forget to's" would be greatly appreciated, and yes, I will have pics to share.

Thanks again, Bill (Mac the Yankee)

[1958Warrior]

Here is a good thread for the flip
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=442586

and in this thread the truck featured belongs to youngsta if you look in the other thread you can see the ride height with the flip and no limit clip
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=440771

I personally don't like the way they look clipped with the frame stacked and have heard of them being TOO low and having to run skinnier tires up front. but that's just my opinion and everyone has one.

I'm doing my flip now , (Waiting on parts) my rear hanger bushings and bolts were seized in the frame mount and I had to heat and beat them in toward the frame then cut them in half with a torch . I don't think they were ever greased after it left the factory.
So I'm waiting on new leaf spring bushings and bolt kits and leaf spring bushing and pin kits.
http://www.truckandcarshop.com/trucks47_59/t47_097.html

[1958Warrior]

I'm going with a 1980 Trans Am axle , 61.5 hub to hub, also heard that the S-10 blazer 4x4 rear axle is a good fit I think its 59" ,and the Ford Explorer axle is a good fit, not a fan of mixing Ford parts into a Chevy ,but there are Mustang front ends and ford rear ends in a lot of these guy's rides. Just watch for the right gears for your application.

[buggy5872]

I have a camaro clip on my 59 and am running 15x7 with 4" back spacing and 225-70-15 tires. As long as your wheel back spacing is 4" you should not have any problems. The rear end you are using will determine if the rear will work out but that size tire and wheel should have plenty of room. When I was stock I ran 15x8 with 275-60-15 tires front and back. Advise....make sure to measure and double measure....its not hard to do just take your time. As long as the tails are tight against the bottom of the frame, the geometry will be correct. I think the ride height is good with stock height springs and spindles. The only part I have ever drug on the ground is the header collectors. That only happened when I came up out of a driveway that was an extreme hill and the road was level. There are a couple pictures in my photo bucket if you wanted to see how mine is.

http://s1356.photobucket.com/user/bu...04597204964704

[_Ogre]

i have a 3rd gen (86) trans am rear end w/disc brakes & 3.27 posi in truk
new u-bolts, spring pads and a plate from any trailer supply is all that is needed.
this pic is when i was setting the pinion angle.
that is the stock 58 shock bracket.

[55dude]

The thing to keep in mind is if you figure it's gonna take 40 hours to do set aside 80 and when the last bolt goes in the 2nd bumper bracket for the 5th time you will realize doing a clip is no fun so enjoy and good luck.

[1958Warrior]

Also, don't forget about your C notch , There are kits you can buy for bout $70 delivered. I went to a local recycler got some 1/4" plate and a piece of 5" steel pipe (not cast iron) ,I bought more than I needed,ended up with enough to do 4x,for like $10

[Mac the Yankee]

Thanks for the input guys, and feel free to keep it coming!

I'm going to pick up some 4" tubing for the notch and some plate to box the frame when we get that far- the truck won't be on the road right away, so I have some time.

The biggest thing right now is picking up the bolts/nuts for the rear spring hanger, the U bolts/spring pads/plates from Tractor Supply, getting the tires on the wheels, and measuring, measuring, measuring

Ogre, I may have a shot at a 3rd gen rear, and I will be following your steps on reusing the shock hangers (and the shocks you recommended)!

[Mac the Yankee]

Just a quick update (but I've been waiting for this for over a year, so I'm giddy like a school girl right now )- got the truck into Brad54's shop last night, and will be starting the clip process on Monday!

[lowrodderchev]

Sweet good luck post some pix if u get a chance I clip my 57 luv it

[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by Mac the Yankee

Just a quick update (but I've been waiting for this for over a year, so I'm giddy like a school girl right now )- got the truck into Brad54's shop last night, and will be starting the clip process on Monday!

Mac, I'm considering my options to get rid of my straight axle too. Where is Brad54's shop?

[Mac the Yankee]

Just a little update- nothing major to report-

We removed the front fenders, the master cylinder, clutch pedal, etc up front and got the chassis up on stands and leveled out.

Tomorrow, we measure, measure again, and when everything looks good... measure a few more times !... then make a pattern of the upsweep from the clip and cut the frame.

There seem to be three schools of thought on clipping the frame; each with positives and negatives. We'll be welding the clip to the bottom of the truck frame... it's not the prettiest option, but it will give the desired result of roughly 6" of ground clearance for the cab.

[lowrodderchev]

That's how I did mine happy so far and u get a little drop

[Mac the Yankee]

Got the front springs, hangers, and trans crossmember off, then made the jig to put the frame horns back in the right place once the subframe is welded in place (will have pics later).

Tomorrow will be cutting day

[Mac the Yankee]

Getting close to the final cuts and welding- have learned a few things about this not-so-simple clip !

- there are some high spots on the Camaro subframe that need to be dealt with to get the truck frame to lay flush with the sub.

- making a jig for the frame horns is great... just make sure that it will fit around the subframe

- pulling the springs and running a 2x4 between the frame and the a-arms will set the a-arms at a good ride height (thank you, Stevie G)

Will try to download some lousy phone pics later tonight...

[chopnchaneled]

Any progress????

[Mac the Yankee]

Joe,

Are you busting my chops on TWO sites ?

The clip is in- NO pics (lost the camera charger, had to squeeze the time in late nights, blah, blah)... but it's in. Still need to graft in the horns, trim the inner fenders, etc, so it's sitting gingerly in the driveway under a cover.

[chopnchaneled]

Originally Posted by Mac the Yankee

Joe,

Are you busting my chops on TWO sites ?

The clip is in- NO pics (lost the camera charger, had to squeeze the time in late nights, blah, blah)... but it's in. Still need to graft in the horns, trim the inner fenders, etc, so it's sitting gingerly in the driveway under a cover.

Tough job but somebody has to do it, See how many other folks are watching? Pressure's On!
Glad to hear progress is being made.

[Mac the Yankee]

Thanks man!

Right now the tail is WAY up in the air... I really need to flip the rear

[63 & 64 Bowties]

Okay, somebody's gotta say it, so....

[Mac the Yankee]

It's been raining like "Noah was loading the Ark" here since the truck got dropped off, but I'll get pics asap !!!