new member 1st post 59 apache

[spikes59]

Good day today, put the cab on frame and coys 17 and 18 inch wheels,pushed it outside for a few pictures.

[spikes59]

pictures didnt go will try again

[ambryatim]

Looks Great!!

Any more pics of the rear suspension?? Is it a type of trailing arm setup??

Thanks

[Chevette]

Great lookin' truck. The color is excellent.

[Kim57]

Nice looking truck.
Is that a 59 car dash in it?
Kim

[ambryatim]

Originally Posted by Kim57

Nice looking truck.
Is that a 59 car dash in it?
Kim

Impala Dash I believe.

[spikes59]

I will post a better pic of rear suspension, its a camaro disk brake rear end,i made the air bag pockets and trailing arms everything untested so it you see anything that does not look right please let me know. Yes its a 59 impala dash, I bought classic int gauges, cant wait to get them installed. Thanks on the paint, it looks brighter then the pictures show.mike

[jimig1]

Love the color

[spikes59]

suspension pics,

[_Ogre]

that color is great!
looking good

[Rude Dude]

Bottom Air Bag brackets I would weld them in,there is a lot of force from bags and truck weight might spin them.

Originally Posted by spikes59

suspension pics,

[spikes59]

Thanks Rude Dude,I have put a couple inch long welds on u-bolts.I was worried about putting to much weld on axle tube,I had the axle powdercoated so i will live with it for now,thanks,Mike.

[srvtexas]

delete

[68 TT]

Paint turned out nice. Great work.

What rear end is that? It looks like an f-body torque arm housing only bigger than the 7-5/8" 10-bolt that was stock. Is that one of the Dana-44 housings they had available over the counter for a while?

[spikes59]

The rear end is out of a 80s camaro,dont know much more about it,I think it was a z-28 model.Thanks mike

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by spikes59

The rear end is out of a 80s camaro,dont know much more about it,I think it was a z-28 model.Thanks mike

With the engine you have that poor 7-5/8" rear end doesn't stand a chance. None of the 82-2002 F-body rear axles are worth a darn when you make any kind of power. They failed regularly behind stock low HP engines. The 82-88 rear ends have small 26-spline axles and the later ones bumped up to 28-spline. A little improvement but not much. I broke 3 with a wimpy 170 hp 305 & T-5 trans.

For a short time GM offered a Dana-44 axle assembly for them as a replacement part you could buy at the dealer parts counter and install yourself but it didn't last long. Not many out there. It is hard to tell from the pics you posted to know which one you have. The best way to know for sure is to read the numbering on the ring gear.

If you do have the stock 7-5/8" 10-bolt it is a ticking time bomb with the power you will be making. It will be fine putting around but if you get on it at all the ring gear will fail and leave you stranded. I have broken far too many on the street with mild performance cars to trust one in a real performance vehicle like yours will be. Save yourself a headache down the road and put a better aftermarket rear end in there.

Strange & Moser make car 12-bolts that are bolt in and many places make 9 inch ford rear ends to bolt in with the same torque arm mounts on them that your suspension system is using. If I remember right I think one of the big manufacturers also makes a bolt-in Dana-60 assembly too.

[spikes59]

Thanks 68tt, I bought the axle from a friend mainly because it was a disk brake rear end,I should have paid more attention to the performance part of it. thanks for the info.I will kick that around on if it will work for me. thanks Mike.

[Rude Dude]

If you ever need to weld axle tube, I keep a bucket of water and ice near by with some towels and wrap the tube near the weld. This helps keep the metal from warping and weld in one inch increments and let it cool. Just a tip my father showed me when he was a live. He was a certified welder for many years.

Originally Posted by spikes59

Thanks Rude Dude,I have put a couple inch long welds on u-bolts.I was worried about putting to much weld on axle tube,I had the axle powdercoated so i will live with it for now,thanks,Mike.

[spikes59]

Im putting things back together so here are a few pictures,put carbs and scoop on blower,put gauges in dash,put shifter on,mounted air unit,and put a picture of hood with flames,Mike.

[Rude Dude]

Wow nice set up, I look at the wiring and man that alone makes me gringe, Havent wired my truck yet thank goodness I have done this before and am trying to keep it as simple as I can, once again beautiful Truck!

[ChuckDriver]

Looks great Mike! What's the length of the shifter?

[apache200]

Your truck is coming together nicely. Keep the pictures coming. Your truck is inspiring me to work on my truck.

[spikes59]

Thanks Rude Dude,The wiring also has me slowed down,a buddy is going to help me or i would never get the truck done in time to drive this summer.Mike

[Kim57]

Looks great.
I love the dash. Every time I see it I want to redo mine.
Kim

[spikes59]

Thanks chuckdriver,apache,kim. The shifter is a 23 inch? ill check tomorrow. I read posts here for 6 mts getting ideas and encouragement to take on some of the modifications and really glad i did the impala dash.The 59 is starting to look like a truck again now that its back on the frame.I took the wheels of my 61 impala for trial and they look good to me so i might run them for awhile.Thanks again Mike.