rockcrawler31
New member
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2010
- Messages
- 2
Hi all
I'm from Australia and I'm a total noob to rodding (i'm way more familiar with rockcrawling and offroading hence the username), but i'm just about to purchase a 46 Chev 4 ton maple leaf truck. I'm trying to do a bit of research first so i can plan and not make too many mistakes on my first build. Please be gentle on me if i've missed something in my questions
, i've looked in search but a lot of the info is for smaller vehicles and i'm not sure how relevant they are to the larger ones.
Our regulations for DOT are wayyyyy stricter than yours, so there's limited scope for modifications without very expensive ADR non destructive and destructive testing.
Firstly
Are the I-beam front axles in these cast or forged? I'd like to convert the front to either a 4 link with panhard and coils or radius arm/panhard and coils. According to our rules we can't manufacture suspension components (axles/spindles) but we can modify them. If the I-beams are forged i can weld mounts and brackets to them, but if they're cast then no dice. If they're cast then i'll need to consider a replacement beam axle that i can work with. Any idea what donor vehicles i could take this out of? Remember it will have to be sturdy enough for a 4 tonner.
How good a ride could i get if i simply lightened out the leaf packs and added a helper coil. The main reason for this is because i want to use this as a tow vehicle and tourer so i'd like a decent ride.
Second question, are the frames on these mild steel or high carbon/high tensile like late model trucks are? Same reason - i need to know if i can weld and box it up or not.
Thirdly - are there any suitable donor vehicles or brake upgrades that i could turn the front drums to discs for better stopping? Again remembering that it's a decent sized vehicle.
finally - does anyone know if the rear axle housing is mild, and also what HP the diffs could handle?
Thanks for any help guys
I'm from Australia and I'm a total noob to rodding (i'm way more familiar with rockcrawling and offroading hence the username), but i'm just about to purchase a 46 Chev 4 ton maple leaf truck. I'm trying to do a bit of research first so i can plan and not make too many mistakes on my first build. Please be gentle on me if i've missed something in my questions
, i've looked in search but a lot of the info is for smaller vehicles and i'm not sure how relevant they are to the larger ones.Our regulations for DOT are wayyyyy stricter than yours, so there's limited scope for modifications without very expensive ADR non destructive and destructive testing.
Firstly
Are the I-beam front axles in these cast or forged? I'd like to convert the front to either a 4 link with panhard and coils or radius arm/panhard and coils. According to our rules we can't manufacture suspension components (axles/spindles) but we can modify them. If the I-beams are forged i can weld mounts and brackets to them, but if they're cast then no dice. If they're cast then i'll need to consider a replacement beam axle that i can work with. Any idea what donor vehicles i could take this out of? Remember it will have to be sturdy enough for a 4 tonner.
How good a ride could i get if i simply lightened out the leaf packs and added a helper coil. The main reason for this is because i want to use this as a tow vehicle and tourer so i'd like a decent ride.
Second question, are the frames on these mild steel or high carbon/high tensile like late model trucks are? Same reason - i need to know if i can weld and box it up or not.
Thirdly - are there any suitable donor vehicles or brake upgrades that i could turn the front drums to discs for better stopping? Again remembering that it's a decent sized vehicle.
finally - does anyone know if the rear axle housing is mild, and also what HP the diffs could handle?
Thanks for any help guys
