51 chevy front upgrade?

[mountain]

Hello,
I think I am going to get going on my 51 Chevy. Since I have the engine out I want to take a look at the front end. I have looked into the whole IFS front end swap but it is so expensive. Has anyone upgraded a 51 Chevy before. It is bone stock and I am using 235 L6 so I don't have to worry about too much modification in that area. I have considered some drop spindles and just rebuilding the existing front suspension. Any help or experience would be appreciated. I want to make this a comfortable driver but I don't expect I will be going much over 65. Thanks everyone and Merry Christmas!

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

Car or truck?

 

[Mr.Gussett]

IFS

Yes they cost around $1200 + for a hub to hub IFS ,BUT well worth the money IMO! New parts,nice ride and can be made to order![cl
Here is a Speedway kit with adjustable coil shocks ,I did on a 49 Chevy truck. This kit was around $1700

 

[Sam_Fear]

Car or truck?

Chevy Deluxe.

The one thing I suggest on about everything is disc brakes if you can.

 

[mountain]

Yep, Sorry it is a 1951 Chevy Deluxe 4 door. It only has 38,000 miles on it and was stored in the barn in 1956 when my grandfather passed away. I pulled it out and started in on her. I pulled the engine and had it rebuilt, bored it .30 over and put a comp cam in it, it is a full pressure 235 so it was worth doing. I am going to run duel Rochester’s and the Fenton Headers, but nothing extreme. Just classic. After two trips over the pond with the Army I am getting back to it. I still have the engine out so that is why I am going to rework the front end. So the general consensus is put an IFS under it with disk brakes? Someone had once told me that the 51 Chevy had a type of IFS originally. Anyone ever heard that or could explain that to me? Thanks for the help!

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

The stock '51 Chevy car suspension is IFS, not a type. All IFS means is Independent Front Suspension, ala the wheel assemblies can move up and down independent of each other.

As far as upgrades, that depends on what kind of build you are doing and what sort of driving you are going to do with this car. The stock suspension can be lowered with dropped uprights and/or cut coils, and the brakes can be upgraded to disc. The steering is a bit antiquated, but not bad if you have strong arms and don't have to do a lot of turning while at a standstill.

If you are really going all out on the car and want it to drive/ride/handle like a newer car, the MII is the way to go. There is some fab work and money spending involved, but the end result is a MUCH cleaner, better functioning, handling and braking vehicle. You will also have disc brakes and R&P steering, which makes a world of difference while driving.

 

[Soreback]

If it was mine I'd move forward with the engine swap and grease the front end and drive it as is. If I was spending your money I'd most likely do the same. 30 some K ain't much wear if it was on pavement.

 

[klink]

Since you don't need the extra room keep the stock setup. There are so many options now for lowering, disk brakes and power steering that it doesn't make sense to completely change it. Plus you can keep driving it while you upgrade a little at a time. A 235 powered nose high tail dragger sounds cool anyway...

 

[mountain]

While I was digging around I found this:

http://www.streetrodhq.com/detail/21757/Chevy_FRONT_DISC_BRAKE_CONVERSION_4954_CHEVY_CAR.html

It is a disc brake conversion that looks promising. I guess I just need to add up the cost involved and see where I end up. I never got to drive this car so I have no idea how it handles originally. I know that my International 1/2 handles like a log truck and I want something that handles better than that for sure. You know what Doc Hudson says "Float like a Cadillac, Sting like a Beamer".

 

[Rat33pickmup]

I had a 50 chevy 2dr sedan years ago that had stock front end, 250 I6/ th350 and a Camaro rear....... drove the heck outta it with drum brakes ( had Bendix not Hilux "sp") car was dumped on the ground with cut coils.... and I drove it at 70mph on the freeway ALL the time.... Disk setup would be an upgrade as I do that to all my stuff now.

Smitty