Decent looking Front Parallel leafs

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21willys

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 8, 2011
Messages
2,751
I have a Winnebago chassis that has parallel leafs in the front. I am thinking of using the chassis and drivetrain in a cheap low buck build soon. I was wondering if anyone has any pics of a decent looking build with front parallel leafs. I also plan on using the stock wheels and tires since they are basically new.

Disclaimer: I know this build won't be as good as it can be but it's gonna be very cheap (less then $600 probably). But I don't want to build a but ugly ride either.
 
Im going to use a pair from a 65 chevy truck ,, I hope to make them look right ... I think they are short ,, havnt measured but I dont want the long ones .
 
hey yankee, if you got leafs on a 65 the more then likely it is a gmc. do you have the whole truck? i didn't think to ask what 65 chevy truck you got, i started thinking half ton.
 
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I just got the front axle and springs .. The man just told me it was a 65 chevy ,,, and come to think of it my 65 chevy wrecker .... was a 1/2 ton with 1 ton rear and it had a coil spring front and originally rear too .. IDK but it is a 5 lug
 
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I just got the front axle and springs .. The man just told me it was a 65 chevy ,,, and come to think of it my 65 chevy wrecker .... was a 1/2 ton with 1 ton rear and it had a coil spring front and originally rear too .. IDK but it is a 5 lug

Hmm not a 65 Chevy.
 
I just got the front axle and springs .. The man just told me it was a 65 chevy ,,, and come to think of it my 65 chevy wrecker .... was a 1/2 ton with 1 ton rear and it had a coil spring front and originally rear too .. IDK but it is a 5 lug

could be a van or one of them trucks made like a van.
 
1/2 ton Chevy's were 6 lug until 1971, so I don't think you have a Chevy axle. The last year for the 1/2 ton straight front axle in 1959 IIRC, and that would have been a 6 lug wheel also. 3/4 ton was 8 lug, too, so it's not that either. Not sure if the later 5 bolt hubs will fit on a 6 lug spindle, but they might, I've never tried it. I guess it's possible you have a pre 1960 axle with post 1971 hubs, just never have seen it done.

21, I have seen guys take a parallel leaf axle and make some bolt on brackets and use a cross spring. Also have seen some weld the brackets on.
 
I've saw that done and I am in the processing of helping my bro n law build a set of plates like that. For this build I was hoping to use the stock stuff and just remove some leafs. It would probably be a pita to make look good anyways with stock set up. We will see when I finish getting the rv body off of the chassis.
 
21 take a few pictures of them Ive been thinking of the same thing for a while. (about using one of the springs).. mine is 46 " long from bolt to bolt .
 

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