Re: pickup chassis

Posted by Dan Partain on March 14, 1998 at 13:04:20

In Reply to: pickup chassis
posted by jim on March 14, 1998 at 00:30:03

: I have a tudor chassis which I beleive has a 7 leaf rear spring and a 10 leaf front spring. can I use this setup for a pickup body without changing the springs, and is there anything else that may be different, thanks for any help, jim corliss
Jim, in my opinion you would be better off with the lighter spring in the rear if you are building up a "driver" and not planning to show the truck. The 10 leaf rear springs on the pickups are very heavy and give a stiff ride when there is little or no load in the bed. They also make the truck sit high in the rear to accomodate wheel clearance when loaded. I have taken some of the leaves out of my rear spring to achieve this same purpose.
There were some differences in frames over the years, if you want to date the frame you have, you should get the "Judging Standards" put out by the Model A Ford Club of America. There were enough subtle changes during production that you can almost date your frame and running gear to year and month. If you have only the frame the engine number is stamped on the frame will give you a close approximate of the year.
Most likely you will have no problem using that frame for your pickup.
If you have a 7 leaf rear spring it is probably from a roadster. Tudors had a ten leaf spring. Coupes had an 8 leaf spring, this would probably be your best choice.

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