Hey there!
I am new to this community so im excited to be a part of it. I just recently rented out a new warehouse to work out of, and the previous tenant left what I think is a front axel. Im not great at knowing parts from other cars other than the ones I own. So I was hoping that I can get some ideas on what car or truck this is from. It looks to be in great condition so im hoping to sell it. Any idea how much this might be worth?
Any way thanks so much for the help!
Matt
Matt:
Itās the front end cross member to a truck or similar vehicle.
Given it has king pins, not a solid axle, and coil springs, Iām suspecting itās from the 50s or 60s. Though I vaguely recall doing a brake job on an early 70s truck that had king pins.
It does not have a solid axle, which makes me wonder if it was used in a motor home or pickup, rather than something like a heavy duty truck.
The multiple grease fittings and drum brakes were in wide use back then, though it doesnāt help me zero-in any further on the decade the cross member could be from.
It looks to be in great condition.
Many vehicles from the 30s up through the early 60s used this type of front suspension. Unless you can find manufacturerās part number stamps on the parts I doubt you will be able to identify it.
Front suspension is often replaced when building a restomod.
I must admit that unit looks nearly new.
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Drum brakes with kingpins AND tube shocks. Later 50s car suspension, I think. The shocks look fairly new. See if you can find a part number and brand on them so you can cross check the application. But do NOT remove the shock or that spring will come shooting out with a LOT of speed and force!
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I think we have a winner! Except for the Wilwood disk brake conversion it looks exactly like the OPs picture.
So hereās an interesting . . . and slightly off-topic . . . question
Do such Wilwood disc brake conversion kits allow you to still use the stock rim and tire size?
Iām thinking of the other discussion with the 1st generation Mustang, which looks very stock to me
I donāt know about that conversion and stock rim size. Early Corvettes (C1 and C2) had pretty small rims and tires, limiting the performance tires that can be substituted in. And the wheel wells really limit the ability to go with bigger tires/rims.
Interesting part to find. I imagine that folks with a C1 might have traded it out for a more-modern ball-joint suspension. That part also could be from a '49-'54 Chevy. The C1 used that older suspension through '62. I think it cost too much to redesign for the small numbers of Corvettes they were selling. Once popularity was assured Chevy paid for a complete suspension re design for the C2.
Measuring the track with and maybe even the drum diameter might helpā¦
But I agree, looks like the one in the Vette eBay pictureā¦
I think if you use basically the same size caliper and rotor the rims might fit.
if you bump it up to a 6-piston caliper, then there is no way it will.
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There are several original equipment Corvette front suspensions for sale for $650 to $1,000.
The reason there are so many old suspensions for sale is because of the availability of a complete modern front suspension:
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Not a lot of value for the old one, especially because those king pins could be worn out.
I found several for sale for $500-$1000 on Ebay, but not one ācompleted listingā, so the demandās pretty low.
Good find OP. The right buyer will pay some good money for that assāy, but there arenāt gonna be very many of them, so will take some time to unload it at fair market value I expect. In the meantime you could learn the name of some of the parts. The first photo, the rods running along the left are the tie-rods. They connect to the steering knuckle on each side, where the wheel goes. When the driver turns the steering wheel the tie rods push/pull on the steering knuckles, causing the knuckles to rotate on a mostly vertical axis. The āsteeringā term is easy to understand, but Iām not sure why they are called āknucklesā. The steering knuckleās rotation axis is clearly seen in the second photo. Itās angular deviation from straight up and down affect two wheel alignment terms, camber and castor. In your case the steering knuckles rotate on a rod, called a king-pin, similar to how a door hinge works. Many modern cars do it another way, using a part called a ball-joint, works similar to a trailer hitch ball and socket mechanism. Note that the part the wheel bolts to (steering knuckle) isnāt firmly bolted to anything solid. If it were, the ride quality would be terrible. The primary connection instead is the big spring. It would be too wobbly if only the spring were making the connection, needs better control, so the other connections are called control arms. If you recall from high school geometry three points define a plane. And the purpose of the control arms is to set the wheel on the correct plane. Do you see how thatās done? Do you see the three plane-defining points? The other problem with the spring connection, it is too bouncy. So they put that white thing in the middle of the spring, called a shock absorber. That arrangement is called ācoil over shockā, or ācoil oversā, the other common method used, accomplishing the same function, is called a āstrutā.
Iāve never encountered king pins but my boss told me once he was replacing them on something. Said theyād heat them red hot and hit them with a sledge. It sure if thatās the proper procedure or not.
Your best bet will be posting on a purest Vette forum, classic car shows and swap meetsā¦
A lot of old school guys donāt trust the innerwebā¦ lol Most younger guys are wanting better performance from a newer better designed later model or aftermarket pieceā¦
Or even looking for Vette specialty shop and or restoration shopsā¦
Shipping something that size and weight will have to fit on a pallet and be strapped down and normally very expensiveā¦
It depends on which kit you buy. You can get kits that fit in a 14 inch wheel or bigger dianeter rotors and brackets that fit in 15s and 16s. Most use a 4 piston caliper standard or slim types. And then the big 6 piston models but they are designed for bigger rotors.
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The 53 Corvette used the 53 Chevy sedan suspension. Double a arm with kingpins. Solid axle on leaf springs at the rear. Corvette stayed with that until the 63 came out with ball joints in front and the independent rear. But stayed with drum brakes until 65ā¦a full 12 years after a C type Jag won LeMans with disk brakes!