Bringin' It Down A Notch Or Two PT 2

Well, I don't figure most of you were as anxious as I was to see the suspension upgrade on my '55 pickup get finished, as I had been driving around for a few months with an airbagged four-link rear and a parallel-leaf I-beam front--you can imagine the type of battle the two were having with each other! Since Total Cost Involved was pretty bogged down with their daily grind, the decision was made to have the TCI air-spring IFS installed by Brian Jendro and his crew at Temecula Rods & Customs. I've known Brian for many years (he actually bagged my '54 Chevy Bel Air almost 10-years ago), so the quality of his shop's work was never in question. We set aside a week in November, and the following documentation should be a good indication that everything went just as planned.

The removal of the stock front suspension revealed that at one point in the truck's history, a little fender-bender caused some tweaking in the left-side framerail. While the damage was ahead of where the TCI crossmember was to go, Brian didn't want any geometry problems; so some heat and a port-a-power were used to cure the situation. From there, it was simply a matter of following TCI's measurement references in the directions in order to locate and weld the three-piece crossmember in place. In those same directions, it states that the factory motor-mount crossmember need not be removed. Because it looked awkward and out of place, it was removed anyway and subsequently replaced with a mandrel-bent tubular piece. For more added strength, boxing plates are provided with the kit, but again, Brian went a step further and added plates from the crossmember forward, as well.

The remainder of the job primarily consisted of installing components for the running brake and airbag lines, reconfiguring the steering (with Borgeson joints and an RB's Obsolete Column Saver), and making sure everything fit and functioned properly--which it did. The last order of business was to get the truck properly aligned, but before doing that, we had to figure out just where we wanted the frontend at ride height (this is where pressure gauges are necessary--but not always perfectly accurate). With all said and done, I was left with a nice 50-mile drive from Temecula to Riverside for the initial break-in, and happy to report not a single problem (even to this day).

As much as I bragged about having a stock-suspension daily driver pickup, I'm eating my words now that I've got a few hundred miles on the odometer with the IFS! Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with parallel leaf/straight axle setups--but once you go independent, there's no going back! Plus, with the addition of the Firestone airbags with individual manual-valve controls, I've got the best of both worlds.

Didn't want to bore you with...        read full caption Didn't want to bore you with the menial tasks of removing the front sheetmetal, engine/trans, and stock suspension--here are the '55 framerails in the nude, ready for new suspension. At the time this photo was taken, the left-side framerail had been straightened and a piece of square tubing tack-welded at the front to keep everything true.

The TCI kit comes with laser-cut...        read full caption The TCI kit comes with laser-cut boxing plates, which are made a bit oversize for better flexibility with fitment.

On the driver's side, the...        read full caption On the driver's side, the top of the framerail is notched for steering clearance; it was filled with steel prior to fitting and welding the plates.

Once the boxing plates were...        read full caption Once the boxing plates were taken care of, the three-piece crossmember was located (based on wheelbase measurements and TCI's specs) and tacked in place.

Next, the stock motor-mount...        read full caption Next, the stock motor-mount crossmember was removed (rivets drilled, then cut in half). In its place, the rails were boxed from the new crossmember forward for added strength.

Furthermore, Brian mandrel-bent...        read full caption Furthermore, Brian mandrel-bent a round tube support member, which may later also be used to mount a custom trans cooler.

With the frame pretty much...        read full caption With the frame pretty much handled (all but final welding), Eric and Brian rough-assembled the entire frontend, including bags, brakes, and steering rack, to determine ride height and related issues (like checking caster). This particular kit is specifically designed by TCI to work with airbags only, so the tasks of making or modifying spring cups and control arm platforms were alleviated.

No problems were encountered--the...        read full caption No problems were encountered--the calipers did not interfere with the steel wheels; the tie-rod ends did not hit the frame at full-down position; and everything was still "square".

With that said, let the welding...        read full caption With that said, let the welding begin! Eric spent the better part of a day welding and grinding, welding and grinding, making the frame and its new appointments look beautiful, all the time paying attention not to deplete structural integrity by removing too much weld.

The next day, while I was...        read full caption The next day, while I was frolicking at the office, the TR&C boys stuffed the engine and trans back in place to mock up the engine mounts--this is what I came back to. While the suspension was still mocked up, the upper shock mounts were also welded in (even though they come as "bolt-on" items).

Over the weekend, Brian treated...        read full caption Over the weekend, Brian treated the frame to a healthy dose of gloss black paint so that we'd be rearing to go Monday morning with the final assembly. Obviously, the rack-and-pinion was the first item to go on.

We had various parts such...        read full caption We had various parts such as the dropped spindles, caliper brackets, airbag cups, and sway bar powdercoated gunmetal gray (at Precision in Temecula) to complement the frame's new finish.

The tie-rod ends were also...        read full caption The tie-rod ends were also powdercoated; but the control arms, on the other hand, were supplied by TCI in polished stainless, so the completed frontend ensemble is anything but bland. Eric set the toe and camber as close as possible before we took the pickup for an official alignment. The Firestone bags were equipped with 90-degree, 1/4-inch air fittings as well.

After receiving a good Simple...        read full caption After receiving a good Simple Green bath, the 327 and 700-R4 were ready to be reunited with the '55.

At first there was a bit of...        read full caption At first there was a bit of doubt regarding the clearance of the steering components, but once the engine was in snug, the Borgeson U-joints and intermediate shaft fit perfectly. Per their recommendations, we used a vibration-damping joint to connect the column (which was modified with the use of an RB's Obsolete Column Saver).

With wheel bearings packed...        read full caption With wheel bearings packed and dust caps snapped, the shocks and calipers were hung and flex lines strung; the brakes weren't bled until the residual check valves were installed.

Even though smaller 1/4-inch...        read full caption Even though smaller 1/4-inch line was run, manual control valves were used for...

...quicker raising and lowering...        read full caption ...quicker raising and lowering as opposed to the standard-type paddle-switch valves.

Save for the front sheetmetal...        read full caption Save for the front sheetmetal group, this was what I was eagerly awaiting. Besides the minor framerail glitch, the installation went without incident. Matter of fact, the crew at TR&C was quite pleased with the ease of install the TCI kit offered.

Our last task was a quick...        read full caption Our last task was a quick trip over to Old Town Tire Service for an old-fashioned alignment. Before doing so (and this is pretty important), we made absolutely sure that the frontend was at the exact ride height and referenced that off the pressure gauges. Since the steering rack is manual, less caster was given than would have been for a power setup so steering would be a little easier.

No more speedboat pickup--the...        read full caption No more speedboat pickup--the '55 finally has an all-around acceptable stance. To give the truck a bit of a '60s custom look, I tried on a set of Cragar's new S/S 2000 five-spokes with thin-whitewall Toyo radials. Between that, the big-diameter Americans, or the traditional Cokers and Wheel Vintiques steelies, I don't know which to keep!