1953 Chevy 3100 "Someday..."

[LERM]

My Dad gave me this truck when I was 16yrs old. (I just turned 34) I DROVE it off the trailer, around the block and into the driveway ONE time. Then the tear down began. I had zero mechanical experience, and was funding the project by bagging groceries. Fastforward many years of houses, offroad toys, cheap n' easy mustangs and a list of other distractions... and i'm finally back to the truck. I've spent far more money in storage fee's for this bent, once rolled over farm truck than it can possibly be worth... but it doesn't matter. I love this thing.

Wanting to start with a clean slate, I sent the chassis out to be sand blasted... It was during the teardown that I noticed the significant bend in frame... sweet...



I managed to get some of the excess firewall holes buzzed up while I was waiting for my turn on the frame machine at the local ROP Body Shop class.




The frame was z'd and bent over about an inch and a half. Not anymore. (now its just shy of 1/16 inch bent THE OTHER WAY... bah... close enough... its not going to the moon afterall...)





So, during the course of this trucks storage, I have managed to collect up some parts. Inevitably, my tastes have changed some over the past 15 years and some of the stuff is not as bitchin to me as when I bought it. I understand the short comings of the MII stuff, but I already have a nice Heidts hub to hub with discs, new rack, drop spindles etc. I have been in contact with an autocross buddy that runs a MII (and smokes all of us most the time) I think with a few adjustments to make more available caster i'll be content with the front suspension. Plus, the packaging is so tidy, I can't bring myself to consider the homely stamped steel GM stuff, and with a pending addition to the family, i'm not in the position to buy a new hub to hub anway.

The trans in the pic is a t3550 from my mustang. I was hoping the case was the same as a later tko-600 to allow me some mock up. Nope. No such luck. I'm in a saving pattern for a fresh tko-600.




Motor is kinda an odd duck. This is a 472 cad. I'm not sure exactly what has me smitten with these... but I can't help it. I dig the idea of something different under the hood. This one is pretty "used" and is being treated to a "Rustoleum Rebuild" in the pic. I'll likely get a cam and some other little goodies before it fires.


Totally hillbilly, but its entertaining to me to note that the motor was not only in an 1/8th mile drag car in the hands of the last owner, but has survived and won a demolition derby.


So, after I button up the front suspension and set the ride height, its time to commit to a rear suspension. I had purchased a Competition Engineering brand magnum 4 link about 10 years ago. Now i'm not so sure its going to fit what i'm after. The truck will primarily be used as a grocery getter'... but it will see the drag strip every now and again, and if my Mustang is out of commission, it may see some autocross too.

I haven't ruled out the 4 link, but only because itd be so easy to plug in at this point... but again, i've since learned the word "bind" since I purchased it. (I should just stop reading... )

I'm leaning heaviest towards torque arm due to the ease of fabrication and durability, but i'm still in research mode. Words like "jacking" "roll-center" and "antisquat" are not totally foreign, but i've never had to design anything around them. I've see some quality threads on suspension design on this forum, but if you guys have some favorites that could be of help i'd love to see them!