Looking to do a straight front axle on the 78 & need input!

[78PanelExpress]

I am thinking of installing a straight front axle from a early 70's International Model 1210 3/4 ton 2 wheel drive pick-up truck.
The measurements so far, make it do-able.
Many changes were made to the car since my initial post/s on this board.
I removed the 358 small block & Turbo 400 and since replaced it with a mildly-built 454 and 2-speed Powerglide with electric solenoid trans-brake. Full length (nice) headers, and have a 4.72 ring & pinion ready to replace the 3.70 gears that are currently in the car, which has the stronger 9 inch Ford rear already in place.
I could not give a crap about weight. I am only interested in what I feel would be a cool look for the car at the track.
My main concerns are the handling and (possibly) braking since I will most likely be retaining the 5 lug / 12 inch diameter brake drums that came with the part.
I do not know why the guy who sold me the axle insist it was removed from a early 70's 2WD 1210 truck as all the pictures & info I can find (to date) of a model 1210 International show it to be a 3/4 ton truck with 8 lug rims in both 2 and 4 wheel drive models????? Anyone can shed any light on this let me know. In the meantime I will attempt to load some newer pics of my wagon and the front axle set up.
I only paid $30 for the complete front axle assembly complete with drums and power steering box. I figure no more then $500 additional in welding / fabrication cost to get it done & it would add much more overall value ($$$) to the project once the drag car is completed & painted.
Other things I have planned are to paint barn doors on the back and a nasty looking "split" windshield up front to further effect the insanity. I already installed a pair of 87 Ramcharger A-100 "basic" truck mirrors on it & it's beginning to obtain the "look" I am after.
If I decide to include the evil cheater gas in "stage III" of the project, the heavy straight front axle would also provide a better launching as well as landing gear would it not?

 

[pontiacgp]

Re: Looking to do a straight front axle on the 78 & need inp

I could not give a crap about weight. I am only interested in what I feel would be a cool look for the car at the track.

My main concerns are the handling and (possibly) braking

weight will affect handling and braking so you maybe you want to figure out what you want

 

[81cutlass]

Re: Looking to do a straight front axle on the 78 & need inp

So you want to do this for looks?

Few years back my dad cut out the straight axle out of his 73 IH 1110 and replaced it with a front susp out of a 2wd 90's dodge. The straight axle not only ran rough, but was poor at turning and breaking was about as good as a 30 year old farm truck with drums could be, inother words not great.

I know its probably a strict drag car, but discs and a susp design 30 years ahead of the IH axle certainly adds a safety factoy.

Id go with a 1110 front axle or hubs at least. They have a 5X5? spacing, same as all dodge and ford trucks into the mid to late 90's. A 1210 has 8 lugs. Finding a 15X5 or 4" rim in a 8 lug might be kinda fun.

And the leaf springs might be kinda fun. Almost end up adding heavyer front frame rails, and a G body front rail doesnt have much right to left strength, or up and down strenth an foot infront of axle centerline. End up building new front frame from firewall forward, and building new mounts for core support, bumper, yadayadayada.

It sounds like a HUGE project to me, and you wont be going anywhere in terms of safety. Although a Bu gasser would be kinda interesting to see....

 

[oldtinsmith]

Re: Looking to do a straight front axle on the 78 & need inp

78PanelExpress,
If you think it will be fun to build and fun to drive and you don't have to float a loan to do either, build it. Drag racing it every now and then, you may want to ask the sanctioning body what class it would run in and any safety rules you'll have to build to BEFORE you start the build. Good luck!

Doug

 

[78PanelExpress]

Re: Looking to do a straight front axle on the 78 & need inp

Perhaps you guys did not read, I stated the hubs have 5 lugs, not 8, and you can see & count the five in that picture I provided.

As for class at the track, with the mild 454 and the fact that I myself weigh over 350 lbs, I do not see the car running quicker then 14 flat in the 1/4 mile, (but perhaps it will get into the mid 13's after tweaking the 3 carbs, timing, etc...

All the classes I have seen typically run handicap time starts,...even if I were to race in a "altered" class, I do not think the front suspension type matters as long as it passes tech inspection as "looking safe". Would probably continue racing it in trophy class,...like I said, I do not race to win money or even throphy's, I go for the comradeship of the sport and because I like to watch other cars run from the pit side since I am there racing anyway.

The set up is 63 inches wide and the leafs are 43 inches long but I can swap them out for shorter ones.

I strive for the non-typical / unusual. I like the attention plus I do not have $40,000 to spend on a real 1940's Altered Gasser.

Besides, when was the last time you saw a 1978 Malibu wagon, 2 door panel express, 454 tri-power, with a straight front axle?

 

[Bonnewagon]

Re: Looking to do a straight front axle on the 78 & need inp

I think it's a cool idea. Those altered wheelbase gassers were all the rage in the 60's and you are right, you never see them anymore for good reason. The big block will push it quite nicely. What kind of trips are they? GTO Rochesters? How did you close up the wagon? I've seen it attempted several times with not-so-good results.

 

[78PanelExpress]

Re: Looking to do a straight front axle on the 78 & need inp

Whoever did the body work did a pretty good job. They used 1x1" square tubing to reinforce the side panels on the inside, all welded up very neatly. It had a full 12 point cage but I removed some of it for driver comfort and ease of entering and exiting the vehicle. The car previously had a 455 Olds with nitrous that ran 10.3 in the 1/4 mile. They had a 2 gallon fuel cell mounted under the hood. They had a "ballast box" which was a metal Dewalt drill carrying case filled with lead wheel weights welded in the spare tire storage well. That added weight in the rear and the nitrous shot at launch enabled the car to do wheelies off the line. I removed that mess and installed a 8 gallon fuel cell in the spare tire well. The carbs are the larger Rochester 2G or 2GC (I get them mixed up), but they each flow 275 CFM for a total of 825 CFM which should be more then enough considering I have them set to all open together and at the same time. Running a 3400 stall with the glide. We picked up the straight front axle tonight. It is not as heavy as I thought it would be and it has 5 lug on 5.5" bolt pattern so I will not have any problem finding rims, in fact I may have some in my shed that will work. The drums are kind of massive, not too big though, the size of them will make up for loosing the disc brake set up. As far as alignment goes, as long as the welder does a nice job I think I will be all right. I only need to keep the car going straight down the strip!

 

[Bonnewagon]

Re: Looking to do a straight front axle on the 78 & need inp

Sounds like GTO carbs. Two 2G's on the ends and a 2GC (choke) in the middle. Sounds like a blast from the past.