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Old 12-19-2015, 06:49 PM   #1
akeane01
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55 1st Series Rear Axle

hi,

I just started working on the C3100 truck rear suspension and noticed that the passenger side leaf spring perch has a metal block added for compensation. The drivers side does not have this. Was this normal to have? I would have thought that would not be needed if the truck was built correctly.. Any thoughts..

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Old 12-19-2015, 07:14 PM   #2
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Re: 55 1st Series Rear Axle

It is not normal both sides should be the same, it was put there by someone to compensate for something maybe truck sagging in that corner due to something bent/twisted.
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Old 12-19-2015, 07:37 PM   #3
dwcsr
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Re: 55 1st Series Rear Axle

This was commonly done at the dealer or at the factory, not sure which,to level the bed/bumper. They did it in the front as well. I see these blocks alot
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Old 12-19-2015, 08:10 PM   #4
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Re: 55 1st Series Rear Axle

Quote:
Originally Posted by dwcsr View Post
This was commonly done at the dealer or at the factory, not sure which,to level the bed/bumper. They did it in the front as well. I see these blocks alot
Could be, those 1950's assembly lines were not high tech.
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Old 12-20-2015, 02:12 PM   #5
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Re: 55 1st Series Rear Axle

It was to offset the weight of the side mount spare tire on the driver's side so they put shim in pass side to even it out.
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Old 12-20-2015, 09:02 PM   #6
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Re: 55 1st Series Rear Axle

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Originally Posted by greg_h View Post
It was to offset the weight of the side mount spare tire on the driver's side so they put shim in pass side to even it out.
this may be true for the 47-55.1 trucks with the axle under the springs
because... any 55.2 to 59 truck (axle over springs) with the side mounted spare has the oem shim on the drivers side
see 55-59 fam, rpo 341, sheet 1.00 (near the back of fam)
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Last edited by _Ogre; 12-21-2015 at 07:02 PM.
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Old 12-21-2015, 12:58 PM   #7
greg_h
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Re: 55 1st Series Rear Axle

Then that would make sense. If it has the opposite effect due to the positioning of the leaf springs above or below the rear axle, then it would go to the opposite side to have the same effect....Still it is because of the side mount spare tire weight. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
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Old 12-21-2015, 02:15 PM   #8
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Re: 55 1st Series Rear Axle

Both scenarios are viable. It could have been added to compensate for the weight of the side mount spare or it could have been added later to "level" the truck when it looked like that corner sagged a bit.

A few years ago I got pulled over by a deputy sheriff and while talking to me he commented that the left side of my truck sagged a bit. My answer was "fat driver" as I weighed about 250 at that time and for some reason he didn't like my answer even though it was the truth as I normally was alone in the truck going down the road.
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Old 12-21-2015, 07:00 PM   #9
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Re: 55 1st Series Rear Axle

Quote:
because... any 55.2 to 59 truck (axle over springs) has the oem shim on the drivers side
i should have added ''with the side mounted spare''
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