1972 F-250 2wd to 4wd build

[rattle_snake]

2003 Chevy 2500 63", 4 leaf with overload removed.

just happen to have some hangers and shackles that fit them not too far from Tucson

 

[rattle_snake]

Drove the truck to work and back to let the new springs settle in. Dropped about an inch, so right on target, for now, truck is level.
I also added another 3/8 of preload to front coils for a total of 1". Overall ride height went up 1", as up-travel for better ride at higher speeds. This put me back to the middle of the front shock shaft. The rear bump position is still good as the spring/block stack height ends up the same.
Front; Up 4.25, Down 5.75
Rear; Up 4, Down 7+
Previously up travel was 2.5 front/3 rear so a decent improvement. It no longer bottoms out on the stops and axle can move under control of suspension. That was the goal. Need more miles of different terrain to really see how it performs. It still rides like it has a lot of un-sprung weight. Looks about the same.

I started with no spring pin offset. Flexed out the tire now rubs the rear of the fender a bit. Looks like about a 1/2" forward would correct and allow max tire stuffage.

Next steps are
-Adjust traction bar instant center
-longer limit straps to get another inch of down travel, to 11" total vertical travel (F and R). The high steer arm allowed for this.
-Front sway bar. Need to figure out how to package/mount while clearing everything.

And that should be it for suspension. Can always spend more but to significantly improve would need to start over with better everything. Better to do that on the next one....

 

[rattle_snake]

Back to finishing rear bumper. So much easier to remove and install now.
Some minor trimming for new spring hangers.

Beyond just finishing drilling all the holes I wanted to reinforce the area around the notch for the end of the bed. Really should have been a radius bottom to minimize stress points. Cut out some overlay plates on plasma with no corners, cause why not? Curves are now the same effort as a strait cut.

Spray bomb and done. Eight 1/2" cap screws to secure.

 

[Steve300xcw]

this thing is badass.

 

[rattle_snake]

Thanks man. That what I say when I walk up to it too!

 

[rattle_snake]

Reworking block and ghetto spring plate to move 5/8" spring pin 1/2" is a pain. Considering making a nice set of plates specific for my axle tube/bolt/spring setup.

 

[willis_racing]

This is the OG SCLB BGMT as far as I'm concerned. If my Chevy looks even half this cool when it's back together I'll be absolutely stoked.

A square competing with a bump for style is gonna be a hard sell though. Bumps are subjectively the sexiest truck ever built

 

[Steve300xcw]

Bumps are the sexiest truck ever built

worth repeating

 

[Steve300xcw]

So is this goona be like all the other builds, an be for sale 4 months after they are completed?

 

[665.0coupe]

So is this goona be like all the other builds, an be for sale 4 months after they are completed?

Trying to figure out if you need to get your checkbook ready?

 

[Steve300xcw]

Trying to figure out if you need to get your checkbook ready?

Lol no that things goona be a couple bucks above my budget

 

[rockota]

the one washer is driving my OCD nuts.

 

[mjlogan88]

Nicely done on all accounts

Did you break the leaf pack down and cycle the rear suspension when settling on shackle hanger position?

To me it looks like if you moved your shackle hanger rearward it would mitigate some if not all of the leaf separation and possibly give you some more droop.

My last ranger with deaver f31's had the same thing going on until I moved the hangers back.

 

[rattle_snake]

This is the OG SCLB BGMT as far as I'm concerned. If my Chevy looks even half this cool when it's back together I'll be absolutely stoked.

A square competing with a bump for style is gonna be a hard sell though. Bumps are subjectively the sexiest truck ever built

Thanks Willis. BGMT was the goal.

So is this goona be like all the other builds, an be for sale 4 months after they are completed?

No I keep my project vehicles for a while, 10 year or so. I try to do mods early and then enjoy, instead of upgrading right before sale.
But if offered stupid money....

the one washer is driving my OCD nuts.

Ah yes, it should. Why one? In 1st pic in post 707, you can see I cut off 3 of the 4 original bolt holes. The one left is hogged out pretty big trying to get it to fit previously. So need a washer there. Guess I should weld fill that fucker back to round.

When I first built the truck I used a shit load of washers. flats both sides, split locks. Then I learned more about washers and how they allow the bolt head to move easier (basically a thrust bearing), aka come loose. After taking truck apart to pull drivetrain, I tossed all the split locks and only put back washers where they were needed. All the extra shit just wastes assembly time and complicates for no benefit. Ford did not use hardly any loose washers for same reason, instead flange head bolts or those with captive washers.

Nicely done on all accounts

Did you break the leaf pack down and cycle the rear suspension when settling on shackle hanger position?

To me it looks like if you moved your shackle hanger rearward it would mitigate some if not all of the leaf separation and possibly give you some more droop.

My last ranger with deaver f31's had the same thing going on until I moved the hangers back.

Thanks. No I did not break down the pack. With bolt-on shackles and 4 mouting positions I can easily move. Instead I test drove and stuffed tire one side to check clearances.

Understood thanks for sharing. May consider once I do some more testing. For now I'm good with 7+ inches of droop, may even use a strap to limit.

 

[rattle_snake]

Installed some longer 6" shackles on the chassis end of the traction bar to lower the effective instant center and lift under throttle. While doing so I found that the lower bar bushing was shot. Popped in a new set and adjusted the upper link as needed. Used the old spring shackles and doubled them up to 1/2" thick.

Although this lowered the front of the bar, it's not a big deal and is still above exhaust.

Can feel a difference, less lift as expected and doesn't unload chassis as bad on first hit. Still not ideal but improved for minimal effort.

 

[Burns]

Installed some longer 6" shackles on the chassis end of the traction bar to lower the effective instant center and lift under throttle. While doing so I found that the lower bar bushing was shot. Popped in a new set and adjusted the upper link as needed. Used the old spring shackles and doubled them up to 1/2" thick.


Although this lowered the front of the bar, it's not a big deal and is still above exhaust.

Can feel a difference, less lift as expected and doesn't unload chassis as bad on first hit. Still not ideal but improved for minimal effort.

Careful....I have this same setup and have ripped it off once. Not just off the axle housing...but material itself tore right near one of the lower horns/holes. Was on a 600 mile dirt road fishing/camping trip, so I think one of the two tearing off the housing, then loaded up the other...which in turn caused the material to fail. We cleaned it all up and rewelded it...liberally...and if it fails now, Im switching antiwrap bar styles :p

 

[rattle_snake]

I saw a post about that, maybe it was you. Added a brace to tie both brackets to the axle?

 

[Burns]

I saw a post about that, maybe it was you. Added a brace to tie both brackets to the axle?

Good idea. And I dont think I posted about it yet Im dillydallying around and slacking on my thread. Takes time to search through millions of photos

 

[rattle_snake]

something like this

 

[rattle_snake]

Continuing to dial in the suspension on both ends.
Took some measurements and pulled the limit straps off to see what the length should be. I moved them from another location and length is short. Bumped the lift up a bit at a time until front driveshaft double cardan started to bind. I modified it to go 30*+ which is enough to get the shocks to full droop. Previously the drag link was the limit, but no longer with high steer arm.
Currently the 15" straps limit down travel by 2-1/4", so some improvement can be made there. 16" strap still leaves 1-1/4 margin. Or could use a steel link to extend.

Pulled the rear blocks and plates off to drill new pin holes 1/2 forward from center, to center the wheel in the opening. Welded old hole shut on block and replaced the piece of flat bar on the spring plate. The new springs allow the shock to max droop on rear. Rear shock is a 12" at an angle, only using about 8" of the stroke. Checked pinion angle, still at 1* down, on target. Next step is to test flexed out again.

 

[rattle_snake]

Tested out new rear axle position, centered well enough for full stuff, success.
Right side has exhaust interference and need to finish tailpipes.

Shackle angle is decent at full bump. Ride is 12 o'clock full droop is 10 o'clock position

 

[rattle_snake]

Moved the upper mount of limit straps. I mocked up an adjustable clevis but there is already lots of stuff in that area so kept it simple. New position has one inch of margin before driveshaft/shock limit. Current setup yields about 4.5 up and 5.5 down for a total of 10" of travel. Reset coil over sliders at 1"

Welded a 1/2-13 nut to some DOM tube and ground round to make a threaded weld on mount.

 

[rattle_snake]

But now the right side strap end will hit the axle side track bar mount. Addition if the 5th hole made bracket too tall, but that position was needed, so I let as-is at the time. To fix properly, needed to add another hole to frame side and cut one off axle.
Designed and cut an extension and an overlay. Then realized the frame bracket was 0.25 not 0.187, so just pushed go button again on 1/4 plate.

mock up to align holes

Back to a three holer again, but put lower hole at 1" space instead of 1.375

But reason I cut frame bracket down is it can hit tie rod at full suspension limit, before body was on to test. Given the restriction of the tire/fenders the bump stops are set to prevent this, so it can be extended to offset shortening the other end.
trimmed bottom as much as possible. paint and done.

 

[rattle_snake]

Going after rattles now. The upper fan shroud has little strength at the top of radius and was buzzing. Welded a strip on top to reinforce and screw to fasten the 2 pieces together.

Put riv-nuts in radiator for shroud so don't have to mess with nuts in the tight space. Seems to have solved the issue.

 

[rattle_snake]

Chasing small items on the truck still. Since I have to open brake system up to fix leak, it was a good time to swap out the left caliper that I rebuilt. Brakes pull some to left, and under hard braking the left wheel hops pretty bad. Assume a sticky piston.
But 'since I was there' decided to address the torn upper ball joint boot due to using a steep angle BJ shim for a short time. So beyond the other reasons I would never use them again. Also had not been into this side since assembly, wanted to check bearings and whatnot. My younger daughter asked to help out so I put her to work pulling the knuckle. She asked if I wanted her to hold the light, I said no, I'll hold the light and you take things apart. :)

Lower joint didn't want to let go but eventually got it. Greased and put a BJ seal on and reassembled.

Swapped out the OEM delay/tee block for a simple 3/8-24 tee I found locally. Problem is, how to secure? Could have waited and ordered one with mount provisions, but impatient so made a bracket to clamp the fitting. Welded captive nuts on to simplify install. Worked great.

My existing double flares were not so good and flare nuts bottomed out in new tee fitting. So had to redo a few. Key is stripping off the green coating and going slow. Simple mod one line and done.

Rebuilt caliper leaked out of the bleed screw. Threads seemed wonky. Seal face pitted, so drilled to clean up and machined the bleeder tip to match. Still leaking, so swapped out caliper for another. No leaks from bleeder but the banjo washers were, was eventually able to torque to resolve. Else have to anneal the copper washers again.

Pull and hopping issues gone so a success.

 

[rattle_snake]

New rear springs are hitting the exhaust. Some self clearancing has already taken place. I cut down the tops of the spring retainer.

Also driveshaft is hitting muffler when flexed out. Time to address interference and finish out tail pipes.

Added a bend and 12" of length to extend out past sheet metal, but still protected. Was able to rotate each tailpipe with the V band to get the pipes up higher by the frame. Worked the frame also to gain some room. Hopefully between the set of mods it will clear ok.

Half-assed polished the last foot.

Finally found an exhaust rattle that was eluding me, the 02 sensor was not torqued. No more annoying sounds.

 

[arse_sidewards]

I'd have just strapped a thin piece of wood to the spring so it can self clearance enough to not touch when the wood is removed.

 

[rattle_snake]

I was happy to be able to just cut-n-clock to gain some room. Will see if it is enough, If not I my try your method

 

[Projectjunkie]

If you've got a copper washer not sealing on a banjo bolt, tighten it, give the head a single good rap with a hammer and then give it final torque

 

[arse_sidewards]

If you've got a copper washer not sealing on a banjo bolt, tighten it, give the head a single good rap with a hammer and then give it final torque

I've never had that problem on a brake caliper. It's always a transmission fluid fitting in a trans tunnel where there's no space to do anything. Those get a dowty washer.