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Project Flapjack: a jackstand build

MuntCuffin

MuntCuffin

Upgrayedded user
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
238
Messages
1,132
Loc
Farm lands and horse's asses
Started off with a 2011 f250 6.2 service truck. Previous state of Ohio emergency services management supervisor truck. Can tell it didnt haul or tow heavy. Had stock 250 springs with a badly sagging ass end. The 3.73 gears left a lot to be desired, even with smaller than stock tires. The goal is to "go anywhere* and fix anything."

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First order of business was to find a rear axle, since the goal is to minimize downtime. The truck is my business truck, so if it ain't rolling, I'm not making as much munny as I could be.
1st try ended up have 3.73 gears. 2nd try netted a low mile 4.30 e locked axle.

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Checked the pinion seal, ended up being good. So stripped it down and got it ready for paint.

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All done, palletized, and waiting for springs to arrive

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Springs arrived and death wobble has set in that simple tie rod ends won't fix, so the truck was pulled out of service and put up in the air. Rear end being completed first to find out if taller springs will be needed for the front.
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Not enough room to get the shackle bolt out

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Front of the bed had to be taken loose (which necessitated dropping the fuel tank) and jacked up to clear the front spring bolts. The rears...well...
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Out with all the old

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Rear springs needed the u bolt saddles drilled out and the centering pin needed resized (thank you m792whatever, the well drilling samsquantch, that gave the idea of chucking the pin in a drill and running on a bench grinder)

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Like a glove:

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And ready for install:

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Heaved them into place with a floor jack and a transmission jack

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Positiond the axle:

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Drug it under the truck with a come along using a 7.3 pstroke as an anchor. Hardest that engine has worked in 3 years.

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Kept it on the pallet and put a jack under the rotor hat on one side at a time and lifted it into place. Pretty painless really. In place, just need brake lines, parking brake cables, speed sensors, and the locker wiring hooked up. Having trouble finding the locker harness on the truck side, gotta drop the spare and see if its there. If not, the locker will get wired to an upfitter switch.

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Lipstick on a pig:

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Awesome :smokin: how heavy do you think this will end up with tools and such? Mobile mechanic work or welding or heavy diesel?
 
Provience said:
Awesome :smokin: how heavy do you think this will end up with tools and such? Mobile mechanic work or welding or heavy diesel?
Click to expand...
My non-crane, non-welder f450 with a reading classic 2 body is 13,800lbs loaded with tools and lube set up. My crane and welder f550 with an sti body is 17,000lbs. Then the pete... she's heavy.
 
Its sitting on the ground.
Looks like I'm gonna have to bring up the front.

The rear is very stiff, and I'm ok with that. What are some good riding coils to help with ride harshness? Rockauto has some constant rates...would looking at some progressive rate 2" lift coils be worth it? Its gonna get more weight put on it.
I'll get current weight once its moving again before I tear apart the front end.

The rear springs are rated at 6800 lbs...dunno if thats each or what. :homer:
I keep reading about icon for good riding shit for Ford superdooties.


And maybe some trimming on the wheel arches to clear 35's.
 
MuntCuffin said:
Diesel or gas? Looks like carli makes gasser specific coils. Did you have to use the track bar drop mount? Or drop the sway bar? Dunno whats all required when lifting these trucks. Just springs and caster shims?
Click to expand...
Diesel.
No, For 2" you don't really need one, axle offset, oh well. I then put 1.5" (3.5 total) lower spacers on and went with a PMF adjustable bar. It eats hiems.

Caster is important, often ignored. I moved the holes in the stock radius arms to get +2* caster for the 2" lift, then to 4* for 3.5" lift. Resulting caster is about 3.5* so without mods it would be negative.

Don't waste time/money on the shims. You can only get 2* and then it cannot be aligned, because you're already at the max. And the knuckle is mis-aligned to the tube as the shim is only on the top. They are a hack in my opinion. Just weld some washers on the RA and hog out the holes.
 
rattle_snake said:
Diesel.
No, For 2" you don't really need one, axle offset, oh well. I then put 1.5" (3.5 total) lower spacers on and went with a PMF adjustable bar. It eats hiems.
Click to expand...
So 3.5 total lift in the front? I got an Amazon special drop bracket on the way. Was gonna use it and drive a new bushing into the stock track bar.

rattle_snake said:
Caster is important, often ignored. I moved the holes in the stock radius arms to get +2* caster for the 2" lift, then to 4* for 3.5" lift. Resulting caster is about 3.5* so without mods it would be negative.
Click to expand...

Well shit. The kit im looking at comes with the shims. May just get some radius arms. Was already looking at the BDS radius arms to limit rub at full lock.
rattle_snake said:
Don't waste time/money on the shims. You can only get 2* and then it cannot be aligned, because you're already at the max. And the knuckle is mis-aligned to the tube as the shim is only on the top. They are a hack in my opinion. Just weld some washers on the RA and hog out the holes.
Click to expand...
Yeah.....looking at those shims, I was wondering how that would play with the lower ball joints, seems like it would have accelerated wear.
 
MuntCuffin said:
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Click to expand...

We had a similar truck on 37's. Started with a skirted flatbed and built from there. Even after trimming it a bit, they would still cut a tire on that bed every once in a while. Ended up welding in some flat bar for the tires to rub on.:homer:

Was a handy rig though. Wormed that thing into some stupid places getting to equipment. Winch got used a fair amount too...
 
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Lots of parts are showing up, and knocked out some work projects. Truck has been mobile for a little over a month, so time to put the front axle together. Facing a dilemma.

Do to being stupid, I ended up with 3 gear install kits. All are usa standard gear with koyo bearings. 1 is unusable and for a 2017 and up front axle. 1 says its for a super 60, and the last claims its for a regular 60. The super 60 has the forsheda axle seals I need, while the "correct" kit has seals that in no way look like the seals that came out. Other than that, the bearings are the same. Kits are non- returnable.

Now, my dilemma. I'm thinking about taking the bearings/races out of one of the install kits and turning those bearings into setup bearings. My thinking behind this is by utilizing new bearings, set up preload and pattern should match almost exactly when I press the new bearings on, thus minimizing the chances and number of times I have to disassemble, adjust, and reassemble.
This is the first ring and pinion I have set up. Just trying to make it easy as I can on myself.

Not worried about the $150ish id be burning by using the new bearing and not selling the install kit...besides, the thought of selling shit and having to dick with collecting money and shipping stuff of does not appeal to me, at all. Hour for hour, I'd make more money turning wrenches than dicking with selling and shipping shit.


Is my thinking legitimate, in that using new bearings for setup would result in more consistent preload and pattern when I go from set up bearings, to pressed on new? Prob overthinking things and getting paralysis by analysis here, but fug it. What say irate?

Ps: while rockauto has great prices on master install kits, what they claim they are for does not seem to be accurate.
 
If you have a good press and/or pullers, you don't need setup bearings. Even if you use the setup set, you still have to check with the real bearing and and perhaps make an adjustment.

Easy to waste time hogging out bearing, shit is hard.
 
Got pinion in, preload at 25 in lbs. Should be able to run first pattern tomorrow.

is it normal for your first ring and pinion to feel like a cluster fuck with no organization at all and only half a clue at what you're doing? :homer:

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And yes, took for fucking ever to make the setup bearings.
 
Absolutely normal. Make sure you have some broken crayons and toilet paper to keep notes.
Start with a spliff and glass of bourbon.
 
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And thats where we sit tonight.

Goal is to sling it under the truck with the forklift, bolt on radius arms, bolt radius arms to frame, slip the springs in, then lift it up with the forklift to get the trackbar bolted on. Planning to have it at the alignment shop Friday, prob order the new tires at the same time.
 
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