I'm going with airbags all 4 corners. I will post pics once the buckets are done. Yes that's the pan hard bar on the left
I got the front bags all mounted and tacked into place. Things were going well until I went to get the frame off the jackstands, thats when the jack slipped out from under the axle. The truck dropped about 8" onto the floor and busted the airbag bucket tack welds off the frame. It could have been worse, only took an hour to get everything lined back up and re-attached. There was plenty of head scratching and I barely found room to mount the shocks but after cycling everything about 10 times, everything seems to move properly without any rubbing. Here is the truck at rest on the bumpstops with no air Here is the suspension at ride height
These springs are so stiff,without a load over a ton, a guy might as well just mount the axle solid to the frame. I was shocked to simply undo everything with an impact gun. Just the big spring bolts needed a little heat to loosen the factory loc-***e. I picked up some control arms from the local trucking parts store, man they are bigger than the pictures make them look.I need the motor in so that I can figure the pinion angle before the gussets and plates get welded in. Other than that, it seems to be right where I want everything.
I like your trailing arms! I wouldn't worry about engine position yet, just set your rear at 5* up at the front. You have plenty of adjustment to dial your axle in to match your engine later. 3*-5* is a good number for your engine as that is pretty normal for intake/carburetor flange, Many on this website (and others) over think this! Not questioning your set-up, (very similar to mine) but does anyone have numbers for suspension travel? When I set mine up, my bags had 8" total movement, so I set the bags in the middle of their travel at ride height. 4 up and 4 down, does this make sense?
Do you need two air bags for hauling heavy loads? What are the arms off of/are there any part numbers you can share? I'd like to bag my truck and I am very interested in how you do this. Very cool.
The bags are from airbagit.com.http://www.airbagit.com/v/vspfiles/photos/BAGA-26AAAA-2.jpg they have 9" of travel and are rated for 3100lbs each. i'm aiming for around 4-5" ride height. The rear axle is rated for 11,00lbs, so dual bags should be right above the weight limit. I want to be able to safely haul any vehicle on the deck without worry as well as having the camper behind it. The links are a generic 23.5" long torque arm from Fort Garry Industries. the part # is 1639808 and they are 105$ each. They carried lengths from about 12-36" and are a steal compared to using a heim joint setup.
Derrick; Do you have a picture of what you did for a PANHARD bar? I'm going to be doing similar on my project. I am starting with a 2011 Ford F53 ch***is (V10) that has never had a body on it. Thanks for posting.
I am in the middle of building it, but I have to head out of town to work for a week. I will post some pics once I get back and finish up.
V8steel, would you mind detailing more of that ch***is choice in the ch***is thread. I'd like to learn about it but don't want to hijack here. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=1633
Here are the panhard bar pictures that were requested. Im very happy I was able to squeeze it into the spot its in. It uses the same type of arm as the 4-link except it is 29.5" long at the lowest position the bar is higher than the top of the frame rails, but the deck will have a subframe so clearance is not an issue I added a plate on top of the existing x-member to stiffen the ch***is as well as give the frame side mount an extra strong location to attach. Extra gussets will go in once final welding is done
I've had to switch gears lately and get the ba*****t finished before our baby comes, also been getting ready for a 4x4 trip to Moab next week,but I did manage to cut out some x-members and place the motor between the rails. Its just sitting there but at least I dont have to trip over it any more. I love the Fulton visors and took a gamble when buying it without knowing if it would fit. Its gonna take a few tweaks, but it should work.
After our second kid and another crazy season with work wrapping up, i'm getting excited to get back to work on this thing again. I got all the pictures back up and I hope I never have to do that again. I managed to get the rad/intercooler/condenser/oil cooler set in. Its hard to take pics of the front when the truck is only a foot away from the wall. IMAG1548 by derrick1032 posted Feb 9, 2014 at 3:20 PM
Question: with the late model ch***is (tempered steel?) and your modifications to the front horns and added bag perches, is welding-to a concern? I've been told the old cold steel frames are fine to weld on but the newer heat treated frames should be bolted?
Does the Fulton Visor follow the existing roof line well? As far as the gap between the visor and roof... Looks really cool in the photo!
Guess what, there is no Santa Claus (read tempered steel) in light truck frames. Tempered steel frames come in heavy duty trucks and those shouldn't be welded. Light trucks have high strength steel in the frames and can be welded. Light duty frames come from the factory welded and if they couldn't be they wouldn't be. The story that they can't has been propagated by people that don't understand the difference in the two types of steel
I have done enough reading on the subject to go crossed eyed. After filtering out the opinions, You can find articles with shorten/ stretch procedures meaning frames are welded on a regular basis. Along with the factory welded seam holding the two frame halves together, the 16' cube and lift gate were welded on and survived 10 years/350k with a less than adequate plate in my opinion. All this along with talking to expert welders and my experience on the frame rack hasn't deterred me from making this a safe and reliable project. Steve is right that they do make tempered frames, but that only applies to the heavy duty industry.
It is close but will need to be persuaded to make it look truly proper. I will post how it goes once I cross that bridge
That's all what I suspected, having seen welded seams on modern light duty truck frames, but I have probably developed the same crossed eyes having read the subject to death. Like Abraham Lincoln famously said, "You can't believe everything you read on the Internet!" After chasing the Fort Gary supplier you cited, I found WorldAmerican with numerous arms, similar and different. What led you to settle on these arms in particular? I see some that are lighter on the wallet. ***umedly lighter duty too, maybe?
It's what they had on the shelf. After picking one up, it's very evident how beefy and overkill they are for a light duty truck.......perfect for my build.
door by derrick1032 posted Jan 6, 2015 at 8:02 AM I thought the doors were in great shape but after really digging in,I spent alot of time fixing the inner and hinge areas, patched in the rusty lower sections as well lwr door by derrick1032 posted Jan 6, 2015 at 8:12 AM
When in doubt about the frame welding issue, contact a reputable frame straightening outfit. They can tell you yes or no on welding. I've had a lot of frames fixed in the past and all of them were done by pros who welded on them. I have to admit that I never had a truck frame done, mostly corvettes.
cab by derrick1032 posted Jan 6, 2015 at 8:12 AM Ever stop and ask yourself "what the hell did I get myself into? No turning back now
Lookin' good, like you say, too far to turn back now. Would offer to give you a hand, but leaving for Maui for 3 weeks. Happy to come help you when I get back.
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