Started this exact thread over on the FTE forum, so if you feel like you've got a bad case of deja vu, that'd be why! This is Francesca. She's a lovely green '55 F250 Custom Cab with a 1980 302 Windsor, C4 ******, stock Dana 60 rear with stock 4.88 gears, 8x6.5 wheels, and a flatbed. She's definitely been repainted at some point, but I believe in the original green paint scheme, which is neat. Nowhere near perfect, but nice enough for my purposes. Here she is the day I got her, posting from Facebook so I hope it works.... As far as plans go, here is what I have in mind: o Something has to be done about the rear end. The stock 4.88 causes my poor little C4 transmission to think it's a two-speed. Second gear is literally non-existent. I'm currently searching for a Dana 60 out of a '67-'72 F250, as that should fit fairly painlessly, keeping the 8 lugs, drum brakes, etc. and opening up my gearing options. There are very few options for the current setup. o Second to the rear end gearing, drum brakes on all four corners have to be my biggest gripe. I'm looking into a TSM Mfg. front disc brake conversion kit to help remedy that. I have not yet looked into master cylinder upgrades that would be appropriate for a disc/drum setup, so input there is appreciated. o Next, I'll be addressing aesthetics. A 3" drop front axle from Sid is going to help resolve the reverse rake I've got going on from having 60 year old leaf springs in the back with about 1000 lbs. of steel flatbed on top of them. I won't be hauling toooo much weight and there's a whole lot of room to spare under the front fenders, so this shouldn't really hurt anything. My only concern with lowering is that if I start messing with the rear too, I'm gonna have to do something about the flatbed. I will not cut notches into the bed, so I may have to use spacers or lift blocks or something. Any advice there is more than welcome. o The driver and p***enger windows rattle HORRIFICALLY. I know I can get a new set of chromed/felted weather strips, but for $2-300, I may wait on that one and see if I can come up with a better solution myself. Any good redneck engineering solutions on that one? o Sometime in the future (long after my rear end gearing is solved), I may look into swapping in an AOD transmission. This will only happen if I'm not 100% happy with the gearing/RPM relationship between the C4 and the 3.73 rear. I could potentially go up to 3.54, but where's the fun in that. Plus, I have a buddy who can get me an AOD for about 50 bucks, so no real complaints there. o This is just a "want to have," certainly not needed. I like to jam while I drive, so I will be looking to add some speakers/amp/mp3 cable. Just something small, probably tucked under the seat or portable. I'm not gonna build some high end sound system, I just want to be able to listen to Pandora or Spotify while I'm cruising. The good news is that my exhaust is straight piped true duals with cherry bombs, so pretty much no matter how loud the music is, I'll still get to hear the rumble. So that's all for now, just have to start getting a hold of parts and getting it done. I'll be doing most of the work myself, so it will go slow, I'll have a lot of questions, certain things will probably get broken, there will be cursing, and I'll be very, very grateful for tips, tricks, pointers, insight, constructive criticism, etc. Call it whatever you want, just feel free to chime in! Here we go......... A couple of little things. The alternator "bracket" (I use that term loosely) is pretty much garbage and holds the alternator at a bit of an angle, so I picked up a bracket from Summit Racing. I think I might have to take the fan off to install it, but no big deal I guess. I also picked up a voltage reducer off eBay to wire into my FUEL gauge, so that I don't look like an idiot every time the tank hits E. Got lucky the first time and rolled old Franny down a hill to the gas station, coasted right in with a little velocity to spare!
Hmmm not a whole lot of action on this thread! Guess we'll have to change all of that! Got a 3.73 Dana 60 out of a '72 F250 en route, just ordered the disc conversion from TSM, and waiting to hear back from Sid on a 3" drop axle for the front. OHHHHH THE EXCITEMENT
Hey Willy, I believe it's Meadow Green. I actually have a pint of touch up MG on the way, so we'll see how close it is! Since I'm here I guess I'll give a quick update... Put in a new radiator, and this baby is staying cooooooooool. Almost too cool I think. Hovers around 170*. We'll see what happens when the heat picks up for the summer here in Texas, I'm sure it will come up considerably once we hit triple digits. Spoke with Sid yesterday and today, and my drop axle should be on its way soon (HOORAY!). I got a fresh set of leaf springs for the front as well, since the originals are perfectly horizontal with the ground. Haven't had time to install them yet, but I'm curious to see what the ride height ends up with fresh leaves. I suspect that even with the drop axle I may have to pull a few of the leaves out in the front to actually get a drop. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Picked up a set of chrome dogdish hubcaps off of ebay for cheap, now I just have to decide which route to go with the wheels. Either 16x7 stockers off of a early-mid 90's E/F 250 or 350, or Wheel Vintiques Series 82 (basically the same wheel with different sizing options) in 16x8. I can get the E/F wheels cheap at a junkyard, or shell out the extra $$$ for a set from WV that are brand new and already PCed black. Oh, and I've been getting a little bit of a runaround from the shop that was going to do the install on my rear end. The installer says he was willing to do it, but the GM says it's a no-go. So, they've found a brake and alignment shop down the street that will slap it in there for me, and I figure I may as well have them put on the disc brake conversion while I'm there. So not a lot of progress, but things are moving along. Should be making some good headway here in the next few weeks.
Hey guys, got the 3.73 on in the rear, now onto the front! So, I've got Sid's 3" drop axle and his tie rod drops, a new set of leaf springs, a new set of hardware for the leafs, and a disc conversion. Am I forgetting anything so far? Any bits or pieces I might come to that will definitely need to be replaced that I may not be thinking of or aware of? First time doing a suspension swap, so bear with me. Also, do I need anything to adjust the caster/camber? Still kinda trying to figure out how they both relate and how best to set them. Planning to start work on this Saturday morning, so any insight or tips are greatly appreciated. I've been through the install. tech on Sid's site, and that was pretty helpful.
Three months since that axle went on with no updates??? Well, to be fair, my starter went out about two days after getting the new axle on, so it was down for a few weeks while I got that sorted with a new high torque mini starter. THEN the new rear axle which was JUST installed sprung a leak out the pinion seal. Turns out the installers didn't do as good a job "going through" the rear as they said they did. The vent on the D60 was all plugged up and with nowhere for pressure to exit, blew out the seal. Sooooo she was down for a few more weeks while I planned my attack and executed. She is now back on the road and I've driven her every day since Labor Day. Woo! Hopefully I can finally get around to swapping in the drop axle and disc conversion this weekend or next. I've sufficiently buried myself under a plethora of other projects though, and with a one track mind, things get pushed to the side. Looks like my picture has disappeared, I'll try to get a more recent one up soon.
And a big thanks to manjusri for 'shopping up the drop and wheels for me. Hopefully this is how she sits after the drop axle. The rivets in the wheels may be a little much, but it is HARD to find good looking oversized wheels for an 8 lugger! Why oversized you ask? Have you seen the size of these fenders?!?
The Jalopy Journal
