Thread: Project Special K

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Originally Posted by rspears

Steve,
Not trying to jump on you at all but two things jumped out at me from your picture. First, I agree with Pat that directly above the axle is not a good place for that fuel filter, regardless how much clearance you think you have to spare. An unexpected trip through a ditch or over a curb at speed might change a bumpy ride into an inferno - not a happy thought. Second, your shocks seem to be leaned forward a bunch! I know that someone posted a neat link about how the angles affect response, but absent that I found this little table that seems to be about right:

Attachment 56233

In your discussion on tacking your motor mounts, do you have your engine and tranny bolted together as a unit so you can set your drive line angle and deal with all clearances at once? I would think it would be a lot easier to triangulate supports with the pieces joined, allowing you to establish not only the motor mount locations, but the tranny cross member, too, all with the chassis at ride height?

I think that discussion may have been us on the 67 to 72 truck board Roger, the `64 to 66 and actually up to the`72 GM trucks are notorious for for bad shock angles, stock height without load they are 38 degees, lower it and it drops to 42 degrees, put a load in it its worse, this all came about while I started my rear tank install. Time to move them to the out side. Steve might benefit from another shock if he relocates Monroe part number 32207 or the kyb 343144 ..these are both shorter shocks if moves them to the outside of the frame rail..sorry if I hyjacked this thread... http://www.monroe.com/assets/downloa...engthSheet.pdf
http://www.kyb.com/technical/documen...onsSecured.pdf

I wonder if the OEM ran a larger piston in the shock to compensate for the angle?? Just thinking out loud and curious about it now! LOL..

34-40 -
I was on the ford trucks website quite a bit when working out what used rear end to buy. What seems to be the universal (" rear for these trucks was a 60's to early 70's ford 9" rear off an F150. The junk yard I bought this off of, had a 9" off a 68 Ford econoline van, which he stated was the same as the F150 as far as width and shackle mount placement. The only thing I can see that is different is the wierd exagerated angle the differential points down. Not sure how much this will effect the drive line angle, but Roger has been helping me out in that area!

Like I said, just thinking out loud.. Since Ford knew the angle was a bit extreme.. maybe they compensated by using a shock with a larger piston for a higher capability? It really doesn't matter I'm thinking. It's not a rally vehicle / road racer / drag racer! The shocks carry no load, just help control "the ride".

Roger should be good at spending your money! rofl.....

.

LOL
Yeah this truck won't get too much use other than local shows and maybe parades. It's mostly a fun project that will end with me having a functional older truck, with a few mods!

Spent last week and a half getting front passenger lower fender off the truck, and passenger running board off. Amazing how strong old steel really is. All of that stuff was bolted on with rusty old bolds making it so much more work to remove. In the end, the sawzall and 3 inch cut off wheel won! Next remaking tranny mount to fit where motor now sits, and then relengthening the driveline!

Well spring is here, rain is hopefully done for a while, so today I unpiled the winters worth of junk off the truck and moved it out into the yard where I can work on it. I pulled the bed off the frame to get access to the chasis. I figure while it's opened up I need to box the frame and while I'm at it moved the fuel filter away from the rear axle, as well as mount the new rear leaf springs that are waiting to go in. So time to reread all of the advice I have asked on this thread. For frame boxing I found a source of precut steel pieces, but imagine it would be cheaper to just cut my own sheet metal. The precut pieces come in 10 gauge metal so wondering if that's what I should look for? Also need to track who sells the shims for the leaf springs to change the angle of the differential more towards straight parallel to the ground and frame. figure rolling it downward might buy me the inch I need I the drive line length, worth a try. Nice to be able to get around it now and to be able to move in the garage too.

10 ga. is just right for boxing plates. Think I saw the wedge shims for the housing on the Summit site once, make sure you check your pinion angle before getting too carried away on the shim angle. Lots of different advice on pinion angle, I generally run mine about 3 degrees down.

Here are some pictures of the cleared off chassis, and some of the front, minus the cut off lower fenders from the passenger side. What a pain to get those off! I hate rusty old bolts!

Thanks Dave I think I'll start with 2-3 degree shims which hopefully will get the angle to 3 degrees upward.

Good to hear your back on it! Been away for to long... 8-)

I`m really jealous of this truck, I had just fiquired out how much I like the old F-1, nice job your doing....

Thanks. Late yesterday did a bit of research on how to get the old leaf springs off. Even reading the original service manual was a bit crytic as far as poor small pictures pointing to black blobs on the reprinted manual. Then I went to the Eaton springs parts box and found these funny looking cotter pins like on bicycle cranks, and then it made sense. The orinals all so corroded and covered in paint and grime as to be almost not recognizable. I then remembered Kim at Eaton telling me their kit came with everything but one of the bushings that they couldn't get anymore. That sparked a senior moment of been here had a solution from Sacramento Vintage Ford, and sure enough in the same box was another smaller bushing from sac vin ford.
The front of the rear spring goes directly to a shackle. But the rear spring shackle hangs down from a hanger style shackle that pivots on the top as well as where the shackle mounts to the spring.(Picture here is worth a lot of words)Here is the front mount for the rear spring

And here is the hung shackle rear mount of the rear leaf spring


So logic tells me the Sac Vintage Ford package labeled Hanger Bushing, must be the upper rear pivot bushing on the second picture. So we will see once it is all apart! Like anything on this rust bucket add 2x the time and three for busted knuckles removing old and replacing with new!

While out there I also noted the rediculous shock angle and figured I could probably weld a cross bar closer to the axle to the top of the frame for a new shock mount and make the shocks a little more efficient. Will request advice when I get there! Thanks, Steve

I haven't done one of these since my kid was in HS he's 45 now. Don't you remove the retainer bolt and grease fitting then put slide hammer in grease fitting hole and remove pin?? I know it won't go that easy but I think that's what we dai.