Jon And Sheri's Vitamin D Wagon

[Turdle]

Well
I think I have all the brackets welded in good , so they are now painted black. Tonight I am going out to start re assembly so I will get pictures of my achieved angles.

My panhard is moved forward and straight, however, it might need a slight belly bend for the front diff. I jacked it up to the point it touched, but I think that point is beyond full spring compression.

New brake lines should be in tomorrow.

 

[Turdle]

No not perfect but who is?

It is a heck of a lot better than it was.

 

[sparksafly'n]

Looking good my friend!! Well done!!

 

[Turdle]

I have all the bolts sorted and tightened in, springs and passenger shock installed. Just taking a cool down break now.

If I get the new brake lines and successfully bleed the master cylinder, we may be driving this today!!

 

[Turdle]

OK , it's on it's own weight and all together now. Guess I will align it right quick while the brake lines are still in the fed ex truck. What would you say a good toe measurement would be, in inches please.

I am approx 56 1/4" rotor to rotor, front and rear right now. I was thinking about 1/32" toe

( measured with straight edges clamped to rotors, outside straight edge reference point)

 

[Maniak]

( measured with straight edges clamped to rotors, outside straight edge reference point)

We found this method works really well. It gives us the ability to measure the toe with the vehicle at ride height and weight on the suspension.

We do this to both sides and then we can easily use a tape measure to measure the toe and know we are measuring at the same height of the tire.

As for "amount" of toe, I always aim for about 1/32 to 1/16 max toe. I don't like 0 toe BUT that is on our TTB. Your suspension doesn't move the same so you could actually use 0 toe.

~Mark

 

[Albino 94LTD]

String!

Use the string method and firmly touch the rear of teh front wheel

 

[IZwack]

^-- that assumes that the front and rear axle are the same exact width (WMS-WMS)

 

[Turdle]

Well, we did not drive the VD wagon to Kansas City yesterday, but we did drive it.

I had to remove the front sway bar because the bolt holding the endlink, and the new improved pan-hard bracket were in a conflict of territory--

I wonder if the swaybar could be heated up enough to "bend" the legs out. All I need is about 1/2"

Added to the problem are these stupid rear leafs. They are already flattened--
Combine the 2 and you have a truck that rocks like a boat in a cross wind.

 

[gmanpaint]

I have found from experience that the only leaf packs that will work are the sets made for lift from places like Deaver, Superlift, Procomp, etc....

All my efforts of trying to make a stock set up work have failed. I have added more leafs, re-arched, and hardened add a leafs. None of those would stand up to a hard flexing weekend of wheeling. I should have spent the $300 for a new set of 4" lift packs to start with and saved all the troubles in the beginning. Shackles have only made them wear faster, and the inverting inevitable.

 

[Turdle]

ok, new 33" front shocks fitted

Front shot

Not knowing what to do about the bar pad junction at the top-I said heck with it and ordered some jolly roger hockey stick tape.

 

[Scott B.]

I wonder if the swaybar could be heated up enough to "bend" the legs out. All I need is about 1/2"

I don't think that will work. Heating the sway bar will change its temper, and it will probably fail/fracture the first time you put a load on it.

 

[gmanpaint]

This boat needs a pirates flag on the mainsail!

Vitamin D keeps the Scurvy away! AARGGGHHH!!



:

 

[crazyflights]

Looking so good Jon

 

[Turdle]

Might have to get that flag--

Thanks for the comments

OK, what started out to be a lazy 25 mph country road cruise with the dogs, so Nigel can see the cows better, turned out to be a full on 65 mph dirt road shakedown run high speed dash back home when we got caught about 5 miles from home in a downpour. Sure, it was a bit cloudy when we took off, but man the sky got all black like (snap) that and all of Niagara falls came in on us. The only way to stay dry was to keep moving--fast.



The body roll without the swaybar is horrific, but the truck tracks damm straight during high speed bumps

Of course, any steering action causes a boat roll though. I really need to figure out a sway bar. I'm afraid this thing will flip-

 

[97sprt4x4]

short of a sway bar have you considered progressive rate springs, that may not eliminate it but it may hold it in place better and cancel out some of the sway. Or a really beefy rear sway, it again may not eliminate the sway but may tame it a little... How bad is a "boat roll"?

Justin

 

[Turdle]

short of a sway bar have you considered progressive rate springs, that may not eliminate it but it may hold it in place better and cancel out some of the sway. Or a really beefy rear sway, it again may not eliminate the sway but may tame it a little... How bad is a "boat roll"?

Justin

Well, the rear springs being all squishy doesn't help much. All it takes is about 175 lbs to make the truck lean one way or the other. So, yeah, I think springs would help a lot.

 

[corkey]

Modified F 150 spring pack time ???

 

[Turdle]

Modified F 150 spring pack time ???

Yup. I got a set of heavy duty f150 leafs on the driveway. I am going to use only the explorer main leaf.

 

[gmanpaint]

Lets get this thing dirty already!