Comin over to the sqaure bodies with a '78 Silverado!

[Corts60]

No issues bottoming the frame. The bump stops were cut off and there is probably 5" or so, unloaded, between axle and frame. When I tow, I just pump up the air shocks a little more to help out with the load.

I would say the eye brackets were relocated up about 2" at the rear eye and 3-4" at the front eye. That's the best I can guess. Already got the bed back on.

[ChevDog1]

Thanks! I was just out measuring mine, and it looks there is enough room to go 2" in the rear, and 3" in the front.
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[Corts60]

Well, I am almost finished with the break-in period for the new rear. And, I have to say, I freaking love it! I've only owned one other car that had posh and I forgot how much fun they are. I am almost through my first tank of fuel so I can so if my mileage increased/declined. I'll post the results. I also ordered and installed my new reduction adapter for the speedo to read properly. Works great and speedo is dead on the GPS.

[Corts60]

Went on a long trip this morning. Break in period is done!

So, before I left I filled the tank and did the math. Combined city/hwy driving I got 19 MPG. I topped off when I got back and I only got 20 MPG straight hwy miles, but I also was romping on it through the hills. So, I may have lost a little mileage as I usually get around 22-23 driving the same way. The weather was kind of garbage though too so who knows....

[Pork Chop]

Originally Posted by Corts60

Well, here are some pics. It took everything I had not to clean and paint the frame. I just don't have the time right now. So forgive the ugliness surrounding the new axle.

Just waiting for my new air shocks to show up and then I can throw the bed back on. I went ahead and replaced the rear u-joint as well just because I was there.

Nice little BSA in the background
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[justcuz]

Kind of figures right. 10% increase in gear = a 10% reduction in mileage. Although it should not get more drastic than that and your highway mileage will fluctuate less when towing since you have a little more gear working for you. All in all probably a good trade off, who else gets a consistent 20 mpg in a square body?

[76C10Stepside]

Originally Posted by justcuz

I am surprised the front spring mount is not hitting the bottom of the bed. That looks like an easy 4" drop right there. Nicely done too, as it tips the pinion up to maintain a decent driveshaft angle.
Cort, go on the HAMB website and see who the hot rodders in Portland use to do their differential work, probably your best bet for quality work.

Keep in mind that when you raise one end of the spring X inches, you only get HALF the drop, because the axle is in the middle of the spring.

Here's where mine is now, WITH the drop shackles and 275/60R15 tires front and rear. I'm debating whether it's even worth raising the front perches 2 inches to get another 1 inch of drop:

[justcuz]

It will help your pinion angle if you do.

[Mohammad]

nice truks i like 78

[Corts60]

OK! New news:

I went ahead and tore the whole front end off of the truck! The steering and suspension was getting so sloppy I was starting to get scared to drive it. Haha.

And it's a good thing I did. See pics below. And these pics don't show the control arm bushings which were pretty much squashed to bits:






How about that rag joint, eh?

[Corts60]

So I have most of the parts here and a few still on order. All new poly bushings, brand new lower control arms, all new tie rods, idler, pitman, rag joint, steering box, 2.5" drop spindles, springs, brake hoses, power steering and hydro boost hoses…let's see, am I missing anything? OH and I sent the radiator out to get rebuilt.

So pretty much anything I can get my hands on up front is being rebuilt. Engine is still running strong after the top end overhaul 8k miles ago. The last transmission oil change I saw shavings…so that will be not too far in the future. Can't complain with over 240k miles on it though.

So excited to get this back on the road and have nice, tight steering! I won't be spending a whole lot of effort on prettiness. As with the rear end overhaul, I need her back together ASAP as she is my daily driver.

[y5mgisi]

You should order the frame repair kit from offroaddesign.

[MalibuSSwagon]

Hmmm I should look at my frame, truck likes to wander and my rag joint is tight. Gets scary when youre towing.

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Hey Cort! that frame issue, can you just pound it out and weld it up or is that not safe either? Just asking because I don't know. Glad you got it off the road though. That's a scary possibility during a hard turn.

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by y5mgisi

You should order the frame repair kit from offroaddesign.

I haven't heard of this.

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by FetchMeAPepsi

Hey Cort! that frame issue, can you just pound it out and weld it up or is that not safe either? Just asking because I don't know. Glad you got it off the road though. That's a scary possibility during a hard turn.

That's pretty much exactly what I did last night. I welded it up nice and thick. My truck never sees any hard maneuvering or heavy towing so I am not worried about stressing it out too much. I am going to keep an eye on it closely though after I get it back on the road and if it starts to crack again then I will look at this frame repair kit that y5mgisi is talking about.

[Tx Firefighter]

We had talked about spindles and clearance in your other thread. What is the backspacing on your front Centerlines ?

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Originally Posted by Corts60

That's pretty much exactly what I did last night. I welded it up nice and thick. My truck never sees any hard maneuvering or heavy towing so I am not worried about stressing it out too much. I am going to keep an eye on it closely though after I get it back on the road and if it starts to crack again then I will look at this frame repair kit that y5mgisi is talking about.

I would have done the same thing Let us know how it holds

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

We had talked about spindles and clearance in your other thread. What is the backspacing on your front Centerlines ?

I will try and measure them this evening.

[83GMCK2500]

Originally Posted by Corts60

I haven't heard of this.

Bolt-in Steering Box Brace Kit and Weld-in Frame Repair kit

[justcuz]

The frame repair kit is a good idea. Also remember to drill a small hole at the end of your welds to keep the crack from traveling. Urethane bushings as well and I would skip the rag joint and use an intermediate steering shaft from a Jeep Cherokee. All U-joints and can be made to fit the Chevy truck easily. Lastly on the drop spindles make sure the brake calipers slide nicely on the brackets. My son Joe installed lift spindles on his Tahoe, it would never stay in alignment and the brakes wore unevenly because of the way the caliper brackets were machined. Do you not have a sway bar on the front of the truck? If not I would hunt one down, it will be an improvement in handling and while towing too.

I like the older style control arms that have the metal bushings with lube fittings in them, when kept lubed they last forever.

[NONHOG]

Wow! how cool, someone running and liking an Olds diesel.
I have to wonder if these Olds engines respond to exhaust mods. I believe
Cutlass headers work on trucks. 67-72 anyway? http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=452193

I am not very diesel smart but heard someone talking about adding a 6.2 (6.5?) pump set up and adding a turbo to a 5.7. Fun to think about.

Ever drive a stock 5.7 for comparison?
I used to think it would be cool to find a 5.7 just so I could drop in my 455.
Now I'm not so sure.

Loving it!

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by NONHOG

Wow! how cool, someone running and liking an Olds diesel.
I have to wonder if these Olds engines respond to exhaust mods. I believe
Cutlass headers work on trucks. 67-72 anyway? http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=452193

I am not very diesel smart but heard someone talking about adding a 6.2 (6.5?) pump set up and adding a turbo to a 5.7. Fun to think about.

Ever drive a stock 5.7 for comparison?
I used to think it would be cool to find a 5.7 just so I could drop in my 455.
Now I'm not so sure.

Loving it!

The 5.7 diesel injection pump has its own mounting flange and the 6.2/6.5 pumps will not bolt up. Injectors are also completely different.

Many people have modified the exhaust with great results, however, mostly only in sound and MPG. Olds diesels make the HP they make and should be left alone with minor mods to help the head gaskets out ie: thicker head gaskets to lower compression and head studs. That is it. There are only 10 head bolts per cylinder head. That is less than most gas engines and this engine can barely handle the cylinder pressures the engineers gave it. So things like a turbo is a no-no. Just enjoy the MPG and do your maintenance. Most of all, have patience. It is this theory that has made my engine last for me and never let me down.

[Corts60]

Originally Posted by justcuz

The frame repair kit is a good idea. Also remember to drill a small hole at the end of your welds to keep the crack from traveling. Urethane bushings as well and I would skip the rag joint and use an intermediate steering shaft from a Jeep Cherokee. All U-joints and can be made to fit the Chevy truck easily. Lastly on the drop spindles make sure the brake calipers slide nicely on the brackets. My son Joe installed lift spindles on his Tahoe, it would never stay in alignment and the brakes wore unevenly because of the way the caliper brackets were machined. Do you not have a sway bar on the front of the truck? If not I would hunt one down, it will be an improvement in handling and while towing too.

I like the older style control arms that have the metal bushings with lube fittings in them, when kept lubed they last forever.

Yeah I saw that Jeep steering component mod. Unfortunately, I need the truck back on the road so it is all going back together stock to keep the time down short as possible.

I just got my new lower control arms last night and I am worried about them working. Mostly the shock mounts. I noticed my factory LCA shock mount locations are canted back to align with the frame mounts and these repos are pointed straight up. Anyone else experience this?

[Corts60]

So, it turns out, these LCA's I ordered from Classic Industries are not going to work. It pisses me off because they list them for 73-87 but they are completely different. My OG ones are about 1-2" wider, have an offset shock mount, and a smaller ball joint. The LCA's I ordered have a larger diameter ball joint for some reason and the shock mount points straight up. Bummer. Now I get to deal with shipping these things back.