Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step

[Vic1947]

The sway bar is in. Used some scrap material to make a couple of 13 degree wedges to correct the angle mismatch between the A-arms and the U-brackets. With the bolts tightened to 40 ft-lbs., the bushings stay in place like they're supposed to. I have no idea how much the bar moves when cornering or navigating uneven terrain, but I'll just have to keep an eye on it once the truck is on the road. My main concern is that the end of the bar on the driver side is flush with the back of the bushing. I hope it can't deflect enough to pull out of the bushing. The passenger side has about 1/4" sticking out the back of the bushing so I'm less concerned about it. Fingers crossed!

[Xeen]

Looks like it worked out great Vic.
Whats next on the punch list?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Xeen

Looks like it worked out great Vic.
Whats next on the punch list?

Tie rod sleeve clamps run kinda close to the sway bar brackets. Picked up some billet hex material from McMaster-Carr and plan to make my own that won't snag on anything. Not to mention the fact the stock ones are uuuugly!

[Low Elco]

Love the elegant solution, but we'd expect nothing less. I'll have to commission a set for LBT, If I ever get my shop emptied out. Thanks again for the help!

[Vic1947]

Tie rod sleeves are done ...plenty of clearance now. Should have bought the small diameter jam nuts from Speedy Bill. Making my own didn't really save me any $$ when you consider the time spent milling down the flats. But, hey, they're in and ready for the alignment shop one of these days.

Next up is to modify the eBay sourced, "high quality, made in the USA" alternator bracket to replace my prototype. Beginning to think there is something seriously wrong with me, as I was unable to grasp the "high quality" part of the description. No problem, though, it will be fine after some time with the welder and belt sander.

[gdavis]

You might not have savied any $. But it sure does look clean. ood work there man.

[69CST-V]

Very tidy parts. Looks great.
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[Xeen]

Wow Vic those tie rod sleeves turned out super nice, if I didn't know better I would think a computer made those, very nice precision work.

[bguild]

Originally Posted by Xeen

Wow Vic those tie rod sleeves turned out super nice, if I didn't know better I would think a computer made those, very nice precision work.

Vic is a computer (-;
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[mcbassin]

Very nice work Victor! You and I think alike, if we can make it....why not. Keep the updates coming.

[Vic1947]

Had to stop off briefly to work on some sprint car parts, plus my in-lows are here from Seattle for a few days, but still managed to get a couple of items off my list.

Alternator bracket v2.0 is done and more to my liking. Need to detail out a few edges and it will be ready for the chrome shop along with the other brackets.

Also, Chip (LowElco) suggested I relocate the rear shock mounts using square tubing, so my brother-in-law, Rick, and I went to Metal by the Foot and picked up a length of material and fabbed them up using a print I found on the forum. I apologize to the member that posted it for not giving credit where credit is due, but I've looked high and low for their user name and all I could find was the link to the drawing. My center to center distance for the bolts was 6" instead of 5-5/8", but the rest worked perfectly. Shocks now have a much better angle at a cost of under $10.

[Low Elco]

Cool! Looks good, I'll get the # for the Sensatracs off Yeller. Man, does it work good with them on it. Thanks for the help again, the rockers came out good!

[67c10rustbuket]

Shock mounts look great Vic. I did a different version where you re-drill higher and farther back then trim the existing upper mounts but this version does get a much better angle. I also made some lower mounts. Did you change the lower mounts too? Did you happen to notice if your upper mount holes in the crossmember were at different locations? On mine the driver side upper mount was .75" closer to the frame rail than the passenger side. I was scratching my head for a while as to why on one side the shock fell into place and the other was way off. I ended up drilling holes on one side to make them an equal distance from the frame rail on each side. I wondered if GM did this on purpose considering the way the rearend would twist on acceleration but maybe I was just thinking too hard. Great job as always, cant wait for some more high quality work!


PS - I believe the guy who made the upper shock mount drawing was "lakeroadster". He is no longer a member here but is on c10trucksdotcom... I believe he is an engineer. You should check out his thread "C notch based on strength" I will se if I can find it. Oh and I fixed the LINK and linked the drawing.

[67c10rustbuket]

Check this out! "frame notch based on strength" He is very intelligent dude but apparently lacks in the public relations department from other information I found...

[Low Elco]

If you use that drawing, pop your OE mounts off and use them for a template for your mounting bolts. LR has a '63 (65?) I believe, and the pattern didn't match up. Also, the shocks he recommends, while well researched and OK on the surface, turned out to be crap in our case. I switched to a Monroe Sensatrac LT for a '97 Mercury Villager (Mountaineer?) (I think) I crossreferenced the numbers and can't remember how. And WOW, what a difference! Works totally awesome now, er, dude. Anyway, worthy mod.

[Low Elco]

Gratuitous Pic- Vic's truck at the Nats!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

Shock mounts look great Vic. I did a different version where you re-drill higher and farther back then trim the existing upper mounts but this version does get a much better angle. I also made some lower mounts. Did you change the lower mounts too?

No, the shocks cleared the axle and the angle was a lot better than what I started with so I left it as is. I'm hoping the Sensatrac shocks Chip recommends provide the additional control to allow me to skip relocating the lowers.

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

you happen to notice if your upper mount holes in the crossmember were at different locations? On mine the driver side upper mount was .75" closer to the frame rail than the passenger side. I was scratching my head for a while as to why on one side the shock fell into place and the other was way off. I ended up drilling holes on one side to make them an equal distance from the frame rail on each side. I wondered if GM did this on purpose considering the way the rearend would twist on acceleration but maybe I was just thinking too hard.

You know, when I lined up the holes in the new brackets, I felt the edge of the bracket on the driver side "bump" one of the frame reinforcing plates which it didn't on the passenger side. I used 1.75" square tube instead of 2" and it didn't overlap, so I didn't think anything about it and assembled it in the existing holes. After reading your comments, Rick and I went to look at it and he said, "Holy crap, I didn't even notice that!" Rick (nuclear engineer brother-in-law) is now on a mission to figure out the "why". We flopped open the factory assembly manual to the frame measurement pages and will see if it sheds any light on the situation. One of the first things we did was use string to check the rear track and it was off by about an inch which was weird. When I set the panhard bar, I used the distance from the frame rails to the tires as my gauge. That is apparently not the hot tip. Will keep you posted.

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

- I believe the guy who made the upper shock mount drawing was "lakeroadster". He is no longer a member here but is on c10trucksdotcom... I believe he is an engineer. You should check out his thread "C notch based on strength" I will see if I can find it. Oh and I fixed the LINK and linked the drawing.

Thanks for the assist on the link, Dan! My URL was apparently pointing to a local image instead of the one stored on the server. I'm really gonna like this internet thing when I learn how to use it.

[Low Elco]

Hmmm. How did you measure for rear track? I just went off the frame rails, now ya got me wondering.
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[Xeen]

I always wondered why the rear intermediate crossmember was at an angle instead of straight across, I'm guessing that's part of this deal here with the shock mounts, it's all some sort of compensation for the track bar in direct relation with the trailing arm suspension, but I never gave it much thought, I just shrugged and thought they must have a reason and I don't really need to know why as long as it works
Ya know Vic since you have all the time in the world you could fabricate a 4-link just for fun, it wouldn't cost a lot and would be really cool.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Hmmm. How did you measure for rear track? I just went off the frame rails, now ya got me wondering.
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One possible method, assuming the rear end is square to the frame (dangerous assumption), is for one person to hold a string at the back of the rear tire at the vertical center of the tire. A second person pulls the string taut and moves it toward the frame. When the string just touches the front sidewall of the rear tire, you measure the distance from the string to a factory frame reference. Repeat the process on the other side and compare the two. If the rear end isn't square to the frame due to a difference in trailing arm length, bent frame or whatever, this method fails. But if you feel confident of your dimensions, it's a way to double check the frame rail method or identify a rear end that isn't square to the world.

After many measurements today, we have arrived at the conclusion my frame is tweaked. When I bought the truck, the rearmost crossmember had been bent, sorta straightened and welded. Frame looked good except for a tiny little cupped spot up in front of the trans mount on the driver side. Diagonal measurements today confirmed that the truck was probably hit very lightly in the left rear. This pushed the frame rail forward and down slightly. So I have a "diamond" instead of a rectangle plus it's racked somewhat. I'll have to transport it to the frame shop where they can verify the problem and correct it as needed. We removed the trailing arms as part of the forensics, so I went ahead and added some welds while they're out. I'm going to forego the strong arm modification and just paint and reinstall them. And the beat goes on...

[Low Elco]

I have a frame shop recommendation, If you don't have one. Do you need a lift?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

I have a frame shop recommendation, If you don't have one. Do you need a lift?

Planned to go to Leroy's in Independence unless you have another suggestion. What say you??

[Vic1947]

As of 3pm this afternoon, CRLS's chassis was resting comfortably at Leroy's Frame Works in Independence. They assured me it would be right with the world when it leaves their shop. I reckon this means I need to fire up the HVLP and do some primer work and/or lay the rest of the fiberglass on the inner roof of the cab. Bring on the stink.

[Low Elco]

It's in good hands, hope it goes well!
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[Xeen]

Here comes the cab restoration, this is the part I like to watch.
I also can't wait to see Vic section the bed.