Figured I'd start a thread and update as I go. Any issues I run into, I'll make a new thread.

These goodies.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a72...k/100_1824.jpg

All less than 6 months old. Autozone stuff. That'll fix my steering. A buddy on 460ford.com sold it all to me, he was going to go with a manual rack in his truck.

Not pictured is the bushing set I got (rear sway bar radius arms and leaf springs)

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a72...k/100_1864.jpg

These goodies also.. get my MSD box in, and started on the exhaust.

Things I need to order:

Front drop beams
Tie Rod spacers
Bearings seals hoses for front brakes and wheels
Rear brakes and hoses
Front sway bar
More exhaust parts

I like pics of new parts :smile:

 

Sweet deal grats..

 

What are these tie rod spacers, and why do you need them?
Are these steering parts the same as what you have, just newer?

 

Steering parts are just replacements.. Nothing special, all new stuff. My front end is awfully loose.

I realized the DJM Beams come with the tie rod spacers, but I may get the AIM kit as they seem to be easier to work with, I haven't decided yet.

 

doesnt seem to be to much of this going on, i like it man, will keep an eye on this thread cant wait to see how it turns out, i wish i have a 150 instead of a 250 so i didnt have to do an axel swap and hub swap to get it going., but one thing at a time.

 

Yeah, I love these trucks dropped, especially with huge rear tires tucked in under the rear box sides!

 

ill get mine started one day once i can find some 150 parts to get me started, not much up here in the panhandle.

 

Really? that's too bad... I can let you know if I find something you are looking for in Central FL? The junkyards are a little pricey, but there are some odd '73-'79 trucks when I go...

 

Clifford, what do you need? a few 150s here.

 

Sounds like a cool setup on your truck, you're taking pretty much the same approach as I am, except you did the motor first, I did the suspension first. I plan on tackling the engine this winter, but I'm not exactly sure what I am doing with it yet. My goal is to build a strong, low budget 460 that makes good power, but it has to be very streetable since I drive the truck a lot during the summer. I see you have ported and polished heads with a 4X4 cam. Did you port the heads yourself? How does the setup work with that cam? Have you ever dynoed it?

Keep up the good work!

 

Ford141, this truck is an excellent mannered daily driver/tow truck. When it was tuned properly It could average 13-14 MPG.. Towed a 76 Torino on a full metal deck trailer (say 8000 max?) with no power issues at all, up hills, etc. Problem was the trailer wagged the truck.. BUT I think the fact it didn't have any sway bars at all didn't help.

I haven't dynoed it yet, but plan to this winter for Ss&Gs. I figure 270/280HP at the wheels.

I do need to redo the exhaust, as the previous owner hacked it and I don't like the setup.

 

Also, how does the truck handle after all this? Mine is wallowy. I can rev the engine in park and the nose will dive 20 degrees.

 

Mine handles great, in fact I have surprised quite a few people that have ridden in it with the way it will hold around turns. I do have to admit that my truck was originally a F250 camper special, and I still have the factory front anti-sway bar and 3/4 ton springs all around, so it is pretty stiff. I havn't put the rear sway bar back on yet, but it will go on soon. I haven't towed with it yet, so I can't say how it handles a trailer, but I do have a class III hitch hidden behind the roll pan with a flip-up license plate to hide it. I use my 05 for towing/hauling duties since it tends to handle the weight much better.

 

ford141, that is one sweet ride! What did it cost you for the beams and flip kit?
Was the C-notch necessary for the 5 inches of drop? (not that it's a big deal to do).
The ride height is perfect for what I am looking for, and your roll pan is the same as what I wanted, but didn't know was available.

Keep her clean!

 

Trinogt, thanks for the kind words.

The Front beam kit (includes beams, brackets for steering arms, and new king pins and bushings) cost me about $550 from Summit Racing (free shipping too!). The rear flip kit was another $50 and I spent an extra $50 on shorter shocks for the rear (although with the large angle on the shocks they are not very effective, I am going to redesign the mounts someday to make them work better).

As far as the C-notch, no it was not necessary. I thought it was going to be real close when I did all of the measurements beforehand, but I ended up with about 3-4 inches between the axle and frame. I also figured that since its done now I always have room to go lower if I want to, and since I have the clearance I can still haul pretty decent loads (even though I rarely haul anything with this truck, that's what my 05 if for ) You can get away without it, but with it you have a lot of extra breathing room. Plus it was fun to do...

As far as the roll pan, it is a steel weld-in pan from Mar-K industries. I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of this pan. It is heavy-gauge galvanized steel and fits great. It also comes with brackets to bolt it in, but it really isn't designed for that, it is better if you weld it in. I bought it about 5 years ago, and I think I paid like $100 or something like that.

Btw, I love that supercab you have! I looked at a Lariat XLT supercab that was in beautiful condition this summer and I almost bought it. If I didn't already have my green truck, I would have. I love the long and low look!