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I bought the whole MII kit from CPP. I believe they order from TCI or at least use the same dimensions and kits. I took a peak under my truck and saw that the bolts do touch the dust shield rubbers. Doesn't seem to be as far in as your truck, but they do touch.
Also I thought your idea of changing the lower control arm to use a coil over is awesome. I may copy that idea. I would much rather use a coil over in the front that a spring.
hey daniel, thanks i wanted to match the rear 4 link coilers (ride tech) but couldn't get myself to spend $500 for the ride tech tubular fatbar lower control arms. so i modified these and they work great. i'm going to try rack spacers first and see if that helps.
I got the bed and tailgate on today. had to modify the flange on the bedside to get the tailgate to shut. i guess not all new repo panels are perfect
this is the flange obstructing the tailgate from closing.
Not the best picture, but can't move the truck with no front wheels
I'll work on the rack tomorrow or this week, then probably take the truck to a shop to get the doors and door gaps straightened out. i'll post some pics of those later.
Originally Posted by Daniels54
I bought the whole MII kit from CPP. I believe they order from TCI or at least use the same dimensions and kits. I took a peak under my truck and saw that the bolts do touch the dust shield rubbers. Doesn't seem to be as far in as your truck, but they do touch.
Also I thought your idea of changing the lower control arm to use a coil over is awesome. I may copy that idea. I would much rather use a coil over in the front that a spring.
I didn't modify the mounts, the cross member came without them so they were shipped separately later so I tacked them as low as possible to make room for the oil pan.
You are doing a great job, thank you for sharing with us, keep posting your progress
Well, I worked on the rack tonight. Not good. I made my own 3/4" spacers and tried to mock up the rack. It just won't fit. The rack housing it hitting the oil pan. Looks like I need 1/4" clearance. I'm thinking about cutting the rack mounts that are welded to the crossmember and moving them down 1/4". I know that it's important to keep tie rods parallel to ground at ride height, or you introduce bump steer into the equation. But would 1/4" really matter that much??
in the picture, it's not the tube hitting the oil pan, it's really the rack housing barely touching...
That exactly what happened with me, and this is what I did
Raised the engine as high as possible and changed the motor mounts with thicker ones
Rerouted the oil pipelines in the steering rack
This photo before installing the new oil pan
I think I'm gonna move the rack down 1/4". I'll try today and report back. I don't think 1/4" would make that much of a difference. I rerouted one of the rack lines, which helped a little, but still need maybe 3/16"
They make off set rack bushings, would be better then changing mounts. But it would also be easy to shim motor mount, and not worry about having bump steer problems.
finally finished the suspension. moved rack up 1/8". added another joint for steering shaft to fit around exhaust. i added a gusset on the heim joint bracket that's not included in picture.
bought new power steering hoses. the ends are press on, so now no more power steering leaks. Decided to tackle the bed. built a frame to assemble the bed off the truck. Also welded bolts to the cross members to make the bolts "hidden" that hold bed to frame.
drilled out the spot welds
air chisel
tacked
looks factory if it was still 1955
Did the other 2 crossmembers
Onto the bed, got everything squared. tailgate fit perfect after that.
i bought the latches from mid fifty. they make a spacer for the part that attaches to side rail. i decided to make my own.
Going to fit the bed to frame tomorrow to see if it lines up. Also gonna weld up the holes in bed where some people put little circle brake lights in. After that, i think bed it ready for paint. In the meantime, i'll have to take truck cab to a shop to get the doors and gaps fixed. Only in one spot, the drivers cowl sticks out further than the door. that might be a little out of my skill level. once that's fixed, cab, bed, and rear fenders off to paint.
Looking good! That's some exciting progress. I might use that front crossmember bolt idea as I need to do something so I don't have to use the bolt through the board.
