Today we began the disc brake conversion using Speedway Motors complete kit. We chose this because of the price and little to no difference in the various kits that i could tell. I will say the kit is quite complete and seemed easy enough for as far as we got. One note thus far..when installing the calliper bracket, i found that installing the longest bolt of the four first is the only way to get them all to go in given the spacers, etc.

Should have this project completed tomorrow.









Boy finally figured out which way loose was... LOL

Changed the tie rod ends while they were handy

Start with the lower bolt to the cab (longest one I'm pointing to)
NOTE: I have the bolts in backwards in this photo... I had to turn them all around.. starting with the longest bolt.

Jokes on me... so while i contemplated doing the king pins all morning, i dove in and tried removing the spindles from the axle... (after removing the disc brakes I just installed yesterday of course). Took very little time to realize that they weren’t comin’ off anytime soon. So i dropped the entire axle with spindles stuck on... and took them to my buddy’s machine shop... apparently i would have needed to do this anyhow since he would have needed to press out and and press in the new bushings.... not a simle garage fix... having a honing machine was well worth the 1/2 drive.





That was all good news... the bad news.. once we took the axle out of the hot tank, we noticed it had quite the unique twist to it...




and im not sure, but i dont it should be lookin’ like licorice ... LOL

i think we’ve located one nearby... it does have a funny dip in the middle... that is common as some were straight like mine and others were forged with a hump or dip... anyone know why the difference in the front straight axles?

Also found out that the axle with the hump or smile causes the front to sit 1” approx higher (unless they’re messin’ with me) which is perfect since we wanted our front 1 to 2 inches higher ... found this one today locally..




since i got it stripped this far, i decided to upgrade everything on the front end... after i got the different straight front axle with the smile today... already painted black... and now I can't get the darn drag link off the Pittman... and now after attempting to press it off, and after my patience ran out, i did in fact ruin the threaded part.... toast as it were... and it is still stuck... LOL.

i'll need a new drag link. question for all you experts.. is the '57 2WD drag link exclusive to '57? I'm getting misleading info when shopping... part numbers I see are B7C-3304 and 88910899. Some call it a 1957 drag link,, others call it 57-60 and others call it 58-59. Which drag link should i get now that i destroyed mine....

B7C-3304-A .. Draglink / Obsolete

1957 F100/250. See bottom of page in parts catalog pic:

ND... thanks for the info... copied and printed...now in my book of “Things to Know” on these fridge trucks

Entire steering /suspension rebuild now along with disc brakes... took the springs to a spring shop... one measured 5-1/8, the other measured 5-1/2 on the C measurement. Supposed to be 4-3/4 I believe... time for new springs. The shop was cool, said it would be less expensive ordering online with shipping than they could make new ones or even re-arch the old... plus the steel is a bit worn/old/pitted/ etc. so yet another delay.... maybe next week i’ll Get to reassembly. In the meantime, good opportunity to clean and remove all that crud and the POs horrible undercoating job that really botches the frame and other parts... did more harm than good... fresh paint is all that is needed once clean...

And all i was gonna do was a simple disc brake conversion on saturday... riiiiiiiiight

Hi Y’all. So I’m online shopping for front leaf springs.... see them from around 158 per and up... watch out for EXCESSIVE SHIPPING! Two sites in particular have the springs at reasonable pricing.. general spring and sd truck spring. 159 and 168 respectively. (Each).

However when I add the four rubber bushings (stupid little things) both sites add like 20 to 30 dollars for shipping.. its all based on cost and not weight... so if you buy springs, be sure to check the total when you add stuff like bushings, u-bolts, etc.. I’ll end up getting springs from one or the other today,... with shipping they’re within a few cents of each other... will get the rest of the hardware from rockauto or ebay where shipping is a hell of a lot less.

Front Springs :

General Spring, in stock and made in USA - quick phone answer.
https://www.generalspringkc.com/Prod...2D202&CartID=1

SD Truck Springs... didn’t get ahold of them via phone
https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=9651


HB860 BUSHINGS
https://www.ebay.com/itm/231958277924

I ended up ordering from general spring using their online checkiou at approx 10am today... its now10:30 and i already received UPS tracking number... that was quick... 3 business days est delivery. If the springs are of good quality, that’s not a bad deal.

I have had zero progress since ordering the springs... a quick trip to New Orleans (watch my Saints continue the streak) and then Thanksgiving.... and today some tailgating at Fresno State... so my hope is (once I sober up) to do a complete front end install with disc brakes Sunday. I have all the parts and will be replacing everything except the original spindals, control arms and steering rod. New parts included:

Ididit type Tilt Steering Column - same exact thing but 1/3 the price
CPP Power Steering gear box with new pitman arm
Speedway Motors Disc Brake Conversion Kit
New Drag link - Rock Auto
King pins - pressed and honed - thanks to Hanford Auto Supply and Machine
New Axle (with the Smile) Boling Bro’s Early Iron
new 6 leaf springs from General Spring
new leaf spring bushing and u-bolts (had those made locally)
new front Front shackles - Amazon
New shocks - Amazon
New tie rod ends - Amazon
New Rubber spring Bumpers - CJs

I think that is everything....