Ok so I have everything removed now except for the leaf springs and axle. I was planning on just replacing the tie rod ends , wheel bearings and kingpins, but now I am thinking that while it is all apart I should completely clean everything up and repaint all of the front end components so that I dont have to go back and do it all later. I am going to have the drums turned, put in new shoes and brake springs, new wheel cylinders, new shocks, and I want to paint everything to look good too. As far as the leaf springs go, the arent broken anywhere, but I'm not sure how to tell if they are too worn. How should they look when the truck is sitting on the ground? Mine are pretty much flat with a little bit of a spring arch. I dont want to replace them if they are good. Should I media blast everything before painting? I need to clean everything of dirt, rust and grease but I'm not sure the best way to do this.
I also want to blast the rims and have them painted. Does anyone have any idea what it would cost to get a couple of rims painted nicely? I'm thinking an off white or cream color.
Mike

 

You should check your king pins while it is easy - just wiggle the spindle and, if you see any movement at all, replace them. I would sure clean up the grease fittings and force new grease into the pins.

Rims are easy to paint using a spray can, if the tires are off. Ford had a stock color that was almost cream, which is what I use.

 

WillyB
I already drove the old kingpins out and I have new ones. I have new bushings that I am going to have pressed in and reamed. They came out surprisingly easy. What paint is it that you use for the rims?

Mike

 

Ford "Wimbledon White" is real close to the old "Ivory" used on the grilles and wheels. Duplicolor sells it in big cans but it doesn't last as long as "real" automotive grade paint.

 

I want the paint to be like it was new. I would rather spend the extra buck than to have to repaint them down the road. If that means taking them to a paint shop instead of spray canning them then I'd be glad to wait a while and put aside the extra money. Thanks for the name of the paint color Albuq. Do you know what paint code that is or if it can still be made at a local shop?
Mike

 

When you take the springs off, replace the eye bushings and hanger bushings. If the shackles show any wear replace them also. If no leaves are broken and the ends of the smaller leaves haven't eaten into the leaf above you can reuse them. Lay one spring on it's side and lay the other on top. if the arch is noticably different (the driver's side may show less arch) then swap every other leaf side to side to even them up. For optimum ride, grind the corners of ends of the leaf where it contacts the one above rounded and sand out any rust and/or depressions worn into the leaf above. Always sand or grind in a lengthwise direction only. If the springs had "buttons" in the ends replace them with new ones or add the plastic slider strips between the leaves. Do NOT paint the leaves except a light coat on the top of the main leaf and the bottom of the shortest leaf. If you don't use the buttons or slider strips then "butter" between the leaves with a thin coat of wheel bearing grease before reassembling them.
BE CAREFUL when disassembling the springs! Lay it on it's side, put at least two heavy C clamps on it on either side of the centerbolt and stand on the spring while you remove the centerbolt. Make sure no one or nothing important is in line with the bolt as you remove it. Once the nut is off the bolt, SLOWLY release the tension by alternately opening the clamps one turn at a time. Reverse the process when reassembling them. If you are lowering the truck by removing leaves, I'd suggest ordering the longer headed centerbolts and two pair of caster shims from Mid Fifty to aid in restoring proper alignment later. See their print catalog for info on which leaves to remove.
I'd also rebuild the drag link ends and change the ball connectors if worn for a first class job. At least disassemble clean and regrease them. If you think you might be adding power steering later, go ahead and replace the tierod with the HD one from Mid Fifty while changing the tie rod ends.
A properly aligned and tight front axle and gearbox will be a pleasure to drive with no "drunken monkey" steering syndrome.

 

If you want your wheels to stay new looking have them blasted and powdercoated. Next best would be painted with epoxy primer and catalized paint. Let the paint cure for at least a month before mounting tires.

 

Axracer,
Thanks for all the help. If the leaves are not to be painted what will keep them from rusting up again? It makes sense though not to paint where the surfaces meet each other.
Mike

 

The coat of grease. You could paint the edges if you like. the leaves sliding freely over each other is what gives a smooth ride. If they are heavily rusted you could wipe them down with one of the liquid rust converters.

 

Thanks for another informative post AXracer! I just got finished tearing apart my frame over the weekend and had been thinking about what to do with the springs. I have not taken mine apart yet, but they seem to be in good shape. I was wondering if I should paint them or not, it seems the answer is obvious. I have seen references to poly liners as well as teflon liners. Poly seems to be the most used, but whats the best? If these liners are used, would it be OK to paint? Would liners be used along with grease?

For the bushings in the eye's, do these need to be pressed out (or can I beat them out)? New bushing need to be pressed, or can they be persuaded in?

I'm not really interested in lowering at all, but would like a smoother ride (its been probably 25 years, buf if I recall it rides like a truck ). Would taking one or 2 leafs out make much of a difference? Whats the best way to ensure the shocks match up with the springs?

 

Paint would still make the leaves stick even with the liners. You could probably get away with painting the part of the springs that are exposed, tapering off to just a dusting as you approach where the next leaf rides. That way any paint that gets in between would quickly wear away. Friction will keep the wear surfaces clean so you would not need to grease. I don't know how much difference teflon vs poly would make, but I'd use the poly since it has raised edges to keep it in place (if your springs have the depressions for buttons, use new poly buttons rather than the liner strips). You'll be very pleasantly surprised how much better the lined springs ride! If it were mine I'd probably take out a couple leaves to further improve the ride. Starting with the shortest leaf as #1, remove #2 and #4. That will soften the ride over bumps etc, without appreciably lowering the truck.
The quick but messy and smelly way we used to remove stubborn bushings was to set the rubber on fire with a torch then knock out the remains. Sand out any/all the rust in the eye and you should be able to press in the new bushing with a C clamp or large vise.
To match shocks to the springs I always rely on the advice of the shock manufacturer's tech support dept.. You won't get much help from the inexpensive replacement shock manufacturers such as Monroe or Gabriel since they really just use the same cheap internals in all their shocks. There are quality shock manufacturers that do build shocks with different valving for each application and/or offer adjustable valving shocks that have realized there is a market for street rod shocks and will help you choose their best offering. A couple companies I'm familiar with are Bilstein (non adjustable) and QA1 (adjustable). A quality shock will be 2-3X the price of the mass produced cheapies, but IMHO it is the best money you can spend, shocks are the most critical part of the suspension equation and the most overlooked. Put on the wrong shocks and everything else you did goes right out the window. For example on our race cars, shocks are THE component we spend our money on. The custom designed and built 2 way adjustable racing shocks we use cost 2-3,000 a set and some autocrossers spend as much as 5-6,000 a set for super trick 4 way adjustable Penskes or Motons!

 

All good advice...
I'm a huge advocate for upgrading the drum brakes to a disk setup. The original brake system is a pain to keep adjusting and is way less than appropriate for driving today. If you're not careful the left and right front brakes can get out of adjustment and one may stop better than the other causing the truck to pull to that side - Bad news on a quick light change. Disks of course stop much quicker, blah, blah, blah. Switch them if you can.