fordh8r's 84 Xtra-bad Daily Driver

[fordh8r]

back to the project...

    Frame brackets in place after some  . you can see the right side is clearanced for the parking brake cable. 

[fordh8r]

I added a stiffener (1/8 x 1 channel) to the X-member for some rigidity.  It was a little flexy at first but not any more.   

[fordh8r]

1)  The final fit...

2)  plenty of room for the stiffener brace to the case...   Hey that rhymed...

3)  and ample clearance for the front shaft...

[fordh8r]

After some slight adjusting of the X-member by opening up the area where the rear mount is...


Had to do this so the big bolt thingy in the middle of the mount wouldn't hit the plate and cause any Mystery noises.  


now it's time for some paint and some  .... stickers....

[twistedtoy92]

thats pretty damn sweet!!

[Wermz84]

I have read your thread...Good stuff too!     Sorry, to see you had  such a time with your tranny. At least it's fixed now. I like the Durabak you put on your floor. I've never used that stuff before. how was it to work with? And how $$$?  Looking good, nonetheless...


Roger that!     Also, what's new with your ride? Still would like to see more...

Thanks alot, I appreciate it.     the Tranny is running better than ever, Marlin and Angelo went over and above. 


The Durabak is awsome.  Around $95 with shipping to get it to me, been over a year and it is holding up great.   Easy to work with 

Nothing new as of right now, but there will be more.   



This is exactly what I was asking about.  Looking good. 


And I like the cross brace inside.


Let me know when you take it to Hollister!!   Make sure tallchevy comes to. 

[fordh8r]

Thanks alot, I appreciate it.     the Tranny is running better than ever, Marlin and Angelo went over and above. 


The Durabak is awsome.  Around $95 with shipping to get it to me, been over a year and it is holding up great.   Easy to work with 

And I like the cross brace inside.


Let me know when you take it to Hollister!!   Make sure tallchevy comes to. 

Cool and thanks for the info I'll have to check it out sometime! 

Thanks again on the brace I am pleased with it's outcome so far...



Yeah, as far as Hollister goes.....that's like women going to the bathhroom in public places, we never go alone!    




In fact, He's on his way now and we are off to Glamis!    Be back late Mon. night! 


Hey Peps, you comin?! 

[Wermz84]

Have fun! 

[fordh8r]

 Finally, some more pics and work done...


    1)  a little paint and some  decals... Hopefully this will be the last time you'll be able to see both
         decals at once...

    2)  Also boys and girls remember to clear coat your decals for longer lasting colors and to prevent short term peeling
         from washing them...  

[fordh8r]

Here it is!  All bolted up and ready for action!    Drive line getting done as we post...

[fordh8r]

Well, got the driveline in today and took it for a little spin.     It all feels good so far, nice and smooth.     I can tell the drivetrain is firmer with the added motor mount.     I tried the dual low range...    I like! 




Now for phase 2!  the front end!       

[fordh8r]

after my test drive I turned my truck around to start tearing into the front end. 




1)  just for comparison....my old lift springs and the stock rears.

2)  the static differnce in center bolt location.

3)  after stripping all the old stuff off...

[fordh8r]

1)  My new shackle angle...

2)  The new spring pack sits very similar to one I replaced...after mixing springs from my old lift springs and the stock
     rears  I gained only a 1/2 inch of lift which I expect to settle some...

3)  The axle is definitely moved forward. 



The reason I did this modification wasn't for more flex (well, some  ) or even a nicer ride (which couldn't hurt  ), all of which are good benifits to RUF's, but mostly so I could fit bigger tires without having to go higher.   

[fordh8r]

the new stance is what I was looking for and also I hadn't mentioned the Diff gaurds that I welded on about 3 months ago...

[fordh8r]

Now for the high tech stuff...




Since I was so busy with all this cool stuff I nearly forgot about  a silly detail like my windshield leak  which wets my feet when I drive...    So I found my trusty color coordinated weather sealing strip...

[fordh8r]

Ok, so today I took a trip to the North Pole to visit SC  ......Actually, no, I went to Fresno to visit MC to pick up some more parts for my project.  So me and my dog jumped in the car and 2 1/2 hours later found ourselves here.

[fordh8r]

I got home with the goodies and here's what I got....



  1)  first, I got the front U-bolt flip kit

  2) then I also picked up a knuckle ball gusset kit and some much needed boots and an additional  knob to
      complete my shifter ensemble...


Hopefully I can get out there soon to start this stuff but I've been  with pneumonia and haven't had any parts anyway... .  But now that's changed and we got a long weekend ahead... .  If it all works out ok Ill have more pics in a few days. Stay tuned! 

[fordh8r]

glad your feeling better.

Thanks!    I'm looking forward to getting back to business with my junk...

[fordh8r]

What you do in the privacy of your own home is your business...

I'm not shy...   I'll even post pics...  







I did start some gear work today (my 4.88's), however. No pics of that  since I figured most everyone here knows what that looks like by now, so nothing special to show there but it is getting done...

[Wermz84]

   

[fordh8r]

Got to do a little more today...



Lotsa cuttin and grindin today just to clean up the unused stuff from the axle housing. 

prepped and ready for welding on the knuckle ball kit from Marlin...

Tomorrow the work will continue... more pics to come...

[fordh8r]

An over due happening with all the work so far...    

[fordh8r]

got some more work done this weekend. Got the knuckle bal kit welded on and the steering stops boxed in...   Oh so close, yet so far...

[fordh8r]

Knuckles and hubs are all assembled and starting to look like a useable component again...    Got the start of my X-over steering just need my IFS box mount now... .  Once the IFS box is in then it will be driveable....somewhat (read next posts)

[fordh8r]

First I found this...    How could this happen with only 31's...   Good thing I had a spare and I used that to get this thing together...

[fordh8r]

Optical dillusion?   I wish...

[fordh8r]

  Hard to see in these pics but it's there. There is a hint of a crack or it's just the surface crud that cracked when the spring perch crushed while torquing the U-bolts...   I thought it was kinda strange how that U-bolt seemed to keep going before it finally torqued up...

   Guess I'll have to make a new one  .  I'm thinking of making one tall enough to eliminate the spacer plate on the spring  .  I'm gonna wait till everything else is done before I come back to this problem.  Got plenty of other unfinished business at this point so I'll just keep moving to get bigger stuff done first  .

[fordh8r]

What leaves are those you got there?

Top three leaves are from rears...    The upper of the two lower leaves are from a skyjacker lift which I had on here previously...    and the bottom leaf was a chevy 2" AAL which was chopped and shaped for added comfort instead of the full leaf... .   

   I haven't driven on these yet so I don't know much about the ride or flex but I'm hoping I won't have to do much tuning...we'll see...

[fordh8r]

I bet you won't have to do much to them...

Thanks!    I hope I won't...    I can stand it to be a little stiff just not too rough for daily driving. Besides, it's probably gonna be better than it was before with the complete lift spring. 

[fordh8r]

Ok, so I got my 35's on today...