oliver foster

Well I had the truck in the shop for a week dailing in the suspension with a 1 inch Zero rate spring from Offroad Design. I used the Zero Rates to replace the 1/4 inch axle relocating block from Far From Stock I was using earlier. So I basically gained 3/4 of an inch in height on the front end from this swap.
That made it so I needed some new, longer u bolts which took me a couple days to get made locally.

The front fenders and LE flairs where massaged for a little extra room , then painted with a small brush and a few dabs of paint.

The exhaust hanger at the rear of the tail pipe broke on my last outing, so I redesigned my hangers on the 4 inch Diamond Eye exhaust. I included another hanger just in front of the rear axle to help, support things better.

Project Covid had the console, between the bucket seats, removed and lost in the shuffle before I got it in 2015. So years ago, I bought a rusted out, but low mileage '92 Ramcharger plow rig for the spice colored interior pieces for this project. I have used the drivers seat, some trim bits around the door and windshield along with the drivers armrest from the donor RC for this build so far. Well yesterday I pulled the dirty, gross center console out and washed it down with Simple Green and hot water. I will be installing it tonight when the truck gets off the lift.

Should be ready too hit the road for the 1000 mile round trip to Carlisle for the Mopar show in a few days.

oliver foster

Okay, so my buddy who is going with us this year to Carlisle just came to help motivate me to get my A/C system charged up for the hot summer PA weather. It is now reading 40F blowing out the vents.
All that went well....until I noticed a small wet spot under the truck while it was idling to charge up and test the A/C.

Looks like sealing up the KSB, which is leaking on the injection pump, was just added to my pre trip to do list.

oliver foster

Pulled out one of my VE injection pump re seal o ring kits I had on the shop shelf and found two O-rings that appeared to be the right size. Installed them and it currently looks dry and clean.

One of the old O-ring had visible cracks on the surface it that I could see with my naked eye and was the one that seals to the outside of the pump. Looks like that was the culprit.

oliver foster

Worked on the truck in the shop till I feel asleep in the drivers seat after getting the message center and dash bezel installed around midnight yesterday.

Took it for a test ride into town to test out all the suspension changes. The truck did great. I did notice some new exhaust rattles around the t-case, the frame and crossmember area, but mostly only on start up and shut down of the engine.

It started to rain pretty hard on my ride so I turned on the wipers. They worked like they always have for a few minutes, then nothing. When I got back in the shop I turned on the wipers. I can hear the motor spinning but the wipers are not moving.
Looks like I will be installing those wiper arm bushings I put in the glove box already for this trip. I guess it is easier than doing it in the show field.

Fordzilla

As my Grandmama pointed out, if it ain't one thing it's another......Ben

BHD

If you did it on the show field I could drink IPAs and hand you tools, maybe throw out a swear word or two.

oliver foster

Put over 1000 miles on the truck over the long weekend going to the Mopar show in Carlisle.
I had one break down on the highway that was caused by a broken throttle rod end. Lucky I noticed the ends where cracked and in janky shape the night before we left, so I had thrown a complete throttle rod spare one in the glove box. Made for a 2 minute fix on the side of the highway as the 18 wheelers blew by.

The truck got anywhere from 20 to 16 MPG depending on the fill up and the average speed I had been driving. The flow of traffic goes pretty quick on the highways now a days.

KRB

I wouldn't call that a "break down" per se. Maybe just an "immediate opportunity to perform deferred maintenance"? Doesn't sound as negative since you foresaw it and had parts on hand...

Glad youall made the trip. Hopefully others will chime in on another thread with pictures and stories for those of us that live vicariously.

oliver foster

My daughter and I drove around the north east kingdom today, checking out spots to go fishing in the truck. We got right up along the boarder with Canada for a bit.
We threw the kayaks in the water at a pond we had never been to before.
Great day out and about in the old truck. It drove very well and got some thumbs up while out cruising around the back roads. We put about 140 miles on today.

Charlotte caught one smallish largemouth bass. I just washed lures and drowned a few worms.

Fordzilla

That's just cruel torture for those innocent worms, I'm sure you'll get a scathing note from PETA...At least Charlotte knew why she was out there......Ben

oliver foster

So I was getting just a little tire rub during turning while driving over dips / bumps in the road.

I had been looking at adding an extra spring to the unknown exact model Skyjacker W-250 spring. The ride has been great but they are settling quickly. My friend ordered them for his truck then never used them 5 years ago. He is not sure if their are 1 or 2 inch lift springs or even if he might have ordered gasser springs.
I pulled some extras of the factory rear axle over load / camper springs I had apart and noticed that the 3rd one up from the bottom looked like it would be about the right length to fit in the spaced out Skyjacker 5 leaf spring pack, with a mild curve and a fairly soft spring rate. It was 32 inches long.

I put the truck on the lift and pulled the zero rate springs, basically a 1 inch lift block, other than the center pin bolts through. I replaced them with the 1/4 inch tall axle relocation plate again. This dropped the lift 3/4 of an inch in the front. Since I was looking for the least lift possible, I did this.

I added the extra spring from the rear axle over load spring pack, which added the height back, plus an 1/8 of and inch, but also added a little to the spring rate.

I have yet to test the new ride, but I will report back. I know the soft ride will be somewhat stiffer sprung in the front.

oliver foster

After a few months of driving the new version of the front suspension, it seems to be perfect. It is a bit firmer ride with the extra spring, but still smoother than most stock first gens I have driven.
No wheel rub of any sort since, though I am sure if I went hard core 4 wheeling it would rub some. The truck is way too clean for a hardcore wheeler so that should not be a problem.

I did have a minor road side breakdown taking my daughter to the Street Rod Nationals in Vt a few months ago. The truck just shut off going down the road. I instantly thought the FSS wire was loose...but it was not. After some road side diagnosis, I decided to just hot wire the FSS and jump the starter wires to fire it up and drive back home. Turns out the fuseable link for the ignition had corroded from within. This made the truck think the key was turned off. I replaced it with the proper length and gauge link, soldered it all up and it is back to running great.

Now with snow on the ground, it has been cleaned up and parked in my shop to stay warm and dry for the winter. There is a small list of things I would like to fix or upgrade over the winter tucked on the dash.

KRB

Glad it's working for you. It's a mashup of odd parts thought right, so you couldn't necessarily replicate it?

On a side note, how do you heat your shop again?

oliver foster

KRB,

The front springs where ordered from Skyjacker by a friend for his truck years ago and never installed. I told him to order a 1 inch lift spring for a W-250 Cummins truck. It was a 5 leaf pack from SJ.
Years later I bought the truck from him and he gave me the front springs, which the sticker had worn off of by then. I am not 100% sure which spring he really ordered.

From there I added the 2nd leaf spring down off the 4 spring pack rear over load spring pack that I took off a W-250. I added this spring between the 2nd spring down and the 3rd spring on the Skyjacker spring pack making a 6 spring pack. The spring pack now sits basically flat / level from the front hanger to the shackle with the weight of the truck on it.
It could certainly be similarly replicated.

I heat my shop with a outdoor wood boiler that runs hot water through radiant heating tubes I laid down before doing the concrete work for my shop. It keeps it nice and warm from the floor up. I do go through about 10+ cords of fire wood each year but it is my only heat source.

KRB

I was thinking you used an OWB but couldn't remember. That heated floor is hard to beat. I have one for the house but not in the floors unfortunately.