'69 into '70 4x4 build.. First Post!

[SmokeyBear]

Very nice job! Love that color scheme too.

[hfdco4]

If you get a chance, can you go into more detail about adding the Super Duty Axles? How much wider and what you used to make the mounts for the front springs. Truck is looking awesome by the way!!!!!!!

[hfdco4]

How is the build going? Hoping to see more pictures of the progress.

[hfdco4]

Bump this back to the top, hoping you have some updates on how the suspension is working.

[fordhillbilly]

First off I'm sorry it has taken so long to update but I was really busy with work, but have tried to make progress on this project when I can...

If you get a chance, can you go into more detail about adding the Super Duty Axles? How much wider and what you used to make the mounts for the front springs. Truck is looking awesome by the way!!!!!!!

So with the dana 50 front is the harder swap... i fabricated new shackle hangers out of 3/8" plate because that is what i had around the shop and purchased sleeves for poly bushings from ruffstuff specialties (which are available online, but is local for me) and ubolts for the passenger side. I cut and added a new spring perch for the passenger side and did a "ubolt flip" also with ubolts and a spring plate bought from ruffstuff. The driver side of the front end is the tricky part. Being that it is a newer model dana 50 and the differential webbing is in the way of running a regular ubolt flip without notching or drilling the webbing I modified the stock superduty lower mount by cutting off the parts i dont need and using that as a lower plate with a new spring plate on top with 4 grade 8 fine thread bolts pointing upward to clamp that side of the front end still with normal "tallnut" nuts.

I added a new front crossmember made out of 2" box and reused the front hangers (cut and modified slightly) to accomadate the extra width up front. I don't remember exactly how much wider the front springs need to be but its roughly that the springs instead of being under the fram need to be moved to the outside of the frame. The shackle hangers are also "outboarded" to the same width.

I am still figuring out how steering will work and hope to build a new drag link and reuse superduty tie rod, its going to be tricky as I am trying to make a previous owners 2wd PS box conversion work with this new front end. I will keep you posted.

The sterling axle is as simple as cutting off old perches and welding new ones in the right spot and then ordered new ubolts to flip them and spring plates and that thing was in there.

While this was all apart I added all poly bushings to everything and new hardware.

[fordhillbilly]

I finally have some time to post some more project pictures. I haven't been able to accomplish anything as dramatic as before, but here are a few updates:

So this is how the truck looks pretty much right now. I painted the hood hood and a few other random things and then fall started to hit and its been too cool and moist for garage or driveway painting lately, but pretty much all I have left is the bed. It is encouraging to see it at least this far though.



So to some of the previous questions about swapping superduty axles into this truck I will post a few pictures. First of all these are a dana 50 and sterling 10.5 out of an early 2000s f250. I have yet to complete the brake system and just this weekend got shocks mounted on them, but they're in there and should be a great improvement over the old drum brake axles.

Here is the sterling with new spring perches welded on to stock bump spring width.



having trouble uploading images right now... will continue post in the morning

[67mann]

First time seeing this build.. good work with the limited space to work in.

[fordhillbilly]

OK finally got my image uploading figured out. Even though now they are linked in order to see them bigger will try and fix when I have time.






image sharing

So in the top left photo is the crossmember I made with modified stock spring hangers, just had to remove the rivets and cut the excess off and weld to the 2" box tubing. In the top right photo shows in progress of installing the dana 50 with new shackle hangers to get the springs to the width for the perches on the axle. The dana 50 has a cast spring perch that is part of the housing so it cannot be moved, so moving the springs is the only way it can work. Bottom left are rear lower shock hangers that got welded onto the sterling axle tube in the correct spot to be able to reuse the stock upper original shock mounts. These shock hangers are modified from the stock superduty hangers that are normally ubolted around the axle tube. I just cut them shorter and boxed the bottom. Bottom Right shows sterling installed.






free image hosting

Front and rear bilstein 5125 shocks installed. The fronts got mounted to the spring plate with some shock tabs that ruffstuff specialties makes they are three hole adjustable but I used the center hole because I moved the stock shock towers forward to be centered over the spring plate.

Have been working on other little things here and there like getting the hydroboost and master cylinder mounted, but am having trouble sourcing some of the parts I need to make it all work. Will try to keep up better on updating this thread.

Thanks for all the input and help from everyone.

[vicp21]

coming along nicely

[tnab1970]

Looking great. Those are my favorite colors together! Would like to see some pics of the drivers side spring set up if possible. And sterring as is comes along. Great job so far.

[fordhillbilly]

Looking great. Those are my favorite colors together! Would like to see some pics of the drivers side spring set up if possible. And sterring as is comes along. Great job so far.

Thanks, I really like those colors too, I was going to repaint to the original 70 color (I never did figure out what it was it was wimbledon white and some burnt yellow color) but even though I am not going for an original restoration type of build I still wanted to use true to year colors so thats how I came up with the harbor blue and wimbledon. Bonus is the VIN tag color code is blank so I guess it was an ordered paint job from the factory so I guess any 1970 paint color goes.

I took some fairly shabby pics of the front driver spring setup, sorry lighting was not good in the garage when I did this, but I think this should help show exactly how I did this.



This is the factory superduty lower ubolt flange. I currently do not have all the bolts in. These are tempory garde 5 bolts to make this rollable... I have been having a hard time finding the grade 8 fine thread bolts long enough to work locally I think I may have to order them (I just want fine thread in order to make the tallnuts that are on all the other ubolts match this spot)



This is a bad picture but shows where I cut the excess casting that was not to be used from the superduty lower mount



This picture isnt much better but shows from the ground up to the bottom of the frame on the new shackle hangers I built



Another pic of the front crossmember and modified stock 4x4 spring hangers. Still trying to figure out how to make the steering work. I might be able to make a custom drag link to work with this pitman arm, or not. Not sure yet. I have been taking all kinds of measurements, but its hard to do by myself.



A overall view of whats going on with the driver side suspension.

Also note the oil leak that slowly drips from the dipstick housing... still trying to figure out how to seal that. Any ideas would be helpful. Its not the dipstick tube but the riveted flange the tube goes into.

I hope to be focusing on brake lines, hydroboost, and steering soon, so I will hopefully have more to share soon.

[hfdco4]

Great work. As for the oil pan, the best I can offer is to remove the pan and look to see if you can find the problem. These pans are hard to come by but you can use a pan off of an F500.

[Lone Ranger]

This is a tough looking truck I really like
It. I can't wait to see it driving. Very nice work with the axle swap too.

[hfdco4]

Keep us posted when you have time. Truck is going to be a real head turner.

[Manny]

Glad this one got dug back up very very nice can't wait for more.