Relocating front axle 5" forward

[plym49]

Someone's gotta pee on the parade. I seem to recall that you had some reengineering to do on your hydraulic steering setup. And personally I would not be crazy running a rear bogie with one half longer than the other.

If it were me, I would first get tires with a smaller ID, fix the front steering and get the rear back to where it belongs.

Just sayin'.

 

[crazywelder72]

you would be correct about my steering setup. Now that the truck is running good and all the distracting things are taken care of, i am looking at working on the front end at the same time.

i am not sure i understand about "running a rear bogie with one half longer than the other." if you are talking about how they relocated the 3rd axle further back, I still don't see the harm. As long as the suspension is working (which it is).

I don't foresee me downsizing my tires. That just isn't going to happen.

 

[Heath_h49008]

https://www.cantonracingproducts.com/images/pan_thumbs/15620s.jpg


If you look at that Canton pan, you will notice the sides are kicked "out" unlike a factory pan. It's quite simple, although if you have the ability to run a rear sump instead, that would be a better plan. (clearance allowing of course) Especially if a rear sump pan and pick-up are available for this engine.

 

[Beerslayer]

What about a re locate of the boxes! It is what i did for many reasons

That is one fine looking truck!

As for the pics of the oil pan, as is it looks like you have room for 3-4" to move forward. Better to mod the oil pan while you are at it. Then you can get your 5" with room to spare.

Keep your big tires. That's part of the fun!

 

[patracy]

My .02.

Leave the suspension alone.

Relocate the batteries and toolbox (ditch it).

Open up the back of the fenders to "match" the reduced lines where the boxes were.

Reroute the exhaust.


All of that could be done before you even had all the rivets undone. And all of it would help your offroad ability.

 

[crazywelder72]

I agree that under any normal circumstances I would not want to relocate the front axle and look to other options first.

I could easily relocate the batteries to the bed, and i could move the tool box to the place where the spare tire would be (i dont have anything there and i use the box). and i want to reroute the exahust to come up behind the cab and split into duals anyways (still trying to find the cleanest way to route the pipe around the D-shaft)

And yes i would gain massive ground clearance.

BUT... If i loose the boxes I wont be able to climb in the truck. Thats no joke. It takes effort to get up on the step as is.

And I still cant invision "Open up the back of the fenders to "match" the reduced lines where the boxes were." I already cut off the rear vertical portion of the fender. so even if i extend that downward angle i do not gain any room in that 10-11 o'clock position where the J pipe was. Even with the J-pipe gone it will still be close.

Anyone have a xtra oil pan kicking around that I can build on without adding to the downtime of my truck?

 

[patracy]

Make some "nerf bar" steps. Judging by the pics, the J pipe is the real issue. The rest is just sheetmetal. I'll try to take a pic of the bobber J pipe today. It had been rusted out I assume and the past owner swapped in automotive pipe with a nice tight bend that tucks right at the fender. I'm actually tempted to have a shop do this to my other deuce with the 46's just because they rub.

 

[patracy]

BTW, when it comes to the oil pan, there's two pick ups. You'll need to convert it to a single sump and relocate the other pickup.

 

[crazywelder72]

thanks... looking forward to the pics and info. I never had the pan off but after seeing the pic of that modded pan, i would think the rear part of the pan would stay the same so i could leave that pickup alone. i would only be modding the larger front part and would only need to mod that sump and pickup if needed.

 

[Jakob]

What about a re locate of the boxes! It is what i did for many reasons

I like that setup, I'm going to steal it!

 

[Ridgerunner]

How much lift do you have?

I run the same tires (53's) and it appears, the same exact wheels as you. I don't have any clearance problems with the tires contacting any part of the truck or J-pipe, even when flexed off road.

 

[ivbeenrokd]

Crazywelder72 do you have any pics of your truck from the side showing the whole truck?

 

[walkerhunter]

Thanks man I love it it tucks everything up i know it requires moving the tank to the bed but i like not worrying about it. I built my steps out of 4 inch x 1/4 wall steel gas pipe with weldable 90 degree bends so i can bump them on whatever and smile>

 

[crazywelder72]

Ridgerunner, I do not know who did the original lift but i think remember a previous owner saying something about re-arching the springs 7". I have a few pics and a video walk-a-round. I did the video for someone that i was talking to on the phone one day, so thats why some of the "cometary" will seem odd.

Also i took a pic today showing how much of a stretch it is to climb in with the boxes as is. I'm 5'10", There is no way i could eliminate them without building a nerf bar type of step.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8mhQFm_yVM&list=UUC53mLybGdn8ao_13fgQZZw&index=2&feature=plcp[/media]

 

[sparepartsracing]

Just spitballing and Im probably wrong but why not move it up I have the 16-20"s on my 5 ton and the axle is so far forward I want to move it back to center it. Same motor same oil pan no? You would have more clearence than me having the lift and smaller axles no? Like I said I could be totally wrong or I could be right. If you need pictures let me know

 

[crazywelder72]

i would love to see pics. I know exactly what you mean, I cant stand the look of the wheel placement in the 5ton fender. it just looks wrong IMO.

 

[sparepartsracing]

I don't have any side pictures ha ha. I will get some clearance pictures tomorrow. Hopefully someone will chime in and agree with us right now or were totally wrong.

Heres just a pic of the truck

 

[walkerhunter]

There is a guy who built the extended cab duce he used drop down r v steps mounted under the cab could kill 2 birds.

 

[plym49]

i am not sure i understand about "running a rear bogie with one half longer than the other." if you are talking about how they relocated the 3rd axle further back, I still don't see the harm. As long as the suspension is working (which it is).

If you define your rear suspension 'working' by the fact that the rear of the truck is suspended and there is a way to attach the axles, then I guess it works.

On the other hand, if you consider that the rear suspension is designed to have a center pivot for the bogie, with equal length torque arms front and rear, then maybe it does not. You have changed the loading on the center pivot, changed the scrub radius when turning, changed the fulcrum point for the springs, changed the articulation of the rearmost axle, changed the stresses, etc. etc.

Maybe you can run that way for 100 years with no problems. Maybe all it changes are the handling dynamics of the truck (hopefully, not for the worse).

My suggestion is that this is not the right way to do things and that setting up the truck that way is a bit slim shady. We've already seen that the PO added some hack factor into the building of that truck - for example, the cockeyed steering brackets. You know you have to fix that. Why should you accept that the rear suspension mods were done to a higher standard? Without knowing anything about the PO, is it possible he did things quick and dirty to make it look cool?

I am the first to admit that your truck looks awesome. I am honestly not dissing you or your truck. But if it were me, and again this is just the way I think about things, I would somehow address the unbalanced nature of that rear suspension (and I would not move the front axle forward).

 

[crazywelder72]

No worries. I never measured but they lengthened all the torsion rods so i would think they kept the center pivot point in the center. I will measure it as soon as it stops raining just to know.