sh0kk86

Well im tired of the ifs, and dont want to put any money into it.

Ive had problems with the steering, hubs, and cv's. just tired of it, and even though my off road experiences arent near the limit of ifs, id rather regear/lock all at once, and that means 5.29's with aussie/arb/elockers, whatever i can find.

heres what the truck looked like when i first got it.



i redid the interior, since its my dd, and added the 33's.


Here is the excel sheet ive had for quite some time, if you guys could give it a quick run down, some do's and don'ts as far as parts go would be great. ive been researching for close to a year now, and i think im ready to start getting the parts.

So far ive got the 4" front leaf springs that i bought from DatinFab, im guessing there similar to TG, or marlin springs, but not sure. I also bought a Powersteering setup off a member from YT, and am waiting on the rebuild kits for the box and pump as i type this.(some new lines, and maybe a resevoir to replace the rusted one, and PS will be done)


Ill be hopefully picking up a front axle from an 83 truck this Saturday.


As soon as school is out, im gonna do the swap, so give me some suggestions guys.

sh0kk86

Got my front axle yesterday. im starting to tear it down, and will be ordering my axle parts tonight

Dare44

looks like u got a good start

dirtoyboy

who makes those datinfab springs? Do you know?

sh0kk86

ya i think there TG 4" springs, or at least made from the same spring place.

there different than the ones that are currently on the site, mine were on sale for 150.

I will buy the Front Axle Truss from sky
Rock Ring Felt Protector tg
Backing Plate Eliminator sky when i can call tomorrow.

and will try to get the stuff from marlin when i can get on the website
Knuckle Ball Kit marlin
Knuckle Service Kit w/ Wheel Bearings from marlin
Billet Hysteer Kit from marlin
will post pics when i get them

Justinvd

Nice, do u find it a better idea getting all the parts seperate?

sh0kk86

Well i wanted the simplicity of the sky front spring hanger since it bolts up, then welds on, but i didnt want the sky sas kit. then i got the deal on the 4" springs, so i tihnk i may come out with just about the same amount of money into all the parts from different shops, for about the same money a kit costs.

And if i knew how to weld myself, i could see where guys save tons of money, and could make little stuff, but since i cant, ill just buy the pieces, and have them all welded on by someone who knows what their doing. Not gonna try this with the 100 wire welder my dad has.

still deciding on what i want to do for width, run 1.5" spacers or just use my ifs hubs.

Marlins out of the knuckle service kit, and they said a couple weeks till they're in stock.

Gonna wait on shocks./shock hoops till i get my suspension done.

I want to run 14" shocks that way i can utilize all the travel, but really dont want to hack my inner fenders up to bad. so im thinking i may just use the skinny ford shock towers, not sure if ill have to extend them or not. anyone got advice on how they did theres, and what angle they made em, since my front axle will be movd forward from the spring hanger and the springs.

dirtoyboy

check out trail gears creeper gussets...i think the design is superior because it retains the stock double shear points for the shock mount....I made a set myself that is virtually identical to the TG ones

sh0kk86

Well i already ordered the knuckle gussets from marlin yesterday, and didnt even realize the shock mount was only 1 side, not 2 like the TG.

while searcching pirate i found some pics of marlins installed, and i must say, its quite beefy with just 1, and im sure itll hold up just fine for me.




pics taken from mark2257 buildup

sh0kk86

Anyone selling e lockers send me a pm. would rather have 2 e lockers, that would most likely cost less than the 1 aussie and 1 arb.

sh0kk86

Well heres where im at with the front axle now. just waiting on sears to ship me the 54mm socket, i honestly didnt think id have to order a tool. i checked the sears store, home depot, ace, autozone, checker, napa, harbor freight, and even a tool rental place here in phx. Noone had one in stock, so i ordered the one from sears.

once i get it all apart, ill grind the brackets off, and get the welding done for the knuckle gussets. Do you think i should have someone get the brace done on top? i dont want to take a chance of the housing getting bent, and not sure if i can find anyone that knows how to weld that. or will have the patience to do it 1" at a time.



besides a bit of surface rust and dirt, the axles real clean for being 25 yrs old. still has most of the original paint on it



shock hoops


bilstein 5125's


sky ubolt flip kits(f+r) + chevy swap kit and steering box brace


the sky hanger is big


Marlin steering arms compared to stock steering arms


TG sliders, and sky rear shock hanger.

if i dont like how it rides with the shocks angled in the rear so much, i may cut the bed up and mount my rear shocks like this once i get another dd so i can still have something to haul my bike around.

still waiting on some parts from marlin and sky that i forgot to order originally.
the 1" banana shackles, some misc bushings, nother hd inner axle seal, and some other stuff i think.

sh0kk86

Well i have almost all the parts. Finished wire wheeling/ cutting off al the old brackets on the front axle today, gonna see if i can get it welded by one of my friends this weekend. Then ill throw it all together once i get a rebuild kit from marlin.