SpeedCrazy

Well i have been hauling firewood and mulch all week and have come to the conclusion that my springs DEFINITELY need some attention. With half a bed load of firewood i am sitting on the bump stops.
As i said before i was wanting some OME springs but they only have 1.75" lift springs for my truck, i mentioned this to my friend and he gave me an idea. Air shocks/springs, air up to haul stuff and air down for empty highway drives. That struck me as fairly sound, but i know nothing about that kind of system, and the viability of it. So if you have any thoughts, facts, or opinions on this as a solution for me please head over to my thread on the topic and help me figure this out.
Thanks,
Speed

SpeedCrazy

Well while i figure out the future plans i need to look after it.
I have been noticing an interesting noise in my steering. I can sit and turn to full lock both ways with no issues or noise; but when i turn tight and drop off a bump, the edge of my driveway in this case, i get a clunk out of the right hand side wheel assembly. Is this as sign of my idler arms or ball joints going bad? Of just dry?
Other than that she running like a top. The idle is a bit high, but I've been too busy to look into that yet.

kornhuskerwizard

I haul firewood myself with my 88 pickup and pull a 70s model 3/4 chevy truck box trailer. Ive definetly exceeded the limits and have broken 2 rear leaf springs in the process and ruined a g52 tranny. Im running a w56 now and replaced the springs with some other sagging junkers but theyre taking it so far. Im ok as long as i dont haul oak or hedgeposts. Go with 63" chevy springs.

SpeedCrazy

I would love to run some chevys, but i don't have access to a welder or the know-how to install them. So really at the time being i need a cost effective bolt up solution. Aka, i need to find a really high paying job =p
But seriously, i have no clue. I have so much going on right now, and am being pulled so many ways financially and mentally, i don't know enough to make sound decisions in this department. And sometimes the solutions i talk myself into aren't really the best, but i love having this site to turn to.

SpeedCrazy

Well i got that seat belt switched out with one from the back, so i feel a little safer. But that belt is SHORT, so i pretty much have to stick my hand down and pick it off of the floor.
Old one:

New One:


While i was digging my tools out of the rear seat cubby i noticed this.

So my otherwise pristine cab does have some cancer. Oh and i found this in both rear corners of the cab.

Silicone???
So i have a few things to touch up, but they should be cheap and easy. As far as the rust goes it is out of sight so just grind it off and weld a path on or glass it. Would depend on whether my friend with the welder would have time to weld one on for me.

SpeedCrazy

I had some time today so i yanked the pass side front wheel and took a look.

Overall it looks good, rotors are smooth and straight, pads fine, no rust to speak of(just a little surface rust on the A-arm).
However two things bothered me:
1.
That looks slightly dangerous. Need to see how involved replacing those studs will be.

2.
The steering stops look rather worn out. Could that metal on metal contact be making the noise i am hearing?
Once i had it jacked up i tried yanking the wheel and the play was minimal so i really have no clue what is clunking at full lock unless its those steering stops.
Oh and my shocks are rather soft..

I think they hit whenever i hit anything bigger than a piece of gravel.

bone collector

Nice looking truck. Keep up the good work

SpeedCrazy

Thanks man, i've enjoyed following yours for a while now.

bone collector

Thanks. Lots of changes in the last week.

SpeedCrazy

So yesterday i decided to take the not so short short cut on my way home from a buddies house (read trail that the state calls a road, basically a mile long rut that connects two roads). Long story short, my shocks are a lot softer than i thought. It was a rough ride and everything in my cab ended up in the floor. So i am confining myself to the hard top for the time being...

KirkPayne

That sucks, time to start saving

SpeedCrazy

Yeah... I need shocks, tires, springs, rear bumper... the list goes on and on. And i'm still trying to figure out that clunking in the front end.
But work is picking up so hopefully I'll be able to start making some progress soon.

bone collector

The tough part is prioritizing what needs to be done first.

SpeedCrazy

That would be the kicker. At this point i'm not sure.
I will need new tires in the next month or two, so i think they will be first. Springs... i really don't know. I may just do a zuk mod for now... i want to do it right first time, but i can't find any quality springs in stock lengths. Shocks depend on what i do with the springs...
And on it goes.
Tire wise i am probably going to keep rolling with BFG AT/KO's they work and they are reasonably priced.

bone collector

i would do the tires first. (What size????) then I would do springs and shocks together. I find if yu make a decision on one thing, everything else will tend to decide for you.

SpeedCrazy

Just gonna stick with 30"s for now. I would want to re-gear if i went bigger as i like my mpg.
Next time i get a free day i'll start price shopping locally. See what i can dig up with my connections.

dswag

Haha Im in the same boat with you on that one, my shocks are almost non existant as well as needing ball joints replaced. As much as I hate to admit it, I try to stay on asphalt as much as possible until I can get everything replaced haha. Even going up my driveway is a nightmare.

SpeedCrazy

Yeah, my ball joints and such probably need redoing too, they may be the cause of my noisy front end, but i hope they hold out a bit longer.

dswag

Its a good possibility. Mine are extremely noisy and thud loudly when I go over any kind of bump.

SpeedCrazy

How about when you hit a bump at full lock? Is it really noticeable then? I don't thud on bumps when going straight but if I'm turning there will be a creak on flat surfaces and clanks on rough ones.