83 Full-Width SAS

[Tbmitchell]

the front on P205/55R16 and the rear sittin on35's this is as far as i am so far still need to get shocks and a front driv shaft and some bigger tires for the front and i need to put in my fullwidth rear axle

 

[dangerranger83]

I'll be watching this one due to it being a Gen 1 and and 83 like mine plus I'm going to be doing this only with a D30 and coils.

 

[LittleBigFoot]

Are you planning on running that "wrap around" chevy steering arm?

Looks like the 3/4 ton D44 GM knuckles on a Ford D44. I'm startin to think Dodge ran that style for a few years. Did they?

Either way, if you're gonna run the drag link from the pitman arm to that steering arm you're gonna come across quite a few problems.

For example, reversed steering. When you turn to the left, that arm is going to move backwards and to the left turning the wheels to the right. Unless you plan on using the GM style gear box in which the pitman arm turned forward and backwards, rather then left to right.

The other big problem with that system is it tends to pull the chassis rather then move the tires.

Tons of bump steer.

And you'll actually loose the ability to turn in some off camber situations.

Ask me how I know....


Sky Off Road Design makes a great high steer arm that's thick ass hell, uses 1 ton GM TREs, and uses the factory studs with no need for spacers.

Is the passenger side knuckle a flat top too? You could always have that drilled and tapped for another high steer arm and run traditional cross over.

Or because the dude that owns the only junk yard near you is potentially a dick like mine and won't sell you parts unless he pulls them and charges you out the ass to undo two castle nuts, you could could get creative with another driver side flat top and a double ended arm, and clocking the caliper mounting plate a few bolt holes on the spindle bolts till it's on the same position as the driver side.

Some one might chime in on that one, but that's what I'm up to right now.

 

[JohnnyU]

What's your caster angle intended to be?

 

[Tbmitchell]

i had planned on running a highsteer to the pass side but as u can tell i dont have room in my garage to put the truck i half to work on it outdoors and well winter coming so i wanted to get to rolling order so i could move it around. and yea i kno the caster great aint it i got some shims to fix that next time it get warm but im going to pick up a set of 36 for it tomm so i might throw them on the front just to see what it looks like.

 

[LittleBigFoot]

I don't know what your axle came out of, but I know the 78-79 solid axle bronco 44s ran 5-7 degrees positive (which is where the top of the C is angled towards the rear of the truck) I've heard a ton of different shit about setting up caster per inch of lift and shit. I set mine at 7 degrees after the lift and the return to center is great, it doesn't lift the truck as I turn, it's fine.

Clear this up for me, is that 8 lug chevy/gm D44 knuckles etc shoved on a Ford driver's side drop housing?


And I have a feeling you're going to want to pull the overload sprigs up front.

Oh, just advice, get your rear lifted and your tire situation figured out before you shim the front to the desired caster. It'll change around as you lift the ass end.

 

[bobbywalter]

I don't know what your axle came out of, but I know the 78-79 solid axle bronco 44s ran 5-7 degrees positive (which is where the top of the C is angled towards the rear of the truck) I've heard a ton of different shit about setting up caster per inch of lift and shit. I set mine at 7 degrees after the lift and the return to center is great, it doesn't lift the truck as I turn, it's fine.

Clear this up for me, is that 8 lug chevy/gm D44 knuckles etc shoved on a Ford driver's side drop housing?


And I have a feeling you're going to want to pull the overload sprigs up front.

Oh, just advice, get your rear lifted and your tire situation figured out before you shim the front to the desired caster. It'll change around as you lift the ass end.

?????


all 1 ton 70's shit is like that along with most 3/4........i dont think i have ever seen factory pre 80s big 3 f/s leafs with crossover steering from the factory. i dont consider the jeeps and scouts f/s.

 

[Tbmitchell]

no that is a ford axle with knuckles. i am plannin on doing the rear before i start with aligment angles but i figure if its close not it wont be off a super lot when im done. but im not just running out and buyin shims now there just things i have layin around the house

 

[LittleBigFoot]

?????


all 1 ton 70's shit is like that along with most 3/4........i dont think i have ever seen factory pre 80s big 3 f/s leafs with crossover steering from the factory. i dont consider the jeeps and scouts f/s.

The 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton D44s that came from GM ran pass. side drop diffs. This is clearly a driver side drop, so assumeably a Ford axle or the tubes were pressed out and swapped. The driver side knuckle is a flat top with the curved high steer arm. It's clearly GM stuff from the ball joint out. Beside from the small bearing spindles that chevy ran, most of the D44 shiz is interchangeable between Ford and Chevy. Dodge didn't match up on a lot. I'll see if I can pull the tech article I found.

Ford only ran flat top knuckles for a select year or two in the late 70s and are a junk yard jewell even though they were weak knuckles.

I've never seen that set up on a stock Ford in all of the trucks I've pulled parts from at the junk yard.

 

[JohnnyU]

This one?
http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/flatop_knucles.html

 

[Tbmitchell]

okay just to clear it up the axle i personaly pulled from my grandpal old turck it was a 79 ford f250 3/4 ton its an 8 lug axle and the truck was a ext cab so the alxe was stock when i pulled it out. but i did get my set of 36X14.5 Parnelli Jones so i rolled them up beside the truck just to see what they would look like i think they will look good. but i got my knuckle of right now im doing new ball joints and taping the knuckle for high steer

here the new tires behind the one that were mounted on the truck

 

[NMB2]

that looks like a stock ford axle to me. 78/79 supercab 150's had leafs and that steering setup, and the 250 used that steering as well. Ive personally owned one.

 

[LittleBigFoot]

Those were the ones with the flat tops right?

I've only worked with the rad arm 73-79 1/2 tons and the crossover 3/4 tons.

Didn't those run drums in the front?

 

[Tbmitchell]

yea that the flat top knuckle one i just dropped the knuckle off today to have it tapped and milled down a shade to make it true but that one had dics brake i dont think they did drum on the 79 i know it was either single or dual piston caliper and that one is a dual piston

 

[bobbywalter]

The 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton D44s that came from GM ran pass. side drop diffs. This is clearly a driver side drop, so assumeably a Ford axle or the tubes were pressed out and swapped. The driver side knuckle is a flat top with the curved high steer arm. It's clearly GM stuff from the ball joint out. Beside from the small bearing spindles that chevy ran, most of the D44 shiz is interchangeable between Ford and Chevy. Dodge didn't match up on a lot. I'll see if I can pull the tech article I found.

Ford only ran flat top knuckles for a select year or two in the late 70s and are a junk yard jewell even though they were weak knuckles.

I've never seen that set up on a stock Ford in all of the trucks I've pulled parts from at the junk yard.

i have owned a few of these trucks..some hand me down that were bought new.....i think you need to do some more research

cause i have no idea why you think those HAVE TO BE GM parts.


sure as hell look ford to me.