mazdamama's fullwidth 79 f150 sas build

[mazdamama]

ok bronco II tank hooked up and in place but not permanently secured yet. the frame had a bulge on each side were the tank sit so i had to grind it down to fit the tank in easier, i also removed one of the upper shock mounts and im going to move it in front of the axle whe the old gas tank used to be

if the truck looks like its sitting strange its because the u - bolts are off the rear axle and it slipped off of the leaf pads.

 

[mazdamama]

ok, heres the radius arms, just the basic design, i still need to cut them to the right length and weld the bungs in

and heres the 9 inch third member with detroit locker an 5.13s

as of right now ive got the truck suspension 90 % removed and im working on putting the ear axle in, but ive got some questions for anyone whos reading to answer.


1. my transfer case output is hanging down -7 degrees so should i just weld the leaf pads on to match + 7 degrees (taking into account the angle of the leafs and the taper of the ford block) so that they are parralel? or should i try and make a new crossmember that holds the transfer case flat at 0 degrees and make my leaf pads parralel at 0 degrees as well ?

also what gear oil should i run in the diffs?
oh, and DO I NEED 1350/1330 U JOINTS FRONT AND REAR ?

more updates and probably More questions soon.

 

[tjdeerslayer37]

when you welded the rad arms together, did you weld the tube at an angle to the C? or is it completely parallel? if you did offset it at all, what kind of angle did you use?

 

[mazdamama]

allright suspension off time to clean up and get ready for monday morning

MORE QUESTIONS

what kinda pitman arm should i use, i have stock, 6 inch lift arm, and the extreme drop?
i dont know whether im gonna run high steer right yet.
is there anyway to run hydro assist without high steer?
im thinking that to make a track bar parralel with the extreme drop pitman arm, i would have to create a really long track bar mount which would probably compromise strength.
WHAT ARE YOUR GUYS THOUGHTS?

 

[mazdamama]

when you welded the rad arms together, did you weld the tube at an angle to the C? or is it completely parallel? if you did offset it at all, what kind of angle did you use?

um i just made them straight, we have shops here that could bend them but i decided not to, we will have to see if ill run into issues if my axle wasnt at my buddys shop id cyle the steering and see. if i end up bending them ill let you know

 

[Andres629]

Build looks like it's coming along nicely!

 

[mazdamama]

so i just got done building the transmission crossmember and putting it in and then i tacked the leaf pads on and put the rear axle under when my neighbor walked into my garage and offered to give me his 79 F350 FOR FREE !!!!!
so now ive got a whole bunch more work and research to do, it looks like im going to be selling the brand new geared half ton stuff so i can build the 60s

does anyone know how much more work is required?
im thinking of welding the wedges on and running the same setup that i was gonna run with the dana 44. but i still havnt decided
will i probably have to get beefier driveshafts and reinforce the frame?
can i still use the 1330/1350 u joints ?
what knuckles do i need for high steer?
looks like ive got a bunch more research to do.

 

[Andres629]

Hoooooooooooly, for FREE?!? Must be nice, that's awesome you're going one ton.


*ahem*
Time to run 44's? Haha.

 

[Bray D]

1. my transfer case output is hanging down -7 degrees so should i just weld the leaf pads on to match + 7 degrees (taking into account the angle of the leafs and the taper of the ford block) so that they are parralel? or should i try and make a new crossmember that holds the transfer case flat at 0 degrees and make my leaf pads parralel at 0 degrees as well ?

also what gear oil should i run in the diffs?
oh, and DO I NEED 1350/1330 U JOINTS FRONT AND REAR ?

what kinda pitman arm should i use, i have stock, 6 inch lift arm, and the extreme drop?
i dont know whether im gonna run high steer right yet.
is there anyway to run hydro assist without high steer?
im thinking that to make a track bar parralel with the extreme drop pitman arm, i would have to create a really long track bar mount which would probably compromise strength.
WHAT ARE YOUR GUYS THOUGHTS?

does anyone know how much more work is required?
im thinking of welding the wedges on and running the same setup that i was gonna run with the dana 44. but i still havnt decided
will i probably have to get beefier driveshafts and reinforce the frame?
can i still use the 1330/1350 u joints ?
what knuckles do i need for high steer?

You should've figured this shit out before tearing your truck apart.

Make your t-case flange and pinoin flange parallel. Whether that's 7* or 0* is your choice. I'd leave it at 7. Puts less of an operating angle on your driveshaft.

Run whatever gear oil you want. If you want to get down to the nitty gritty, look up what ford recommends for that axle. Google is your friend.

1330 and 1350 refer to joint sizes. Measure the size of the joints and yokes you've got, and get the appropriate joint.

Run whatever pitman arm you want. The general rule is the flatter the drag link the better. I've got a stock arm and high steer. If I had a drop arm, it would be too flat, and I'd run into problems building a trac bar on the same plane due to packaging issues. You may not have that problem if you run more lift. I've only got ~3.5" of compression.

wtf does hydro assist have to do with high steer? Its a hydro cylinder that attaches to your tie rod (or knuckle, or wherever works) that provides additional steering force. Whether you've got high steer or not is irrelevent.

How much more work is it to build tons over 1/2t? The real question should be how much more money. They're both axles. It takes as much work as it takes. They both have gears, carriers, axles, knuckles, bearings. It may be a KP60, but that still doesn't make much difference. It'll just cost you 3 times as much money to build the tons vs the 1/2t.

Are you increasing the torque output of your powertrain? If not then your driveshafts will be fine, as long as you can find a joint that will work with the tons.

Frame reinforcement is up to you. They're heavy axles.

The knuckles you need for high steer have to have a flat top, duh.



Most of this stuff is common sense. If you're wondering if something will fit, grab a tape measure and find out. If you wonder how much work something is, search for other builds.

What it boils down to is its your truck, and you need to decide if stuff will work. Every application is different.

 

[mazdamama]

You should've figured this shit out before tearing your truck apart.

Make your t-case flange and pinoin flange parallel. Whether that's 7* or 0* is your choice. I'd leave it at 7. Puts less of an operating angle on your driveshaft.

Run whatever gear oil you want. If you want to get down to the nitty gritty, look up what ford recommends for that axle. Google is your friend.

1330 and 1350 refer to joint sizes. Measure the size of the joints and yokes you've got, and get the appropriate joint.

Run whatever pitman arm you want. The general rule is the flatter the drag link the better. I've got a stock arm and high steer. If I had a drop arm, it would be too flat, and I'd run into problems building a trac bar on the same plane due to packaging issues. You may not have that problem if you run more lift. I've only got ~3.5" of compression.

wtf does hydro assist have to do with high steer? Its a hydro cylinder that attaches to your tie rod (or knuckle, or wherever works) that provides additional steering force. Whether you've got high steer or not is irrelevent.

How much more work is it to build tons over 1/2t? The real question should be how much more money. They're both axles. It takes as much work as it takes. They both have gears, carriers, axles, knuckles, bearings. It may be a KP60, but that still doesn't make much difference. It'll just cost you 3 times as much money to build the tons vs the 1/2t.

Are you increasing the torque output of your powertrain? If not then your driveshafts will be fine, as long as you can find a joint that will work with the tons.

Frame reinforcement is up to you. They're heavy axles.

The knuckles you need for high steer have to have a flat top, duh.



Most of this stuff is common sense. If you're wondering if something will fit, grab a tape measure and find out. If you wonder how much work something is, search for other builds.

What it boils down to is its your truck, and you need to decide if stuff will work. Every application is different.

jesus way to rip me a new one, youre right, i should do more research, but come on i was excited, i just heard i was getting dana 60s which meant that the plans i had been working for months were changed all of the sudden and its not like im gonna find everything in one hour so i ask a few questions for anyone who cares to answer if it pisses you off then dont answer. i do really appreciate your advice and to be honest i do not know that much about anything mechanical yet, im 20 years old and my dad hasnt worked on a car in his life everything i know ive had to research for or ask questions for.

oh and i wasnt asking whether i needed flat tops i was asking which vehicle i could pull them from.

and to clarify, i just wanted to know if most stock drag link to tierod combos are strong enough to hold up to big tires and hydro or if i need to just put the money in and setup high steer.

also i wasnt sure if it would be good to drive with the transfer case not being at 0*, because if the rear output is -7 then the front out put will be facing + 7 degrees and i wasnt sure if this angles would create stress/vibrations on the drivetrain.


and im aware it probably pisses some people off to see some dumbass 4x4 noob like me come across one tons so easily, but honestly im not here to be a showoff or an asshole to any one i just want to learn a few things and help other people out,. i work just as hard and am as passionate as everyone else about my truck and absolutely 100% of everything to do with anything mechaical ive learned since the last two years that ive owned and built my truck.

 

[mazdamama]

i cant even explain how happy i am

this thing runs great to but it wont pass smog the way it is no. im half tempted into building it into a monster tow rig / mud truck

 

[Andres629]

Tow rig. Do it. Don't build it into a bogger though, it's in too good of shape to drive the bag off it like that. Just lift it 3-4" and run some 35's on it, be a beauty tow rig for the soon-to-be non street legal Mazerati. Keep your 1/2 ton axles on the Mazda because it's not likely you'll break them and you've already started building them up.

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

Fix ,Restore,Repair that 350!
Please dont rip it apart!

Jesus H Christ in a side car!

 

[mazdamama]

Fix ,Restore,Repair that 350!
Please dont rip it apart!

Jesus H Christ in a side car!

man i wish i could do everything, i just dont know any other weay ill come across a nice set of dana 60s but at this point i think i would have just as much fun in a tow rig, that i could take in the mud a little, i am still undecided. its a big decision.

 

[Bray D]

I wasn't trying to come off that harsh. I guess I can be a little too straight forward sometimes.

Most of the stuff you're asking pertains to axle swaps in general. I thought you should already know most of it since you're balls deep into your swap already.

We all come from different back grounds, and learn in different ways. My dad's a farmer so I'm blessed with a halfway decent shop to work in. That being said, unless its general maintenance to ag equipment, he doesn't do anything himself. Hell he takes his pickup to the local garage to get the oil changed.

I never worked on a truck until I got mine when I was 16. To put a timeline to the major mods, I installed the doubler and supporting mods just after my 21'st b-day, and did the axle swap just after my 22nd. I'm 23 now, so I know what you're sayin about being young and still learning. I've got no problem admitting that the majority of my automotive knowledge I've learned online.

Back to the build - unless you plan on getting nuts with it (40"+ tires, big power, low gearing, etc) I would just build and swap in the 1/2t stuff. A lot of guys will tell you to go 60's and never look back, but I get around just fine with 35's and my 1/2t junk. Wait till you can out drive your tires, then go big. Believe me, it'll take a while. You'd be surprised where you can go on a small tire.

Search search search!!!

Read until your eyes are fried man. Even then, you'll still wish you knew more haha.