Narrowed D60 front axle and Sterling 10.25 rear axle builds

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Ok some more progress tonight. Got the lower link mounts tacked in place and made up an upper link mount to go onto the top of the truss on the drivers side. It's looking more and more like I'm going to be loosing most, if not all of my engine crossmember. It either that or push the axle forward a bunch more which I really don't want to do. The truck doesn't need to be any longer. Heres some pics of the axle under the truck roughly at ride height.

That's a 38.5x15x15 bogger under there for reference. I'll be running a 38x13x16 TSL.

 

[RangerSVT]

I ended up cutting out my engine crossmember and putting a 1/2 x 4" flat stock along the bottom of the frame with 2" x 1/4 angle on the bottom outside frame rails for a new crossmember. The clearance between the oil pan and the new crossmember is tight, about 3/4", but I gained almost 8 inches for the diff to tuck up closer to the truck...

SVT

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

I'll probably end up running tube through both frame rails and attaching my shock hoops to that.

 

[RangerSVT]

a quick note on the brakes...i found they got kinda spongey with the ranger master on the 1 ton goodies-a switch to a master from a '02 sport trac solved the problem,it has a larger bore that suits the bigger bottoms nicely and bolts up to the ranger booster.

Tom, I got a question for ya, did you find a sport trac in a junkyard somewhere to get parts off it? I need some interior parts that are damn near impossible to find....let me know, thanks
SVT

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Some more slow progress done.....cut the lower brackets out of 1/4" plate with my horizontal band saw tonight. Made a template out of cardboard, traced it onto the plate which I rough cut with my angle grinder. Stacked the pieces and tack welded them together then cut them all out of one chunk at the same time on the band saw. Slow, tedious process, but they turn out very nice and are all identical. Little clean up on the bench grinder and a flap wheel and a couple hours worth of watching the bandsaw cut we have the lower mounts for the links. They will be welded to the piece of 2x3 tube that they are sitting on. It will be my new transmission crossmember. It will sit up just inside the lower lip of the frame rails. It will be bolted to the frame, and the lower links will be welded to it. My upper link mount will probably end up being incorporated into the trans crossmember as well.

 

[gwaii]

Tom, I got a question for ya, did you find a sport trac in a junkyard somewhere to get parts off it? I need some interior parts that are damn near impossible to find....let me know, thanks
SVT

i did an engine swap on a first gen some years ago,put in the ohc 4.0 from the sport trac.the customer brought me a rollover victim as a donor,and i was left with the hulk afterward to pilfer for random parts.unfortunately,it's all history now...except for that master,anyway.

by the way,those brackets are looking good,ryan

and i see you finally found a bandsaw...good deal,they're handy as can be.i made a little pad for vertical operation instead of using the big one that came with it...it allows horizontal operation without removing it and works just as well.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Got any pictures of that table tom? The one I got is pretty old....can't find any info on it online. It's a Desco 4 1/2" x 6, says made in Canada on it tho.... Being able to use it vertical would be nice for small cuts and stuff like brackets. Only thing i've done with mine is tossed the cheapo legs it was on and built a nice roll around stand for it that puts it at waist height so its a little easier to use.

 

[gwaii]

Got any pictures of that table tom? The one I got is pretty old....can't find any info on it online. It's a Desco 4 1/2" x 6, says made in Canada on it tho.... Being able to use it vertical would be nice for small cuts and stuff like brackets. Only thing i've done with mine is tossed the cheapo legs it was on and built a nice roll around stand for it that puts it at waist height so its a little easier to use.

the table that came with the saw was about 6x8'',far bigger than it needed to be.the biggest problem with it was that it needed to be removed to operate the saw in the horizontal position.
this little one is fine for cutting out all the small brackets and linkages that need to be made(all the throttle and shifter parts for the gt were done on this)and since the throat on the saw is offset,long pieces can get a crosscut up to 4'' deep...i can't do that with my big bandsaw.

here you can see how it sits when the saw is down.i fought with this saw for a long time before coming up with this idea,yet it's something so simple.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

The funny thing is that my pulley is busted off just like yours...same one and everything...

Thats a neato little idea for that table!

 

[gwaii]

The funny thing is that my pulley is busted off just like yours...same one and everything...

ya,the old girl's been through a lot...hauled back and forth to jobsites,left out in the snow all winter while on a building job,and generally not treated too nice.

where it is now must be like a florida retirement for it

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Little update here I guess...

My tires and wheels showed up last week....Got 5 13x38x16 TSL's on 16x8 white rockcrawlers. Thinking about ordering a DIY beadlock kit from TMR customs for them as the wheels are a touch narrow for the tires, and the beadlocks add about an inch to the width.

My 14x2.5" King air shocks shipped out today, should get them mid next week!

Ordered the rest of the 1.5" .250 wall DOM for my steering linkage and ordered all the tube adapters and TRE's from Ruff Stuff.

I'm working on getting all my links mounted to the frame, then onto the track bar/steering. And then I'll be bending up my hoops for my air shocks.

It is all slowly falling in to place. Might have some more pics tonight after I'm done in the shop.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Lower link mounts are tacked in place, little redesign over the first idea, a lot simpler.

Tomorrow night I will try to get the upper mount built on the drivers side.

Teaser picture with one of the 38's stuck on there

 

[--weezl--]

krist that's a big tire

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

It's adequately sized.

Links are all tacked in place, looks like everything clears fine! I started solid welding all my tabs/brackets then I ran out of wire...guess that's all i'll get done for today. Here's the pics

 

[azbronco2]

you using a track bar?