Project SVT

[RangerSVT]

Ok, time for updates, and progress Well, I started off at the end of last week building a jig to pull the inner C off...

This didn't work, as I applied force from the 12 ton jack, it ripped the metal apart just above the welds...Ok, time for stronger thicker metal...

Started jacking on the press I built, this happened....

Oooook...Let me think....

Well, decided to make a trip to the metal shop and pic up some more 6" C channel 1/4" thick and added it in...

Starting to press the tube out...

And this happens...

So, I start to head back out to the metal shop for more material when it hit me, why not just go to a place that has a shop press that can do it for the price it would cost me for another 3' piece of channel?? So off my fingers go dialing numbers to find someone who has one. After about 30 minutes I find one that can do it, a Carquest that has a 40 ton shop press. Great, heading there in the AM. I get there, we get it set up in the press and start at it. Well, they have a 40 ton press with a tonage gauge on it, and its at 50 tons of pressure, not budging at all So I ask him if he knows who has a 100 ton press...5 places later I find a shop that has a 100 ton press (You wouldn't think it would be that hard to find a shop that works on big rigs and heavy equipment and a metal shop that would have one) They get it done, and get this, they said it took about 30 tons of pressure to break it and about 20 tons to drive it off Oh well, after about 5 minutes...

Now, time to install it and not let it turn in the process. So I measure with an angle finder...

And tap...

And measure...

And tap...

And measure and tap about 8 more times...

And after its on, I measure again....

Great!! Dead on, well, I think its about 1/4 degree off, but it's way better than the 4 degrees it was before Well, I stopped here for the day, had to go in and celebrate Mom's B-day...Tomorrow I will get it welded, get the knuckles/spindles/shafts in, get my link brackets in place and one side burned on (still waiting on my bushings) and start on my link bars...Stay tuned
SVT

 

[wahlstrom1]

Way too much work for a D44.... Come join the dark side (1tons), we have cookies!

 

[RangerSVT]

Look again Andrew, ever seen a 44 with king pins?? (That is a 60, 1988 kp hp 60 to be exact)
SVT

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Wow...that was quite the effort to get your inner C off. I just cut it off, ground the weld and pounded mine out with a hammer and drift.

 

[Robert_1967]

If you would have heated the c part up, would that have helped it come off, or would the heat have messed the part up ????

Also it sounds like carquest needs to check their gauges

but all in all, good job, and you are one smart cookie to figure out how do all this stuff.



Robert

 

[86 slo-vo]

yea why didnt you just put some heat on it? probably would habe been able to get it in the right spot without taking it off.

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

The thing you guys dont know about my Bro here is ..............The easy way is always second...But he gets it done...lol!
Plus i dont think he has a torch setup at the moment.
Looking good Rick.

 

[RangerSVT]

Chad gets it for this round... don't have a torch setup (actually I do, just don't have the bottles and I'm too lazy to get a set from Airgas) Also, heating up a C takes the temper out of the metal. I allowed the Carquest guy to heat the C, but only the base of it ( I was watching him closely the whole time)When that didn't work, I didn't feel comfortable with any more heat, so I went with a bigger press...I looked at em online, suckers are $4k Guess I need to start saving!!
SVT

 

[wahlstrom1]

I'm an Idiot! I blanked out on one pic where you couldn't see the upper king pin..... my bad!

I pulled mine by using a plug in the end of the tube and a fairly hefty puller, after grinding the weld out.

 

[RangerSVT]

I tried that one, didn't work for me too well....At least its done, gonna be welding the knuckles today along with starting to position the link brackets...
SVT

 

[RangerSVT]

More progress made...I've been helping the parents with gardening duties, so that has slowed progress, but not stopped it. The garden is about 40 ft by 100 ft, so it takes some time to water it daily, de-weed it, and add plants....Anyways, I got the C burned on, also got the axle under the truck, roughly set pinion angle for link bracket placement, got the brackets burned on, got my set of bushings in that I plan to make my link bars with which are polyurethane ranger leaf spring bushings, started to reinforce the link brackets on the axle. I took some rough measurements and I don't think the shocks I have are 16's, but may be 14's, as the collapsed height of the shock is around 24", which where I will have the upper mount at will put the diff right where the engine crossmember temporarily resides. Also got my link bar length figured out, and eye to eye they will be 56" long. Plans are to move the front axle forward about 2", and eventually move the rear forward about 15" and link it. I'm at the point where I need to make some brackets so the shock can mount to the link brackets, remove the factory coil buckets (which are still in great shape, no rust on them at all) and make the engine cage which is where the upper shock mounts will attach to...Here are a few pics...

These bracing tabs are on the bottom of the axle, they are positioned so that if they contact a rock or obstacle, they will "slide" off instead of hang up on them...I'm still debating on putting a gusset from the link brackets to the axle tube, but I have 2 more brackets going inside the link brackets, so that might stiffen if up quite a bit. I also had to shorten the poly bushings by 1/2 inch as I didn't have that much room between the brackets on the driver (diff) side, but I have 2.5 inches inside the brackets, so that is more than enough as the johnny joints I have are 2.5625 (2 9/16) wide. I used a tubing cutter to make cutting the inserts as near perfect as possible. I got my grade 8 9/16 bolts (fine thread) in at the end of the day, so I threw them in. For mockup I used 1/2 inch all thread I had laying around. I need to get 2 pieces of 1 5/16 ID tube 2" long and 2 pieces of 1 5/8 ID tube 2" long for the bushings to reside in and weld to the link bars. What ya'll think so far??
SVT

 

[railman]

looks good so far

l8r, John

 

[bull90]

good stuff man!

 

[RangerSVT]

Got some more done today...Got the 60 finished (for now), got the shock tabs fabbed and installed. I don't know if they will stay there or not, I only have about 40 degrees of travel side to side out of the shock, don't know if that will be enough, I may have to clearance to get more. I used existing brackets that came with the link brackets to save on material, but I wish I would have made them from scrath so I could have tied them into the axle tube as well for more strength, oh well. I got the driver side coil bucket removed from the frame (which is still in great shape!!), removed the ABS pump(this is as far as I got with pics today, will take more of the rest of today's progress) removed the factory brake master cylinder and brake booster. Got the hydroboost set up. I knocked out the factory studs that attach the booster to the brake pedals and marked the new holes for drilling. 2 holes lined up, so I only had to drill 2 holes. The original studs were press-welded into place, so I couldn't reuse those. I took some square head 5/16 bolts and tacked them onto the hydoboost plate, bolted up the unit to SVT and it works great, I had to remove it cause the brake pedal linkage (booster actuator rod) is too long, tomorrow I will shorten it to length and install. I need it in place so I can fab my upper shock mounts and engine cage...Here are today's pics

You will notice in the side by side pic of the brake MC's, the new replacement unit should offer some braking improvement, you think??
SVT

 

[Josh40601]

So what did the MC come from? Is that the Hydroboost that Robert gave you?