Started installing Energy Suspension Master Kit. Got the PS control arm and sway bar w links done this weekend. Ran out of time for the DS, that comes this weekend. Then the rear springs,,,then the body mounts,,,,looks like a month long project.
I figured if I was gonna tear down the front end as far as this, I'd replace the balljoints with XRF's. The boots were torn and had a bounce. Whoever the engineer was that designed these with battleship sized rivets ought to be tried for incompetence. Those things are a **** to get off.

So, pulling out the PS rear leaf spring, and pushing out the bushings (one popped so loud, I thought I'd been shot!) I installed the shackle ES bushing. Very nice, went in by hand, I thought this was going to be so easy. I happily went about prepping the eye bushings and discovered what every guy dreads at this point,,,,,,crap,,,they don't fit. I called ES tech support and found out that since my truck was assembled in ol' mejico, they hadn't made a bushing specific to this origin and referred to the spec's on the box of product. Well, long story short, we got it sorted out, and they mailed me replacements with the measurements that would fit the leaf spring eye bushings, which were 1.5" d. They bear the ES part #2004.

 

Oil and filter, plus a new set of plugs. Autolite 3923s. Had no issues with Champions but everyone on here seems to dog them so I thought I would give the ALs a try. First report after a few miles absolutely not noticable. Good since I was quite happy with how she has been running. Old plugs looked fine.

While I was under there for the oil and trying to figure where my tranny was leaking from I noticed the trans pan bolts were pretty darn loose. I don't have a torque wrench that will do 13ft/lbs which is what my Haynes said, but they seemed very loose so I gave em all a gentle twist and we will see if I made it better or worse. Here's hoping no more fresh drip on the driveway

 

I installed a Stebel Compact Nautilus only to find that I am underwhelmed by it.

 

Is it not very loud, and damn that sucks

 

I used Ford Dana 50 spindles and hubs Dana 60 stub shafts and brake rotors from 78-79 Ford F250-350. I have about $500 in it with buying the Dana 50 front axle, d-60 stub axles, new rotors, new Temkin bearings and races, new ujoints and all new seals. My main goal was to get rid of the unit bearings, there other benefits but that was what I was after. Some of the web sites that helped me were:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=716129
http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=874442
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/d...light=Ford+hub

Took some information form one and some from another. If you can get a Dana 60 axle for a good price it will have more usable parts then the D-50

 

It's not as loud as I'd hoped, and I believe it's not as loud as advertised (115dBA at 2m) but I don't have the sound level meter to test with. I'd be pissed off if I'd paid MSRP for it, but $45 delivered from an eBay seller isn't such a big hit.

Running the horn by itself, it's disappointing and about as loud as the factory horns. In conjunction with the factory horns it's good enough to keep me from digging out my old triple trumpet and hunting around for good places to mount them. The group of horns has already backed off an aggressive jaywalker who backed up a step instead of continuing into my path when I blipped the horn. She obviously had intended to make me stop, but changed her mind. Whether it was the horn itself or just my bad attitude being expressed that backed her up I don't know...

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Don't you step in front of me

The whole reason I went with the Compact Nautilus is that it's small enough to tuck behind the bumper -- there's a 1/4" hole already in the crossmember on the passenger side, so it's easy to (5/16") tap that and bolt on an angle bracket to mount the horn. In that location all the bits are near enough the factory horns for an easy splice for relay coil power without fooling around in the PCM harness. For ease of mounting it's a winner.

I'm calling it good enough, but I'm still disappointed with the sound pressure. Live and learn, eh?

 

i want a train horn! now that will make people pee in their pants!! LMAO

 

Not that you'd be able to hear them screaming at you about it.

 

Train horn, sitting by the rail road tacks at night with the lights off..... Mmmmmmm good times

 

I've got a set of hornblasters shockers and I love em. Definitely gets the point across. They are kinda big though so you need room for a tank, compressor and the horns.