i have the perfect location for our next GTG...
http://mensknittingretreat.com/

 

Lol, I stopped working on it a couple weeks ago. When I can't even stand outside in the shade without soaking in sweat, I sure haven't had any motivation to go work out in that heat!!!!! But hopefully the weather forcast is right and it will drop to the low 80s later this week and I'll get to work on it again.

But to answer your question, I stopped at turning the inner knuckle C's to reset the castor. I still need to finish doing that... they are about .4 degrees off of each other right now and I need them within .1, but turning them a small amount is not easy considering how hard I have to beat on it with a sledge hammer to get it to even move at all!!

But once I get them squared away, it will be time to weld all the mounts I have tacked the frame and finally install and spring the front axle and get it off the last 2 jackstands. Then I need to finish my transmission crossmember, build a steering linkage system, track bar, and run new brake lines and get the brakes working. Then I need to come up with driveshafts. Still a lot left to do, but all the hard stuff is almost out of the way. Once the front axle is attached and sprung, it should be more easy going after that.

 

well dang man get to working, i want to see the final product

 

I feel your pain on the heat deal, it sucks when you step outside and before you even get to the truck you're already leaking.

 

Well I finally got around to getting the pictures of the Ford. I spent the past 2 days putting ball joints and steering rods on it along with a power steering pump and new lines... it drives straight down the road now and I don't have to wear myself out chasing it!

 

looks good, needs to be leveled out, and would look BA with a flat black paint job

ive always been a dodge guy, but if i was to own another brand it would be a ford, dont like chevy, only way id own chevy or most other brands would be a pre '75, sad to say tho my tattoo is of a 47 chevy truck but it does look good, ill eventually get a dodge and ford

 

Thanks! Yeah, I want to get some 1-2 inch front lift coils, but I gotta get the Dakota running before I can think of modifying this one.

And I'm also not a fan of chevy. I would have loved to find an old Dodge 4x4, but this one came up first and I needed something to drive. I've always been a fan of this generation Ford pickup. I mean seriously, they just don't make them like this any more!! At 32 years old, I can close and latch the doors with 1 finger! Thats just quality.

I do have a lot of ideas for restoring/modifying this truck. First and foremost, all the rust will be getting repaired and I'll be painting the truck metallic midnight blue. I'm going to paint the metal dash the same color, but change the rest of the interior to tan. Then I'm going to replace all the "chrome" parts with shiney new ones. Thats really all I have for looks. The rest of my ideas are performance. I want to do a manual transmission swap with an old ZF 5 speed with PTO and hook a hydraulic pump to it to run a winch. Then I want to find some 4V heads and matching intake manifold with an 800 cfm holley carb, mild cam and headers. That combo should easily put that 351M in the 450 hp range!

 

that is an awesome color, there is a f250? up here in that same color and year range that always running in the truck pulls, thing looks awesome i forgot what it runs out but its not gas or deisel

 

I really like that truck. The 90's and up Fords are pretty ugly, but that style is nice. and that motor is a beast.
I would be looking into a 2-3" lift for it to start off if it were mine.

 

Naw, the only thing I'm going to do as far as lifting goes to this truck is leveling springs in the front. Its already got tons of ground clearance with those 35s and the huge wheel wells clear those 35s fine as well. The Dodge is going to be the big, jacked up offroad toy. The Ford is going to be the "work truck". And by work truck I mean the one that will haul things for the few times I need to haul things and pulling a trailer the few times I need to pull a trailer. The Dodge is just going to be too high up in the air to be a practial "work truck", and I don't need two impractical trucks!