Tow Rig / Shop Truck

[SwedeSport]

Ran into a slight detour with some of the work planned for the tow rig. The stamped steel upper spring/shock perches failed. Well, the drivers side anyway. They should be replaced in pairs, and since Im replacing the coil springs I might as well refurb the whole setup. The perches are riveted on to the frame. Ill grind off the rivet heads and drive out the shanks with an air chisel. I may have to run a drill thru the holes to clean em up. The new perches (readily available at the Ford dealer) just bolt on with grade 8 hardware, and locking nuts. Since I'm upgrading for a light Myers 7.5 foot plow, I ordered some new Super Duty coils. At the same time the shocks will clear the way for a new set. (Still on the fence,... Bilstein, or KYB). The brake lines go thru the perch, and are quite rusty, so I plan to replace the rubber flex line, as well as the hard lines all the way to the MC. I don't see a need to upgrade the rear springs as it seemed to bear the load of a 900 on a trailer. But I'm replacing the rear shocks while I'm at it.

Ill need to tackle the non functioning 4wd before we get inclement weather.

[SwedeSport]

Fun with Photoshop again

[SwedeSport]

Spent some of my motivated (few and far between) moments this past weekend tackling the rusted out spring perches. I just cut off the brake lines since it would all be renewed. Im replacing all hard and soft lines on the front brake circuit. The shocks and springs came out easily. one shock was already broken off at the mount where the rust was the worst. I was able to save all of the hardware except for one of the shock nuts, but Ill replace both sides for consistency sake.

About 2 hours with a thin abrasive disk to cut crosses into the rivets, and a few whacks with a chisel and hammer and the rivet heads were done away with. The 2 rivets on the bottom of the rail were tough to drive out being they went thru 2 layers of frame at the intersection of the rail and a crossmember. I got it all tore down and cleaned up the frame rail and surrounding metal with a flap wheel followed by rough sandpaper and finishing with a wire brush.

I sprayed on a product called "Rust Kutter". It smells like naval jelly. Turns rust black in 24 hours and can be painted over. Something I heard of from the farmer boys. Very popular for use in farm implements that have to sit outside, chemically neutralizes the rust. Expensive stuff though, 20 bucks a quart. As it sits right now I need to leave the stuff on for a while to let it dry thoroughly. Ill paint everything up tomorrow night, give it a day to dry before bolting the new perches in place.

[Geoff]

Looks like surface rust. Were they thin, weak, or rotted through somewhere?

[Luke]

Looks like surface rust. Were they thin, weak, or rotted through somewhere?

Well I think he said the drivers side already failed from rust, but the replacements are a different design or something so they need to be done in pairs.

[SwedeSport]

The upper bayonette on the shock busted thru on the drivers side, and upon further inspection both sides were rather thin at the top. Rather than have a problem 300 miles from home I decided to rehab the whole setup. Im uprating the springs to install a light 7.5 foot meyers plow, and replacing all 4 shocks, so I figured Id just be done with both sides. The brake lines were so rusted that they wouldnt come apart, new stuff is not expensive. the flex lines are 12 bucks each and a few lengths of brake line and some stone guard, and I doubt Ill ever have to look back at it as long as I have the truck. They need to be replaced in pairs since they are both usually bad. The Ford springs have a tendency to sag a bit and they are a common replacement item. Its just best to do the whole front end at one time since you its that far apart already.

I have been shopping shocks for a few weeks. I think I have decided to go with bilstein heavy duty units,.... any opinions?????


Ford coats their parts with what appears to be just paint. The moisture gets behind the coating and they rot away. The rear spring perches are pitted real bad and may be a problem down the road. If Ford had left them bare they may have lasted longer.

[DeLorean]

How do you like those tires? My Penndot truck has "commercial steer tires" on the front only, and though they are almost new "goodyear unisteel" branded they seem pretty shitty. I especially wonder how they will work in snow... Though after looking at prices for tires in the size & load rating that I need for that, I think I might just be keeping the "steer tires" up front for a while...

[SwedeSport]

I like them, although your new rig probably uses 16 inch tires? And your ride is heavier. I see alot of work trucks and duallys running transforce tires. Heard good stuff about them (and apparently they are a good value. You could probably run recaps on the back and save some money.

[Luke]

I have been shopping shocks for a few weeks. I think I have decided to go with bilstein heavy duty units,.... any opinions?????

Yes go with Bisteins, but buy them for the 900 first!

[DeLorean]

Agree on the shocks, I got Bilsteins on mine already, and it improved the ride, plus fixed the the tendency for side steeping when unloaded over bumps fast in turns. I think they keep the wheels on the ground a little better then the DOT specials it had, which you want...

I didn't have any of the rusty bracket or brake line problems you had as it seems like it was always in constant use and that was good for the truck however I think that it could use some black rustolium here and there to prevent a ford-rust explosion from happening in a few years. Most things are pretty darn clean on mine, however it does have the "ford rust" beginning stages all over the place, though it has a long long way to go before it would be any sort of an inspection issue.

[SwedeSport]

I need to get the truck together before the car. Winter is fast approaching and Im hoping to get the plow set up soon. Im not looking to start a plow business but I think I can easily pay for the truck over a few seasons.

Try that Rust Kutter stuff. I got it at TSC. Scrape off as much scale as possible, wire brush or wheel it, then coat with the stuff. Then you can hose some paint over it ( im using rust oleum bedliner on the frame). Im hoping to get 5 solid years out of the truck. I think neutralizing the rust before it gets worse will be key. Its primarily just an issue with the brackets that Ford rivets to the frame. Suspension hangers and such. Its all replaceable, but why futz with it if you can avoid it.


If I could sell some of my un-needed Saab shit I could probably get a LSD for the 86, Bilsteins for the 86, and a set of 8 inch stock car wheels for the 84 project. But I need to get the truck done.

[Luke]

Just get whatever is cheapest for the Ford, when I had an F150 ('84), I put gabriel gas pro-ryder something or other on it and it was night and day better than the factory units that came off it.

[SwedeSport]

I was looking at Monroe shocks, but never liked them. They are pretty generic. I dont need Rancho, or Pro Comps. Alot of shocks are available for the trail rig/mud terrain guys. My truck is not lifted and sees 99% of its use on the street. So the off road shit is not the best choice.
KYB makes a shock that would work, but they use the same valving on ALL truck shocks, where Bilstein valving is application specific. Much more R&D went into the Bilsteins.

The KYBs are 55 bucks each and the Bilsteins are 65 bucks each. Im thinking 40 extra bucks is gonna make a big difference.

[Geoff]

I put Bilstein motorhome spec shocks on my E350. Its nice and smooth but they weren't cheap. A guy told me about some Monroe shocks that he uses on his ambulances, I forget what model. They're yellow... He said they're a good value.

You do have to watch for shock valving as I noticed that most shocks are specified for 1/4 ton through 1 ton. Gee, I wonder what they really work for? That's why I got the motorhome spec.

I doubt they'd fit but I have a spare set of used front springs for a E350 diesel (should be pretty heavy duty).

[99Super]

I like them, although your new rig probably uses 16 inch tires? And your ride is heavier. I see alot of work trucks and duallys running transforce tires. Heard good stuff about them (and apparently they are a good value. You could probably run recaps on the back and save some money.

The tires on my work rig are TransForce made by Firestone. I was sceptical at first (I had no say in the decision), but they have worked out pretty well. We'll see how they hold up in the winter...

john