1980 F150 4x4 Flareside Project

[Gary Lewis]

That is a bummer!  But you'll get it sorted, I'm sure.

And I can see how the fork lift was handy.  Wow!  That certainly would be.  I know many times I've had to figure out how to hold the end of something long to get to it in the press.  Not to mention the many other uses you've found.

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

Not to mention the many other uses you've found.

Like dismantling trucks, swapping cabs, frames, and drivetrains, etc...lol. It's been very handy.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Rembrant wrote

So I removed all four leaf hanger brackets. The forward ones I just cleaned up and painted, the rears I had to replace. The passenger rear was especially bad.

Closer to all the 'stuff' at the kerb.

Hopefully the new hangers have a nice big drain hole in them.  

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Hopefully the new hangers have a nice big drain hole in them.  

That's a good question, I didn't notice, but I will check tomorrow. While this truck will likely see some use in the rain, it will never see the winter or salt. I bought a gallon of Fluid Film black, so once it's all buttoned up this thing is getting SOAKED with a black film...lol. It's going to look like the Exxon Valdez hit it.

[salans7]

Rembrant wrote

That's a good question, I didn't notice, but I will check tomorrow. While this truck will likely see some use in the rain, it will never see the winter or salt.

That's a statement somebody makes when they're going to keep a truck.  :fingerscrossed:

[ArdWrknTrk]

I can understand having A garage queen.

I really can't understand having multiple trucks that don't get used as trucks.  

[Rembrant]

salans7 wrote

That's a statement somebody makes when they're going to keep a truck.  :fingerscrossed:

Haha! Now that's a good point. Well, there have been some developments lately that are changing my future plans. I don't know if I'll keep it or not, but it's more likely now than it was a few weeks ago.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

I can understand having A garage queen.

I really can't understand having multiple trucks that don't get used as trucks.  

Well, it didn't start out that way. I only bought this 1980 as a make work project. I have no other hobbies, and I need stuff to do in the winter (or any free time, really). The plan for it was to leave it kind of rough so that I didn't mind driving it in the rain, or gravel roads, or even four wheeling if the mood hit. So I will definitely use it. I have a daily driver truck, so that's taken care of.

I can't really have is TWO garage queens. If all there is to do is wax and polish them, then I'll get bored with that quick. I kinda need a project to keep busy. Things might change though...who knows. I'm having fun with this truck, so I'm just rolling with it.

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Hopefully the new hangers have a nice big drain hole in them.

Jim, interestingly the new hangers DO have drain holes, about 3/8" in size. Oddly, the ones I installed on my '84 a couple years ago do not have the drain holes, and they are the same Dorman hangers. Looks like they added the hole recently?...I don't know.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Maybe Dorman figured out that it would cost them nothing to make better lasting hangers than Ford had?

That is where the rot always starts. And it's 99% because the dinky hole gets clogged.

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Maybe Dorman figured out that it would cost them nothing to make better lasting hangers than Ford had?

That is where the rot always starts. And it's 99% because the dinky hole gets clogged.

I should say that I think they're the same hanger as on the other truck. I bought the Dorman kits each time, but the '84 has 2.5" wide springs, and this one has 3" wide springs. However, I think the difference is only in the shackles and the hanger/brackets are the same in each case. I must say though, they're nice pieces, and very heavy.

[Rembrant]

Today was frame repair day (I've had a couple of these with this project, considering I've rebuild 2 crossmembers and stiffened up a couple spots on the frame previously). The one bad spot in the rear section of the frame was around the right rear leaf spring hanger.



I didn't take as many pictures as I normally would have as I was in a bit of a rush today, but I cut two big chunks of frame out and welded in fresh 1/8" plate, outlines below:



I welded them on both sides and ground them smooth so that they're not visible, at least from the outside. I also added some extra plates on the inside for extra strength...probably not necessary, but I did it anyway. I'm going to weld in some 1" wide 1/8" flat bar along in the inside of the bottom flange to strengthen it up as well.

 

In the end the right hand leaf pack is all installed (temporarily as I still need to get the front bushings sorted out). I have a few more little things to weld in, but the hard work is all done now. I should have a whole bunch of easy stuff over the next few weeks...installing new shocks, gas tank and fuel line, brake lines, etc. Once it is all soaked with Fluid Film black it'll look great.



Oh well, life in the land of rust. This frame was not perfect, but it was way better than the one that was in this truck. It is 15 years newer after all lol.

[grumpin]

Nice work!

[salans7]

Glad to see most of the hard work is done.

The frame on Florida Man's truck had some spots that were thin and pitted, possibly from the sand and mud and other junk sitting on the rails and trapping moisture. It was a Florida truck, so it was strange to see. But it wasn't near as bad as that frame.

[Rembrant]

They all get pitted and rusted here, I'm used to it. This started out as a budget build, so I couldn't be too fussy when frame shopping, especially when they're all rusted out here. This one had everything I wanted with the 5spd and 3.55 diffs, swaybars, etc..., but the downside is that it was rusty. Welding them up is pretty common here, but the original frame that was in this truck was too far gone to repair.

[salans7]

Part of the reason I parted ways with my F150 was because of the rust in the A-Pillars and the bottom of the firewall. You guys in the salty areas probably dream of minor issues like that. I guess I'm spoiled rotten.

[Rembrant]

Rembrant wrote

Found this with a little digging on Google...

I've done a lot of digging on these bushings and the correct ones that I need are no longer available from Ford, and the aftermarket replacement (part # RB229) is also impossible to find in Canada. RB229 is available in the US, but at $32 each plus $50 shipping they'd end up costing me about $175 CDN shipped, and I don't really want to pay that for a couple of $10 bushings if I don't have to.

The next closest thing I can find is the RB219, which is available locally (by order at least). It is 1 13/16 OD compared to the RB229's 1 25/32 OD (or 1.785" to 1.813"). So 0.028" larger.

What do you guys think? That should press in there, shouldn't it? If I cleaned the eye out with a flapper wheel to make sure it's clean and smooth, and hit it with the press I'd like to think that the spring would open up by another 28 thou?

Any thoughts, good or bad?

[Gary Lewis]

Yes.  If you clean up the spring with the flapper wheel you'll help it slide in, and you may even take a bit of metal off the spring.  And the spring should open up a bit.  So, with lube, I think it will go since you have a press.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Tricky.
I'd be tempted to slit the sleeve so it could compress that 3/4mm

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Tricky.
I'd be tempted to slit the sleeve so it could compress that 3/4mm

Jim,

That's not a bad idea actually. I assume what will happen though is that the outer shell of the larger bushing will deform into the open area at the end of the eye curl. I went through this with my '84...bit of a long story, but it was another oddball that a regular bushing wouldn't fit, and that one I took to a leaf spring shop. When they pressed the bushings into those springs, the bushing shell distorted a bit and pushed out into the part that isn't in the circle (The good thing is that it eliminated the possibility of the bushings ever being able to rotate).

I thought what they did was cut an 1/8" off the end of the curl and tightened up the hole a little bit, but they may have simply pressed in slightly larger bushings, I'm not really sure.

I called three spring shops yesterday, and this RB229 bushing (1.785" OD) is odd enough that none of them have ever stocked or sold a single one, and none of their suppliers had them in-stock in Canada either. The guy at one shop was clever enough to mention that the RB219 bushing (1.813" OD) was readily available (fits a 90's GM 3500, I guess) and he said that is what they would install if I brought the springs to them (which I wasn't doing since they are 3 hrs away).

[FuzzFace2]

Time to think out side the box more
I was going to say split the shell like Jim did.

Have you looked into poly bushings and hope they don't use the outer shell?

Bar stock and a way to turn them to size?
It can be aluminum easier to work with and make solid bushings.
I don't think you would feel the difference between solid & rubber.
Dave  ----