I finally got started on the suspension yesterday. I had the whole day to myself in the garage. Well...here's what I got, First, I measured and marked where the diff sat in its original location I then removed all of the stock rear suspension, and cut out the rear bed floor. The original front leaf spring mount was weak and of an odd design, so it needed to be removed. It was a real bitch to get out as it was welded from the inside. As you can see, once it was removed there were plenty of holes to fill and tears to patch. I filled all the tears and holes and finished them before proceeding. Then I tacked in the first of the side plates Then the inner plate and the 2 x 3 tubing Then I cut the tacks, removed it from the vehicle and welded it all up. I added gussets, and a tie-in to the floor board and test fit it back in the vehicle. I ordered the bushings and the sleeves today, So I should be making the trailing arms pretty quick. Then I can finish the mount. I know I will run into things that it will be good to get your feedback on. For instance: I have to sleeve the frame so that I do not crush the frame rails when I tighten down the on the bushing. What is the best way to make sure that the hole is straight and square through the frame and through the mount? I have about 5 inches of play for and aft in which to mount the mounting box. This will make the trailing arms either shorter or longer. Which is better? My guess is that the longer the arm, the less extreme the arc of travel, and the less binding that will occur with the pan hard Rod. Any thoughts would be appreciated for those of you who have done this before. thanks y'all.
I have to ask...whats the long crack on the left side of the pic? Is it bondo over a rusted rocker (inner)panel? maybe I 'm just not seeing something. Anyway...are you doing a 3 link setup? just trailing arms and a panhard?
It's a shadow from the pinch weld along the rocker. I still need to do some hammer and dolly work to straighten itbut there's no rust there (thank God) yes, I am going to do a three link set up, and mount the bags to the rear of The diff.
awesome work dude! keep posting updates! as a fellow falcon owner I HATE the suspensions on these cars! the unibody blows!!
here are some more updates as i got a bit more work done i got all the bushings and bolts needed and cut out the arms. i cut out the tears in the framerails that were caused by removing the old front spring eye mounts and patched them. i made sure that the DOM bushing sleeve was square and tacked it in. i welded in the sleeve and then capped the front of the arm. the finished bushing mount.
more... finishing the front mount next is to finish the other side then cut off the old perches on the Ranger rear. does anyone know where to find shock plates and U bolts? if i make the plates, how thick should they be? My plan is to weld some Rod vertically through the arm to center the plate and the diff once I align it. The bagplates will be behind the diff on the inside of the arms. is there a better way to do this? i appreciate any insight on the subject as i'm figuring it out as i go along.
Awesome. I want to do a triangulated four link on mine when I get around to doing the bags on it. I thought about a trailing arm/panhard setup, but think there is enough room under there to do the four link. Good work though. I like it.
I've found stuff at trailer supply places before, though not everything they sell is rugged enough for a car. For u-bolts I've had good luck going to heavy-duty truck shops--places that work on box trucks and things like that--they've got the hydraulic machine to custom bend u-bolts. I don't know the OD of a Ranger axle--if it's too small they might not have the right size dies.
Congratulations on the awesome progress on your wagon. I had a '63 Ranchero bagged back in 1999 whose workmanship looks incredibly crude compared to your fabrication skills documented in the pictures provided. I only wish the shop's mantra that installed my suspension had been "structural overkill" as your engineering forethought will certainly outlast the design's intended use. Please keep the progress pictures coming as I am gathering parts for my next Falcon project.
darby, thanks for the tip!! i would have never thought of that!! retrospeed, thanks for the words. feedback helps. i don't really have anything i'm going off of, and working alone you can't bounce your ideas off your buddies. every time i see bagged cars at shows, they are sitting on the ground and i can't see what they did. some of the ones that i can see scare me... power outage in my grid today wasted a good work day today i have 2 other projects that i committed to today as well that will now fight with the wagon for time. it's all good!!
I believe Schorr Metals is worth a trip, Kai. The have a few U-bolts to select from, plus a whole bunch of neat metal stuff to buy. Make it your next stop for your raw metal and check out their tools, U bolts, etc. Schorr Metals, Inc. 837 Kraemer Blvd Placentia, CA 92870 714.630.1962
lagrasta, that's where i go to get all my metal! i never saw u-bolts there, but then again i never looked. that place rocks. only downside is they don't carry any DOM. have you come up with anything for those washboards yet? peace
no, I haven't even started thinking about them. I've been too busy rebuilding and replacing my head and installing my new interior. I actually drove to work today with ALL the seats and seat belts installed. I still have the kick panels, door sills and headliner trim to finish. Then maybe, I can attach my speakers and see what that system is going to sound like. I'm expecting big things. Then maybe washboards. BTW, I'll plan to swing by again sometime in the near future.
I'm surprised you've been driving to Schoor, Wrights is very near you with the same selection of raw stock (almost). Wrights 126 Rochester St Costa Mesa 949.548.7745
Awesome, thanks for the pictures too. I'm thinking about bagging my 53, so this should help me out in terms of the process involved.
I'm stoked to see how your interior comes out. Is it of your design? You got to take some pics! You are welcome to come by anytime you like soooo... Today I finished both trailing arms and both mounts. Next is to sleeve the frame. I have to make sure the bolt goes straight through everything! I will measure three times first. Peace out
I got some time to work on the ride this weekend. The actually doing of it sure takes longer than you think it will that's for sure. When you think about it, all I really did was drill a bolt hole through a frame, but man, it seemed like a lot more work than that. some pics... here are the finished arms and mounts. I held the mount up against the frame rails, and outlined the 9/16 hole for the bushing bolt. I used a Square to draw a line down the frame rail through the center of the hole along the bottom and up the other side. I measured from the center of the hole to the bottom of the frame rail, and duplicated this measurement on the other side. I drilled two small pilot holes, as the rockers were in the way to drill a straight hole on the outside of the frame rails. I used a 3/4" hole saw from the inboard side, and cut through both pilot holes completely through the frame. Here is the final cut. You can see the patch I had to weld into the frame to repair the tear caused by the removal of the origional leaf spring mounts. oops! I don't have as much finesse as i would like with an air chisel!! Then I inserted the sleeve through the hole, and bolted the mount in place using the bushing sleeve as well. This made sure the sleeve would be aligned with the holes in the mounts and that once I welded it, I would be able to put the bolts back in later. Then I tacked the sleeve and to place. Then final weld both sides, cut off the excess length, and grind flush. I did another pass with a welder and the grinder and then coated the area with weld through primer. I made a plate for the inboard side, as the plate for the other side is part of the mount. I sprayed the back of this plate also in weld through primer. I drilled and dressed some plug weld holes in the plate as well. </O> <O <OI ran a bolt through the plate, and the mount to keep the holes aligned and welded it into place. </O</O> <O</O> I would hate to sling grease all over all the new parts so I'll be busy with decreasing the undercarriage for a while before the final install of the mounts, and a customer just dropped off a car to be painted today, so my time on the wagon may be limited to Saturday mornings for awhile. peace
damn are you a bridge builder by your regular job? Thats some heavy duty construction....and I like it! It's nice to see suspension work that will hold up to pretty much any abuse you throw at it.
Looks like you are doing a jam up job. I got a lowering block kit from the local autoparts and used the extra-long U-bolts from there.I also picked up some bump stops while I was there.
I gotta tell you, I know Kai personally and in person he is so casual and unassuming. His "crew" is kids from his church youth group he helps overssees and his garage and tool stash seems modest as well. Then you start looking at his cars and your mouth drops. All of it is wonderfully put together and it seems he does it all himself, no matter what talent or trade it takes. I'm such a slacker in comparison. Ha! Nice work Kai! You should be really proud with your work.
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