Hey everyone!
I've been reading this forum for the last 6 months in preparation for the start of my project - and decided (since I have finally begun) that I ought to make a small build thread to summarize the build, what challenges I've faced, and (undoubtedly) some of the questions I may have.
As is obviously apparent - I picked up a 94 E-350 conversion van with a high top and a non turbo IDI 7.3. The van itself, while it came from New York - was pretty decently taken care of, and other than what I would consider standard surface rust on the frame, is not bad at all. So far no broken fasteners - which is grea
I ordered a 6" kit from Chris - of which I have most of what I need now, and have to make one more trip up there to get springs and fox shocks (singles). No surprise there, the kit seems very well engineered, high quality parts made in the US - and extremely well packaged. Can only recommend it!
I picked up a front Dana 60, and rear Sterling 10.5 with a LSD out of an '04 F350 which I am VERY happy with. The full axles, plus brakes, rotors, brackets, sway bars and driveshafts for less than a grand
Donor truck had less than 93k miles, and was clearly ALWAYS in the south..everything has been very nice to work on. I have replaced inner axle oil seals, outer dust seals, ujoints, hub seals, and ball joints.
As far as the conversion itself - so far I have removed all the suspension, installed and painted front spring hangers, and need to dive into the shackle sleeve and crossmember cutting. Probably this week.
I will work on posting some pics of progress soon as I figure out where I'm going to host them, but had a couple quick questions.
1. I have replaced upper and lower ball joints with Moog. The drivers side knuckle, upon reassembly, seems to be fine - relatively little resistance for new joints.
The passenger side, however, after first installation, was EXTREMELY tight and difficult to turn..as in, I could barely turn the knuckle by hand without bracing my foot agains the pinion to keep the axle on the jack stands. I took the knuckle off, pressed out the lower ball joint again, found I was able to actually press the upper ball joint back in a tiny bit more, and reassembled the lower and knuckle. At this point, it is better, but still much stiffer than drivers side.
I have read a bit that this is a common problem with Moogs - has anyone here ever experienced this? I bought a cheapo duralast last night out of frustration - and at this point am trying to decide if I replace the lower to eliminate the stiff steering I anticipate, or assume Moog did it right, and it will loosen up with a few miles..any advice from you seasoned guys?
2. Second questions is regarding upper shock mounts. In Chris' guide he references the front shocks "lean back" - that the lower shock mount is farther forward than the upper. Without having the lower shock mounts available, how should I know what angle I need to weld the upper mounts at in order to accomodate this lean? Or am I overthinking this
All in all - looking forward to the build, and sharing it with you all. Thanks in advance to what I am sure will be some helpful advice as I go thorugh this!
This forum is fun to read!
Thanks,
G
I've been reading this forum for the last 6 months in preparation for the start of my project - and decided (since I have finally begun) that I ought to make a small build thread to summarize the build, what challenges I've faced, and (undoubtedly) some of the questions I may have.
As is obviously apparent - I picked up a 94 E-350 conversion van with a high top and a non turbo IDI 7.3. The van itself, while it came from New York - was pretty decently taken care of, and other than what I would consider standard surface rust on the frame, is not bad at all. So far no broken fasteners - which is grea
I ordered a 6" kit from Chris - of which I have most of what I need now, and have to make one more trip up there to get springs and fox shocks (singles). No surprise there, the kit seems very well engineered, high quality parts made in the US - and extremely well packaged. Can only recommend it!
I picked up a front Dana 60, and rear Sterling 10.5 with a LSD out of an '04 F350 which I am VERY happy with. The full axles, plus brakes, rotors, brackets, sway bars and driveshafts for less than a grand
Donor truck had less than 93k miles, and was clearly ALWAYS in the south..everything has been very nice to work on. I have replaced inner axle oil seals, outer dust seals, ujoints, hub seals, and ball joints. As far as the conversion itself - so far I have removed all the suspension, installed and painted front spring hangers, and need to dive into the shackle sleeve and crossmember cutting. Probably this week.
I will work on posting some pics of progress soon as I figure out where I'm going to host them, but had a couple quick questions.
1. I have replaced upper and lower ball joints with Moog. The drivers side knuckle, upon reassembly, seems to be fine - relatively little resistance for new joints.
The passenger side, however, after first installation, was EXTREMELY tight and difficult to turn..as in, I could barely turn the knuckle by hand without bracing my foot agains the pinion to keep the axle on the jack stands. I took the knuckle off, pressed out the lower ball joint again, found I was able to actually press the upper ball joint back in a tiny bit more, and reassembled the lower and knuckle. At this point, it is better, but still much stiffer than drivers side.
I have read a bit that this is a common problem with Moogs - has anyone here ever experienced this? I bought a cheapo duralast last night out of frustration - and at this point am trying to decide if I replace the lower to eliminate the stiff steering I anticipate, or assume Moog did it right, and it will loosen up with a few miles..any advice from you seasoned guys?
2. Second questions is regarding upper shock mounts. In Chris' guide he references the front shocks "lean back" - that the lower shock mount is farther forward than the upper. Without having the lower shock mounts available, how should I know what angle I need to weld the upper mounts at in order to accomodate this lean? Or am I overthinking this
All in all - looking forward to the build, and sharing it with you all. Thanks in advance to what I am sure will be some helpful advice as I go thorugh this!
This forum is fun to read!
Thanks,
G
