New Guy


Stop in, say hi, and let us know a little bit about yourself and your project!

Rookie
Rookie

Posts: 2

Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2018 12:59 pm

Post Mon Apr 30, 2018 1:47 pm

New Guy

Hello all!

I inherited a ’46 International from my Mother when she passed away 5 years ago. This is a truck that my Father built for her back in the 80’s. I helped Dad on a very limited basis, mostly cleaning parts and washing/waxing once it was done. One of the conditions Mom placed on me receiving the truck was that I would fix the brakes before putting it back on the road. My son found a thread on this site about a disc brake conversion and I thought this would be a great place for me to learn some more about these trucks.

A little background on Mom’s truck, as stated above Dad built it for her back in the early 80’s. Dad is a British auto mechanic with a lot of old school hot rodding in his background. Because of this Mom’s truck received a 3.8L Jaguar engine and 3 speed auto with an undisclosed year or gearing Plymouth rear end. Lots of engineering and manufacturing went into this conversion, not to mention time, effort and swearing as I recall. Dad installed A/C and power brakes for Mom, so the truck would drive a little easier. Power steering had been planned on as well, but was never installed.

Here’s where the promise to Mom comes in. When driving anywhere near highway speeds and you hit the brakes the truck goes LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT. It’s plenty unnerving and I understand why Mom placed her restriction in place. Dad and I have been over the brake lines time after time. They are as close to being the same length as is possible, yet the problem persists. I’m of the belief that the issue is being caused by the brake booster, but I’m not even half the mechanic Dad is and he isn’t sure.

What I’m hoping is that by doing the front disc brake conversion as shown in Wildmanbill’s post I can eliminate some or all of that ducking and diving I have going on now. If not, I’m willing to lose the brake booster in order to gain some stability. Lastly I have an 8.8” Ford rear end with 3.73 gears, Trac-Loc and disc brakes that was narrowed to fit an S-10 (should fit based off of measurements). Going with this rear would probably require me switching to an AOD trans, but that really wouldn’t break my heart.

And then we get onto body, paint…

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

Posts: 8937

Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:45 pm

Location: Canada's left Coast

Post Mon Apr 30, 2018 4:51 pm

Re: New Guy

Since you say the brakes are not the problem, because you have done them, I am assuming you may have done the brakes properly, my diagnosis will be worn king pins very likely worn-out steering linkage. The truck is old enough to have a worn-out steering box, also. These add up to a perfect combination for "that carnival ride". You truck may be 80 years old. Think about it. Incorrect tire inflation and mismatched tires can be part of your problem.
Here is the "thing" pulling brakes are an annoyance but certainly controllable if the steering is good.
The time has come to address the steering and spring bushings. Since I do not know what size you binder is, I an thinking a Fat-Man front suspension with disc brakes may be a good option. The parts needed to make a proper repair on the steering must be just about as much money and an IFS from Fat-Man.
I would rather have tools I do not need than to need tools I do not have
Thinking risks being controversial and possibly being offensive

Rookie
Rookie

Posts: 2

Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2018 12:59 pm

Post Thu May 03, 2018 7:05 am

Re: New Guy

Thanks for the response. There are definitely plenty of areas where the issue could be hiding, or just small portions in different places that all add up. The IFS has been one of my dream set ups, but the cross member may cause an interference with the deep oil pan on the Jaguar oil pan. More measurements need to be taken before I can make that decision.

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