Chassis Chop


The "Hot Rod" version of the K and KB truck

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Post Wed May 16, 2018 11:35 am

Re: Chassis Chop

I hear what you're saying on the smokes and booze. It's all about what a person's priorities are and mine used to be fishing, but this truck is my new boat.

Makes sense on the 4x4 axle working. If I were in your neighborhood I'd help get those pesky Dana 44's out of your hands, but it's a long haul from South Dakota. ;-) I did a little searching on CL after your initial reply and didn't find much but I can easily go to the junk yards and probably find some keepers.

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Post Wed May 16, 2018 11:38 am

Re: Chassis Chop

Thanks for the advice Ibesq, and all. I am having a blast, not just with the tinkering with it, but with the research as well. My wife doesn't think I'll ever finish this truck but I've pointed out that that doesn't matter to me. It's the journey that's important to me, not the destination...well maybe the destination a little bit.

Golden Jubilee
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Location: Lyman, IA

Post Wed May 16, 2018 11:51 am

Re: Chassis Chop

One of the advantages of the IHC small OHV six, if you get it running and driving, and have finished the brakes, a turbo kit can be added for a little "Bark" as you put it.
Another advantage to keeping it simple, you don't have to outlay for all the stuff at once, while having a pile of parts sitting doing nothing. You can enjoy it while contemplating changes you want to make, and don't be surprised that the choices you end up with are not the ones you thought you would at the beginning.
I have built many things from scratch, and never have I ended up the way I thought of 1st. Something worked well, others the designed changed as things came up.
There is no better teacher than time in behind the wheel, of what changes are important and those that aren't worth the trouble. Trying to see these before you even start is an impossible task.

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Post Wed May 16, 2018 12:35 pm

Re: Chassis Chop

You hit the nail on the head, CB, as far as all the cash outlay at once. I'd like to get the ford 8.8" mounted, but can't do it until I have the tranny and engine in place so my pinion angle is correct which means my perches have to wait. And I can't get the engine and tranny in until I decide what I'm going to do with the front end, yada yada yada. So all the cash seems to be going out without much happening to the truck itself. I continue to bang dents out of the sheet metal but I'd like to see a leap once in a while rather than all these baby steps.

As you said, can't wait to get behind the wheel to find out what I did wrong. lol Not exactly what you said but you get the picture.

Golden Jubilee
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Post Wed May 16, 2018 12:47 pm

Re: Chassis Chop

You can set the pinion angle where it is now, and be in the ballpark, if you need to change it later, use wedges or adjust at that time. Pinion angle (and engine angle) shouldn't change much regardless of what engine is used. Afterall, the pinion changes as the suspension goes thru it range of travel.
Unless you are planning to jack the chassie way up or something silly like that, the engine and pinion angle shouldn't need to change much.

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Post Wed May 16, 2018 1:30 pm

Re: Chassis Chop

The pinion angle when the perches are sitting level on that 8.8" is 10%, which seems like a lot. I'm assuming that the perches are parallel to the ground when mounted on the springs, but now as I think about it, they are probably not. From what I've read, the angle for explorers and rangers with an 8.8" is supposed to be 6%, which still seemed like a bunch but easier to live with than 10%. I'm not planning on jacking the back way up...maybe just a couple inches higher than the front.
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Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

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Location: L.C. Oregon

Post Wed May 16, 2018 7:35 pm

Re: Chassis Chop

Ideally the angle should be no more than 3* (from level) for max u-joint life and minimum vibration. Sometimes hard to do in a truck, especially 4x4. The engine/trans should be parallel with the pinion (within 1*).
This is my last old truck, unless I find another one.

1935 International C35
1939 Dodge TC
1940 Ford Tonner
1969 Ford F250 4X4
2000 Chevrolet 1500

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:28 pm

Location: Lyman, IA

Post Thu May 17, 2018 7:57 am

Re: Chassis Chop

Engine angle isn't that set in stone, but you do want pinion angle to match. On heavy trucks 6 deg isn't uncommon. Getting pinon and engine the same will give you equal joint angles on the driveshaft which is what you want. The length of the shaft will determine how steep the angle is, and there you want to keep them around 3 deg or less. So on a short wheel base you might pitch the engine down more and the pinion up more to get within that 3 deg range, on a longer wheel base, you can keep the engine more toward level and still be within the 3 deg range on the u joints. There is no set ideal pitch for engines, and most can run a fairly steep angles if you look at the mfg spec's

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Post Fri May 18, 2018 11:00 am

Re: Chassis Chop

Thanks for all your help fellas.
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Freshly Restored
Freshly Restored

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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 1:56 pm

Location: Twin Cities, MN

Post Tue May 22, 2018 3:42 pm

Re: Chassis Chop

A bit late to the party but when I put a 8.8 in my K1, I might have got the axle/perches/springs/shocks/brakes all working before I actually worried about the pinion angle. I just tightened the u-bolts. You have to make sure the axle is centered in the frame/fenders both width wise and length wise. I used leaf springs since it was simple but those 4 link set ups look really nice.

I'm using the original frame with a 8.8 and a MII front.

there is a lot of things to think about when building your binder. I'd suggest having a plan, writing it down in big print, post it in your garage and start checking off the tasks. You can even share the plan with the talent on this forum. I got a lot of help here when I was building my truck.
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