WRMorrison's "just another bobber" thread

[WRMorrison]

Also forgot to add that I've got some sweet wheel adapters on the way from peashooter; can't wait to get them on!

-WRM

 

[WRMorrison]

As most of you already know, even though most of the work that needs to be done on this project isn't necessarily complicated, it's BIG and generally takes all day to do just about anything. This weekend I was able to flip the rear hubs. Thank Goodness for a sweet air/hydraulic press...



Also, the wheel adapters showed up from peashooter the other day; can't wait 'till it's time to install them! I should have the lift back from welding early this week, so with any luck I can get started installing that next weekend.

-WRM

 

[WRMorrison]

Not a lot of progress today, but a little... The lift blocks are finally welded up, the adapter plates were already here, but the 1"-8X2.5" bolts/nuts finally showed up yesterday. These prevailing torque lock nuts are a major PITA to install, so I'm sure they're not coming loose any time soon. A decent 1/2" impact gun doesn't have enough torque to snug them down, and I don't have a 3/4" impact yet, so I'll have to do it the old-fashioned way...with a 3/4" breaker bar with a cheater pipe.

-WRM

 

[peashooter]

Thats a big tire!

Also, I used the Nylock 1" nuts and my 1/2" impact couldnt snug them on any faster than me with a breaker bar and cheater pipe either! I guess any locknut that big is bound to be a pain with our "little" tools

 

[jeremymx26]

Your doing a great job and producing a very informative post.

 

[WRMorrison]

Slow and steady...

Didn't have time to get a lot done this weekend, but I did manage to remove all the rivets holding the front suspension on...after about 6 hours of grinding, cutting and hammering. I replaced the rivets with bolts for the time being (it's only being rolled 20' out the door, so no need for anything permanent). I need to come up with a better way to raise my jack stands up though; these are the large 12T stands that Snap-On sells (Blue Point, actually...), and I used those plus a 4x4 that spanned the width of the frame rails. The forklift was used to lift the truck onto the stands since we didn't have a floor jack that could handle the weight. It still wasn't tall enough to remove the tires, but we were able to just jack up each side individually to remove them for room to work.



When it's time to drop the springs/hangers to install the lift (hopefully, the weekend after next), I'll need to have a better way to lift it a little taller. Not entirely sure how I'll go about it just yet, but I've come up with a few options:

stack a bunch of 2-by's together to give me another 12-20" or so like this:


Or, I had thought of making some forms from 2x6's about 20"x20" and making some concrete blocks to stack under the stands. It's either that, or build custom stands I guess.

-WRM

 

[Ford Mechanic]

So where are those lift blocks going in the front if they're not going between the axle and the spring (which is a BAD idea)? Or are they spring mount relocator blocks?

 

[peashooter]

So where are those lift blocks going in the front if they're not going between the axle and the spring (which is a BAD idea)? Or are they spring mount relocator blocks?

He mentiones them in post 59.

 

[WRMorrison]

So where are those lift blocks going in the front if they're not going between the axle and the spring (which is a BAD idea)? Or are they spring mount relocator blocks?

I'm basically dropping the spring hangers 8" from the frame; I saw another member here (the name escapes me at the moment) who made his own lift and I basically made a copy of his blocks. When I get home this evening, I'll post a link to where I got the inspiration.

-WRM

 

[350TacoZilla]

As most of you already know, even though most of the work that needs to be done on this project isn't necessarily complicated, it's BIG and generally takes all day to do just about anything. This weekend I was able to flip the rear hubs. Thank Goodness for a sweet air/hydraulic press...



Also, the wheel adapters showed up from peashooter the other day; can't wait 'till it's time to install them! I should have the lift back from welding early this week, so with any luck I can get started installing that next weekend.

-WRM

I love this post.I laugh everytime someone asks me how hard it was to bob my 5 ton I tell them its hard to explain, its really simple process made really difficult by the size and weight of everything your working with.

 

[WRMorrison]

If you caught my other thread a while back, you know that I was having a bit of a time finding replacement valve stems for the wheels. The valve stem that I ended up using was PN 12301120, and it fits like a glove in the MRAP wheels; almost like it was made for this application.



Also, I had time today to put one wheel/tire together with the new stem and new o-ring to try out (PN OR220TG). At first, I was a bit skeptical of the o-rings since they're a little smaller in diameter than the originals (the 220TG's are 1/4" in diameter while the originals appear to be closer to 5/16"), but these o-rings sealed up just fine. Now I just need to switch out the stems and replace the o-ring in the other 3...

-WRM

 

[WRMorrison]

I'm basically dropping the spring hangers 8" from the frame; I saw another member here (the name escapes me at the moment) who made his own lift and I basically made a copy of his blocks. When I get home this evening, I'll post a link to where I got the inspiration.

Forgot about this, but here's where I got the inspiration to make my own lift: Ridgerunner's Deuce

-WRM

 

[Remm]

Was driving down 10 yesterday and seen you r truck out front, any current progress. Great build so far looking forward to more info and pics.

 

[WRMorrison]

No additional progress yet; just waiting for some time to free-up. The only time I can really work on it is Saturdays, and then only if somebody is gonna be at the shop. So, I'm pretty much at the mercy of their schedules.

-WRM

 

[540fordman]

How's the ole gal coming along?

 

[WRMorrison]

Pretty good; I'll try to get some pictures up this week sometime. I've got the 8" lift on and had the rear driveshaft lengthened/balanced. Now I need to find the time to disassemble all the wheels/tires to change out the valve stems and o-rings. Also need to remove all the run-flats and repair the leaks. If I have to remove the run-flats to fix the leaks, I doubt they'll be going back in.

-WRM

 

[Remm]

Been passing by your truck lately, any new progress.

 

[WRMorrison]

No news lately unfortunately; haven't been able to do much with the holidays...and I just came back from vacation last week myself. With any luck, I'll be back at it soon. Next on the list is dismounting all the wheels/tires to patch up some holes, change o-rings and valve stems.

-WRM

 

[WRMorrison]

I was too busy during the holidays to get much done, but I'm back at it now! A friend let me borrow his trailer the other day and I hauled my wheels/tires up to Purcell tire on I17/McDowell. They quoted me $30 each over the phone to: dismount, remove run-flat, patch holes (if necessary), assemble with new O-rings & stems (that I provided). But apparently, the guy I spoke to on the phone with the quote didn't quite know what he was talking about. Once I got there, his manager told me that there was no way that he could do the above for $30/tire; they normally get upwards of $65 each to ONLY remove the run-flat and re-assemble. But, since I was quoted $30, we compromised on $45 each + $10 per patch needed to repair. All in all, I'm happy and think I still got a good deal as these things are a bear to move/work on.

Here they are all loaded up and getting ready to head out:

Purcell can definitely take care of any tire problem though; they were getting ready to install these while I was there:

And (just because I took it), here's another shot of the project as she sits:

If everything goes according to schedule, my tires will be ready to be picked up this Friday and I'll be mounting them on the truck this Saturday out at Local Motors. Coincidentally, they're having their monthly open house the same day (1/11/14), so if you want to come check it out (my project or the multitude of other vehicles that will be out there), come on out! A friend will also be there with his M1070 HET (heavy equipment transporter) that he just picked up from GL.
-WRM

 

[WRMorrison]

I wish I could figure out how to attach photos in line with the text that describes them; this forum is the complete opposite of every other forum I'm on in regards to how pictures are posted...

-WRM