Dirt71
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That's a baby truck!! One of mine weigh 33,000.
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I suggest doing your homework BEFORE starting your conversion. Frame widths are a standard 34" but with tape measure and clip board in hand, take LOTS and LOTS of measurements. Check little details like which side your t-case drive flanges are on in relation to the input flanges on the axles. Seems some are on opposite sides and that can certainly throw a kink into driveline alignment. Time for 5 ton t-case too?
When I put 5 ton axles under the baby HEMTT I used everything; perches, springs, axles from the 5 ton to accomodate the extra cab weight in the front and the crane weight in the rear.
You may need to make new plates to go between spring and axle to keep the correct driveline angle. If you keep the deuce springs for a smoother(?) ride, the new custom intermediate plates will assure the adaption.
If you're going to 4X4 then just repeat the process for the rear.
If you're gonna keep it 6X6 then make sure of the rear axle to rear axle center dimension. The 1600R20s are 52" dia. so you need about 55" center to center (half of 52" plus half of 52" plus 3" clearance) to make sure you don't get anything jammed between the tires. I know, I know; the treads go the opposite directions at their closest point-- self-cleaning, blah, blah, blah-- but trust me, if it's humanly possible to get a rock or tree limb caught in there it'll be when you're; a. four states away from home, b. about as far as you can get from a paved road and help, c. just when you're trying to impress your sweetie and/or friends.
Worst case; you have to change out the entire rear bogie set-up which can be enough of a pain to make you swear off anything but dead stock from here on out.
After these cheery words of encouragement the only thing left to say is; good luck and happy wrenching.
P.S. I have the number for MilVehAnon on speed dial if you need it.
I do not think that there is a problem with running the tires on 2.5 ton axles. Numerous people have done this to their deuces. I am in the process of starting a project where i am putting the 16R20s on converted Hemtt rims on my deuce. However, you have to have a lift of about 8 inches so that they do not rub anywhere. However If you decide to put 5 ton axles under your deuce, let me know as I have a completely rebuilt 5 ton rear end to include the air horns. It was rebuilt at the Depot level and ready to install with new everything. I will let you have it for cost of what I paid and I may even be able to deliver it to you when I make one of my numerous trips to Mobile Alabama. let me know.Has anyone ever put 5 ton axles under a deuce? I plan on bobbing my deuce here pretty soon, and I already have some 16R20's that are going on it. I think those tires will put a strain on stock 2.5 tons once I start bogging it and playing with it off road. I would like to swap the axles for 5 tons in the future, but was wondering what all is involved, and no I don't want to just buy a 5 ton and bob it. I like the deuce for it's size and weight, and don't want to step up to a whole other truck just for the axles.
I can see where the talent comes from! My AmTrac and Arty Days did not lend itself to the same type of talents you have. Again the truck is a work of art! I can not wait until I get my project underway. I am going to Tallahassee tomorrow (Sunday) to pick up an extra cab and fuel cell for my project. I am doing a quad cab project and want the extra fuel cell so that both sides of the vehicle match.I was part of airframes. I worked as an "I" level F-18 hydraulics mechanic.
At the cost of sounding ignorant.....What do you mean about "adjust the pump...."? The reason that i ask is that I will be running the XZLs (53") on my project and was also wondering about the speed and power. Could you point me in the right direction? I believe that you are referring to the fuel pump and turning up the pressure so the truck gets more fuel....is that right? How do you know how much to turn it up and will it cause any damage to the engine? I have done no research on this yet and thought that I would ask for a short reply.I've got 35 psi in them right now, but may lower the rear some. The outer lugs aren't making complete contact. The front looks about right, but I'll just have to see how they wear. As far as power, it is lacking with the big tires. It won't pull 5th gear on level ground. I finally wound it out in 4th, but when I went into 5th, it just stayed at the same rpm and slowy lost speed. I will adjust the pump like I did on my other truck, it was night and day on it. I did the math and in 4th gear at 2500 put's me at 60mph, the speedo only shows a little over 40. In 5th at redline, I think it said it would do 76. But for now, 60 seems fast enough sitting up like it does, I don't know that I want to go any faster. I plan on taking it to the truck stop by my house and get it weighed. I think it probably weighs the same as a stock deuce.
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