Nicks 95 project

[Nick]

As with everything else in my life that goes awry, now i'm having computer issues, and can only get a few pics at a time. No action shots, just some pics of the finnished suspension. I will add more as i can.






His wallet is made from Chuppacabra leather, when he goes to a mattress store, he allways gets 50-75% off. He is...the perfect man.

[AussieRod]

Way to go, Nick. Get that thing out in the dirt and show us all what it can do!

[SteveG]

A short video for you guys-mostly for Nick!

I have to note that something is going on in the rear suspension. It isn't drooping out any where near what it should and I don't know why. At first I thought it was the leaves and either they needed to loosen up a bit or they were bad. I knew it wasn't drooping out enough but didn't think much of it as they are supposedly relatively new with no dirt miles on them I figured I'd have Nick drive the truck, work it out a bit then install limit straps when the leaves were broken in.
After watching the video it's clear that something else is going on. It's almost as if the shocks are topping out but I know that's not happening. The only thing I can think is that maybe the driveshaft is bottoming? That doesn't really make sense either but maybe. Whatever it is, I'm really disappointed I didn't realize how bad it was before delivery. I should have know better as my Autofab leaves had plenty of droop even out of the box....

The front is on the soft side and I think rebound is a little slow but I don't want to make any changes until the rear is squared away. After correcting the rear and a re-valve it'll be like a completely different truck and MUCH smoother in the rough.

Damn YouTube stretched the video when I uploaded....

[Nick]

The front end looks like it's working right. But WOW! that rear isn't drooping at all. Along with not drooping, it looks like there's not much up travel.

[shockseals.com]

I would start by checking that the bushing sleeves are 1/16 wider than the bushings installed if its on urethane and not factory ford rubber. With that set up it doesnt matter if you torque the springs on the lift or at ride height and it doesnt matter how tight they are granted I would torque to spec of 9/16 bolt.

Second I would check that 2 link isnt binding...

3rd I would revalve...

Front shocks look nice.

[SteveG]

I would start by checking that the bushing sleeves are 1/16 wider than the bushings installed if its on urethane and not factory ford rubber. With that set up it doesnt matter if you torque the springs on the lift or at ride height and it doesnt matter how tight they are granted I would torque to spec of 9/16 bolt.

Second I would check that 2 link isnt binding...

3rd I would revalve...

Front shocks look nice.

Thanks, Kris. Those are good suggestions. The 2-link is the easiest to check. The bushings in the leaves are Urethane, so it is possible that they're binding. My leaves have rubber bushings.

The good news is that the front end did feel really smooth. The whole truck felt good in small stuff that didn't require all the travel. Which is why I didn't notice how severe the problem was. Note to self: Next time I put a truck together for Nick, drive the piss out of it and give it a really good work out prior to delivery!

The rear valving is virtually identical to what my Bronco had when I had the same shocks. The only significant difference being my shocks are ported out the top and Nick's are ported from the bottom of the shock body. My truck would carry the front end and plant the rear through just about everything. The only "problem" I had with mine was at slow (vehicle) speeds, rebound was too fast and the rear would bounce. It was rarely an issue and I never bothered to remove the shocks to correct it even though it wouldn't be all that hard.

[BajaF250]

Nick, Steve,
Wow, simply outstanding... looks great. Don't get discouraged, it'll always take a little tuning to get things dialed in. That is one clean Bronco! Exceptionally nice.

[SteveG]

Don't get discouraged, it'll always take a little tuning to get things dialed in.

Not discouraged, only disappointed (and a little ashamed) that it wasn't great out of the gate. Originally this was supposed to be a bolt junk on and let Nick sort out the details but as soon as I started I new I wouldn't be happy unless it left close to perfect. Hence the disappointment. I just hope Nick isn't discouraged! I promise we'll get it right. SOON!

I also have to note (again) that his truck drives sooooo nice on the street. And once the rear is fixed it'll be even better. My Bronco never drove as nice on the pavement. It appears I've gotten better at at least one thing since I put my Bronco together five or six years ago!

[BajaF250]

Perfection is always a great goal and an admirable target. But with all that you did, certainly not just bolt a bunch of stuff on, but built a complex interdependent series of components into a cohesive system of systems for multifaceted functionality. On road comfort and driveablity and off road ruggedness with far greater capapilities! Just a little fine tuning will make a huge difference!

[Polarcub]

The rear will get sorted out it looks real good steve. As usual great work I am sure Nick is still smiling ear to ear! The vid is nice to see it looks like the front will be just about perfect once the rear issues are sorted out. Cant wait to see it in person!

[Blueblood]

Looks great nick Nice work steve

Ps next time your up this way I wouldn't mind meeting for lunch with you and steve

[Drilim]

Looks great Nick. Congrats!

[Nick]

Thanks for the kind words guys!

I feel like a dope. In my excitement to post pics, i forgot something very important.

A HUGE thank you to Steve! He took time away from his family, to help his mechanically inept friend build his truck. I helped as much as i could on the build, and learned a ton! I'd also like to thank Brian for going up with me to pick it up. You guys ROCK!

[Wood]

Looks good, Nick. Nice work, Steve.

[bajascott]

so nick.......you got that thing all polished up?wheres all the pics??

[Nick]

I think i found the problem with the rear end. The bolt for the upper shakle mount is stuck behind the hanger. I can see and feel a divet in the metal on the hanger where the bolt has been hitting. I jacked up the rear and sure enough, the bolt gets hung up, and will not allow the shackle to pivot down.

I'll fix it this weekend, keeping my fingers crossed that that's the problem.

[BajaF250]

I think i found the problem with the rear end. The bolt for the upper shakle mount is stuck behind the hanger. I can see and feel a divet in the metal on the hanger where the bolt has been hitting. I jacked up the rear and sure enough, the bolt gets hung up, and will not allow the shackle to pivot down.

I'll fix it this weekend, keeping my fingers crossed that that's the problem.

Nick, sounds very plausable!

[SteveG]

I'm sure that's it, Nick. It turns out I just plain goofed! I prefer to be proven dumb over you having bad parts!

[BajaF250]

I'm sure that's it, Nick. It turns out I just plain goofed! I prefer to be proven dumb over you having bad parts!

Steve,
That's a very easy thing to do, especially when under time schedule and pressure... last time I put my springs on I did the same thing... (but I just happened to catch it before I dropped it off the jacks...)

[SteveG]

Very soon we'll take Nick from this:



To this: