Joxracing's Newbie F-150 build.

[Joxracing]

Finnaly got that POS water pump off, now i get to drill and re-tap 2 studs...

My buddy finished some fabbing on the light bar, getting ready for mounting.


Holds 6 lights...

[Joxracing]

Just figured out that my lights are backordered for awhile, so i gotta scramble to find some lights before the run...

gonna pick up a bit and tap set to fix this water pump, hopefully i can get that taken care of by the friday, then its on to the gas tank.

here's a pic of the truck up on the lift, we also ditched the rear sway bar today too....


Should i custom fab my own towers, or should i use the super duty shock towers that ive seen a few people use, i think im gonna go with the super-duty towers. less fab time.

is it safe to start on shock mounts before i can my shocks?

[jimmyd]

couple things.

just a tip, your probably going to need to pull the hubs/ spindle off to put that extreme of a cam adjuster on which isn't hard but will take a little while, plus have you ordered the adjusters yet? it took like 2 weeks to get mine. honestly though, i don't think your going to get your cam in enough without a c&t or 6''drop brackets, judging by the pics.

also, what happened to your old shock mount? i read through everything cant find anything about that, and with that being said, why can't you use a coil bucket from another f150 or bronco? also, does your truck already have a lift on it? like a 2'' maybe? i am pretty sure you have drop brackets on that truck already, those are definetly aftermarket drop brackets.

[Joxracing]

... Ive talked to carquest, it'll be on the truck the next day if i need them. He told me to adjust stock ones first.

shock mount? dont know what your talking, im not using stud-type shocks, and im going with a bigger shock, therefore i need a taller mount...

yes, it had a 2" lift with the longer radius arms, and drop brackets.

[Joxracing]

Going to pick up some beams and wheels for spares, and im gonna try cut-n-turning the beams...

any suggestions on how to cut n turn the beams with out putting them on the truck?

sending them to a fab shop is kinda out of the question....

[campbbg]

For C&T beams you need to have a JIG to do it right. Solomotorsports will probably be your best bet. That is what I went with. It was $300 for the beams and I had them shipped to VA for $60.

[Joxracing]

Picked up some beams for cut-turning.



i wanna try doing the cut n turn by myself, i know how to weld, and i dont wanna spend the money on sending them out. i wanna try making a jig, etc...so anyone that has done it before, post up!

thanks.

[johncharlesb]

Cut and Turn specs are usually not discussed on this forum for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, many people make their living fabricating them and they don't voluntarily give away their years of experience and hard work. I respect that and it would be like me as a Mason giving up my mortar mix for doing Bluestone so someone does not have to pay me $30 per square foot to install it. In addition, there are a number of ways to do it and they are all a little different and there are some things that one guy will do that the next won't that are all acceptable, yet different.

If you want to do cut and turn beams, figure out where you want everything to line up and where you should cut then weld that up. 'Check it out. If it is not what you wanted cut it back apart and try again. Once it is all perfect you can jig that set of beams. Plan on spending a lot of time to get it right.

I am not trying to speak for everyone here, but this seams to be the general sentiment on this topic. It has come up before.

[Joxracing]

yeah, there's a guy in town that was going to cut & turn a set before, hopefully we can figure it out.

and with people not giving it away, understand & respect that. its the same way for VW A-Arm kits.

[AussieRod]

Before you take this on, Jox, think carefully. The beams are THE main steering/suspension component for the front of your truck. If you are not 100% competent to do this, DONT! Give it to someone who can do the job properly. With all due respect to your fab and welding skills, this is NOT a job I would recommend for a first timer to tackle. There is a lot of time and planning involved in a C&T, so maybe your money might be better invested in getting a set done for you by a reputable shop. Having daid all that, there are 2 sides of the fence to lifts: C&T and drop bracket. While C&T is the most popular, using the drop brackets isnt so bad, as it allows the centre uni to run at a better angle from ride height to full droop, and keeps the uni in the axle in the correct alignment with the BJ centreline. As JohnCharles says, most if not all shops will not divulge C&T info, and I suspect mainly for liability. If they TELL you how to do it, and your C&T job fails and causes an accident or worse, the fallout and liability for them isnt something they need to deal with. Other than that, your truck should look good and I cant wait to see how it turns out... Good luck My two centavos

[Joxracing]

yeah, im deffinetly not gonna take the cut&turning lightly.

Im decent at welding, but not the greatest. ill be practicing a lot more before i tackle this, which wont be until later in the summer (maybe)

Hopefully i can get this thing adjusted out!

oh, should i put the new pitman arm that came with the kit? even though mine on there looks the exact same...

[rushcanuck]

Hey Jox, Im also in the same sort of box your in with this C&T. Ive been wanting to tackle it but just havent got quite enough knowledge I'd like to know prior to do it. Im very good at welding tho. if you go bout doing a C&T tho could you take lots of pics and post them, I'd appreciated it greatly when I go bout doing it (also probably later this summer, fall period)

goodluck with your truck, it looks awesome so far


RC

[ESHALLBETTER]

300 bucks for C&T beams from Solo makes me never want to C&T a set again! That's a good deal if your time is worth anything and you only plan to do one set. I also understand wanting to do it yourself though! Best of luck!

[Joxracing]

Hey Jox, Im also in the same sort of box your in with this C&T. Ive been wanting to tackle it but just havent got quite enough knowledge I'd like to know prior to do it. Im very good at welding tho. if you go bout doing a C&T tho could you take lots of pics and post them, I'd appreciated it greatly when I go bout doing it (also probably later this summer, fall period)

goodluck with your truck, it looks awesome so far


RC

uh... you go first!

haha, nah, these beams were cheap, and i wanna learn this stuff, so itll be intresting, and for sure there will be tons of pictures...

[rushcanuck]

uh... you go first!

haha, nah, these beams were cheap, and i wanna learn this stuff, so itll be intresting, and for sure there will be tons of pictures...

I'll post up as much as I can on my project page, Im not gonna start til after I get some extra beams. Im having issues finding them tho. How are you gonna cut/turn them you think, down at the knuckle or up at the pivot are the 2 spots Ive seen?

[Joxracing]

...i was gonna do it down by the knuckle...

no progress since my a-hole shop teacher wont let us in the shop to work. i'll never get this thing done by april 1st at this rate...

[Joxracing]

Just got my new shocks yesterday!



alright, im a total noob here, so i need to now how to charge these up or what do i have to do to get them ready for the truck?

thanks.

[navynuke]

mount them on the truck first, then you need to pressurize them through the schrader valve on the top with Nitrogen, not shop air. Once pressurized it will be difficult to re-compress the shock to install it.

Ken

[7D6F250]

keep up the good work!!

[Joxracing]

worked on the truck for a few hours while the teacher was in the shop.

currently, the truck is kicking my ass. its fighting me every inch.
brake lines, water pumps, etc. frustrating stuff.

Me (white t) and my buddy trying to figure out the water pump issue.