'71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by mc33212 »

While my perches are being made, I started looking at shock mounting options. I think the shock tabs on this D70 are the correct orientation, pointed inward toward the pinion slightly, but I'm not sure if they are the correct width apart. If anyone has a measurement for the stock mounting width, that would be great. Otherwise, I can see when I get a chance to go measure my old axle at my brother's place.

The other thing I ordered were some new lug studs to replace the broken ones. The minor issue here is that the new axle has 9/16" studs while my old rotors up front are 1/2". I decided to stick with the 9/16" stuff, as I determined the front studs can be replaced with 9/16" studs more easily than the rear with 1/2" studs. Plus, a D70 with 1/2" studs just didn't seem right....
1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

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Well I stopped by the fab shop last night on my way home and they had my perches ready. They looked nice and fit my tube perfectly.
IMG_20140226_170903_921.jpg
This is a pic of the perch on the leaf spring.
IMG_20140226_171052_081.jpg
I also found this factory block that came from a 4x4.
IMG_20140226_171631_426.jpg
It's about 3 inches tall, but with the wider U-bolts required by the D70 axle, the holes on the little wings are not bored out far enough out. I think the max opening on the block is about 4-1/2", and the u-bolts are about 4-7/8" wide on the outside. I can either drill the holes out or cut them off and relocate. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use it, so I'll refrain from cuting anything off just for now.

I gotta do the lower ball joints on my wife's car this weekend, but I'm going to try to get the leaf springs cleaned up and get the old bushings out.
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1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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hfdco4
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by hfdco4 »

So why didn't you just use the rear end out of your parts truck?
Paul
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1970 F250 4x4
2016 F150 4x4 2.7 ECO
Gone 1997, 1999 & 2003 F150 4x4s
Gone 1988, 1989 & 1991 Broncs
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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

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I wound up not using the axle because it was out of a Dodge van and had the wrong pinion offset. If I was going to put time and money into it, I figured I might as well start with something that was "right".
1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by mc33212 »

I wound up not using the axle because it was out of a Dodge van and had the wrong pinion offset. If I was going to put time and money into it, I figured I might as well start with something that was "right".
1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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Alstoyz
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by Alstoyz »

Quite a detailed build thread. It's obvious you're doing your research. :thup: In the one pic of the factory lift block.?. Are your plans to lift the truck? Keep up the good work. :pop:
1970 F-100 SWB Tubbed
1971 F-350 4X4 (traded for 71 crewcab)
1971 F-250 Crew-Cab Dually
1972 F-100 SWB 4X4
1972 F-350 Crew-Cab 4X4 Dually
2001 F-350 Crew-Cab Short Bed 4X4 Dually
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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by mc33212 »

Thanks! I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do on this truck and got a lot of really helpful info from this site.

The factory block I picked up with some other parts at a junkyard. I would like to look into lifting it. Ideally I would like 35s on it, hence the reason behind the beefed up drive train. But I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Right now I just want to get it running right and reliable.

After the axle swap, I already have a 300 inline and a ZF 5-speed in the works. :D
1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by mc33212 »

So it was a nice rainy weekend in Phoenix, but I managed to get some work done. Spent most of Saturday replacing the lower ball joints on my wife's car (what a pain!), but I took advantage of the ball joint press to try to get my leaf spring bushings out.

The tool worked okay but I had some issues with it. I wound up using one of the cups and 2 different sockets, one to start it and the other to finish.
IMG_20140228_180046_444.jpg
Because of the lenght of the cup though, it only pressed about 3/4 of it out.
IMG_20140302_174117_836.jpg
I used a big hammer to finish "helping" it out.
IMG_20140302_174147_912.jpg
I wound up being able to remove only 4 of the 8 bushings though, the 4 on each of the spring eyes. Because of the shape of the EZ Ride shackle, the cup would not sit flush and I couldn't get the press to work. I would need a cup that is the exact diameter of the spring eye. So I'll have to measure it up and see what I can use. By then I was beat to snot working on my wife's car, so I grabbed a cold beer and called it a day!
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1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by mc33212 »

Alright, well back from Spring Break and got to work on the shackle bushings. I tried another tool for pressing them out with a ball joint press, but i just couldn't find a piece of tubing the exact diameter of the bushing sleeve to make that work. So I had seen someone else here use the hacksaw method to cut the sleeve and punch it out, so that's what I wound up doing.

Here's are the shackles and the liberated bushings:
IMG_20140314_145833_812.jpg
The first one I really fought and it came out UGLY! But after that I figured it out and really only took a few whacks to pop them out.
IMG_20140314_145908_725.jpg
After that, I was able to clean up the leafs and the shackles. Here they are after a quick coat of paint.
IMG_20140324_173415_088.jpg
Next step is to get the new bushings in and get the leafs back into the truck. I did go ahead and receive the Energy bushings already so I'll start working on those this week. My brother is going to try to come over with his welder this weekend, so if that happens, we may be getting the new spring perches back onto the axle tube get it installed back in the truck. Between now and then, I'm going to try to mock it up up in there to verify the pinion angle. Its already starting to get warm here in Phoenix, so trying to get all the heavy lifting done before the temps make it more difficult to get things done.
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1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by mc33212 »

Alright, well got the new poly bushings installed in the leaf springs and shackles. Man, too bad the old ones couldn't come out as easy as these went in!
IMG_20140326_184841_249.jpg
IMG_20140326_185718_072.jpg
I'll be working on getting the springs hung back in the truck and prepping my axle for the spring perches. It aslo appears I'll have to relocate the shock mounts inboard a bit. I'll take some measurement this weekend when I get the whole thing mocked up.

Side note: For '72 the forward leaf spring bushing is different from the others because the bolt was slightly larger in diameter. From 9/16" to 5/8" I believe. I came across this because my parts truck is a '72 and mine is a '71. The bushing OD appears to be the same on both, just the size of the inner sleeve. Both also have Flex shackles, so not sure about the non-Flex setups. I wound up ordering the F100 bushings for the Flex system since it matches the hanger hole size that is already on the truck. I'll make sure I get some new Grade8 bolts before I button everything up.
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1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by mc33212 »

So a quick update on this weekend: I wound up having to do some other work this weekend, but did the get leaf springs back in the truck...well except for the rear shackle bolt. The new bushings are so tight I was having a hard time getting the rear shackle seated far enough in the hanger to get the bolt in. I'll try to see if I can get a clamp in there during the week to push it in further.

Now the reason I got side tracked is that I picked up a "free" welder. My brother is a body man and got a new welder, so I offered to take his "old" Linconln 140 off his hands. I say "old" because it really isn't that old. I need to pickup a gas tank for it and a cart and get some time on it playing with the settings. I'm no welding pro, but have done some in the past. It should be very useful on some of these truck projects.
1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by mc33212 »

So this is a quick pic I took of the shackle issue I'm having with the rear leaf spring hanger.
IMG_20140331_185539_142.jpg
It's hard to tell in the pic, but the "inboard" side is not going down far enough to let me slide the bolt in. The flange on the poly bushing is hitting the bottom of the hanger where it starts to curve out. I does look like I can pry the hanger open a little and that would let it fully seat. So I'll try that this weekend. I'm still waiting on the new Grade 8 bolts I ordered anyways and I'd like to finish cleaning up the frame and hangers a little more before I install them.

I also got a little frustrated last night with Rockauto. I ordered some new brake hardware for the D70 and one of the adjuster kits was wrong and then they only sent me 2 u-bolts, when I ordered 4. So trying to get my other 2 u-bolts now and waiting on new top plates as well.

In the meantime, I got a free spare tire and took it to Discount Tire to get mounted. It was free because it had a big screw in it, and apparently the previous owner did not think it could be repaired. Well I'll take it!
IMG_20140401_184327_824.jpg
I put it on my spare wheel and it was good to go.
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1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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71Prerunner
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by 71Prerunner »

Lookin good so far. I am only 100 miles north of you and travel to Phoenix almost every week. Let me know if you need anything that i can look for in the northern junk yards. Plus keep me in mind when it time to sell off the extras.
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mc33212
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by mc33212 »

Thanks 71Prerunner. I'm actually getting a bunch of my spare parts together to post some items in the classifieds and on craigslist/ebay. Just off the top of my head I've got a radiator, various side trim pieces, some 67-style headlight buckets, side hood reflectors, assorted hood letters, some headliner trim pieces, some heater controls, radio bezels, an original Philco AM radio, and various stock intrument clusters and bezels. I'm also probably going to sell off the long bed from my F250 CS. I thought about cutting it up for parts, but it's in pretty darn good shape, it's more useful to someone else that needs the whole thing. It's got a filler neck hole on the driver's side and the built in tool box on the passenger side.

I'll be collecting and taking pictures of all this stuff soon.
1971 F-100 SWB Ranger 2WD
302 V8, C4 Auto, PS, PB

In process: 3/4 ton front suspension, Dana 70U rearend, 300 I6, ZF 5spd
-Alfredo
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71Prerunner
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Re: '71 "F200" SWB PROJECT

Post by 71Prerunner »

I am interested in all the sport custom trim and the west coast mirrors. My bed is perfect but would be interested if it is the only way to get the bed trim. Plus the tool box would be cool.
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