1965 Fargo 100

[DozerII]

It's nice to watch you work Dozer.
Keep on tinkering.

Thanks MM.

 

[DozerII]

Been working on a bunch of little stuff most of the week. Re welding some spots I didn't like now that the welder is working properly. I also got the motor out and the entire front end dis-assembled ready for the air bags. Found that the sway bar link kits were way worn out and had egged out the holes in the lower control arms, so I started fixing them.

Video link https://youtu.be/nmOy_XNNe0s

 

[Tripper]

Been working on a bunch of little stuff most of the week.

Sooner or later it all has to get done... right?!?

BoB

 

[DozerII]

Sooner or later it all has to get done... right?!?

BoB

You bet

 

[DozerII]

Airbag kit arrived and got it installed for the most part. I have two spots I still have to clearance for the bags, and install the new lower ball joints. I have the shock relocation kit to install as well. The shocks that came with the kit are way to short so I'm waiting for the correct ones now.

Video https://youtu.be/OMGTChomHnk

 

[joedoh]

its looking super great !


a few things I have learned about bags, coming from a guy who has had 10-12 bagged rides in more configurations than you can count:

fully compress the bag when you are aired out, otherwise you waste air filling that uncompressed volume. that doesnt sound like a big deal, but depending on your tank volume and compressor recovery time/duty cycle, it could be the difference between filling bags and leaving or filling them partway and waiting for recovery to fill the rest of the way before leaving. if you are over 100 psi lifting the front end to ride height (with a dressed truck: engine/sheetmetal), you have extra volume, 90psi should lock up a gm truck front end (lock up is a term that is used to describe the ball joint limiting upward movement, once you hit that point on the ball joint its "locked" and no amount of air will raise it any more).

I notice you have the bumpstop in there, you can take it out completely if you want, most double convoluted bags (the type you have) have internal bumpstops. if you are using the bumpstop to set the aired out height, you may have to adjust the lower cup up to get a full squish on the bag. but if not, youu can trim the bumpstop to the full squish position.

ride height on a double convoluted bag is right at half travel, any more and the spring rate gets stiff and bouncy, any less and the spring rate is too soft, foaming the shocks and bottoming out the bags on bumps. setting the truck for ride height at half travel takes some forethought, because half travel on a 2600lb bag like you have will only be about 5 inches from compressed (that is counting the geometry of the front end too, a 2600 lb bag only has about 6 inches of total stroke but with the geometry of the a arms you get about 10 inches of travel). fair warning: most first time airbag users want to ride higher than half travel, it just doesnt feel like enough lift. but really it is.

 

[DozerII]

its looking super great !


a few things I have learned about bags, coming from a guy who has had 10-12 bagged rides in more configurations than you can count:

fully compress the bag when you are aired out, otherwise you waste air filling that uncompressed volume. that doesnt sound like a big deal, but depending on your tank volume and compressor recovery time/duty cycle, it could be the difference between filling bags and leaving or filling them partway and waiting for recovery to fill the rest of the way before leaving. if you are over 100 psi lifting the front end to ride height (with a dressed truck: engine/sheetmetal), you have extra volume, 90psi should lock up a gm truck front end (lock up is a term that is used to describe the ball joint limiting upward movement, once you hit that point on the ball joint its "locked" and no amount of air will raise it any more).

I notice you have the bumpstop in there, you can take it out completely if you want, most double convoluted bags (the type you have) have internal bumpstops. if you are using the bumpstop to set the aired out height, you may have to adjust the lower cup up to get a full squish on the bag. but if not, youu can trim the bumpstop to the full squish position.

ride height on a double convoluted bag is right at half travel, any more and the spring rate gets stiff and bouncy, any less and the spring rate is too soft, foaming the shocks and bottoming out the bags on bumps. setting the truck for ride height at half travel takes some forethought, because half travel on a 2600lb bag like you have will only be about 5 inches from compressed (that is counting the geometry of the front end too, a 2600 lb bag only has about 6 inches of total stroke but with the geometry of the a arms you get about 10 inches of travel). fair warning: most first time airbag users want to ride higher than half travel, it just doesnt feel like enough lift. but really it is.

Thanks for the great info Joe, I will do some measurments, but I think I'm pretty close to what your recommending.

 

[DozerII]

This will be my last installment on this thread for a while. My frame mods are all complete and I will be hauling it out to the owners shop on the 14th. Hopefully we can get him to up update the tread as he progresses on his part.

The front bag and shock installation is complete, except for bolting in the shocks, which I hope arrive before the 14th.

Video https://youtu.be/7l4iortHb8s

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Your welder's workin' good. [cl

.

 

[Burgerman]

Nice fab work Dozer. Look's great. [P

 

[BillM]

Very nice looking beads Dozer!

 

[DozerII]

Your welder's workin' good. [cl

.

Nice fab work Dozer. Look's great. [P

Very nice looking beads Dozer!

Thanks guys, the right polarity make a huge difference.

 

[joedoh]

nice welds! [cl[cl[cl

 

[Torchie]

nice welds! [cl[cl[cl

^^^^ X's 2 ^^^^
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[DozerII]

nice welds! [cl[cl[cl

^^^^ X's 2 ^^^^
[P [P [P
Torchie

Thanks Guys.

 

[DozerII]

Holy cow it been almost two years since the Fargo was in the shop. Hoping to wrap this one up this time around. I am starting on the rust repair on the cab. we were going to order the replacement pieces but they are 9-12 months out so I'm building them.

Video https://youtu.be/zfdy5FoqIb0

 

[Old Iron]

Nice pieces [cl
[P

 

[Couper]

Nice Work Dozer!

 

[BillM]

Very nice.

 

[DozerII]

Thanks Guys, I found it's easy to make one rocker panel, but real tough to make another the exact same. Then I checked my template from the passenger side to the drivers side and found they are about 3/16 different.