is the LOVE BOAT allowed here?

[rvreddog]

It was probably born with a spring pack several inches thick and a rough ride. You need to start by measuring what you need lift,distance from center of spring to center of eye forward and back.I think Rough Country makes a decent spring.

 

[MercuryMac]

It's hard to see the blocks very well, but don't be scared of them just because they're blocks. I put a half inch block and then a half inch spring leaf and then a 4" block under my existing front Kenworth springs, about 36 years ago. I hauled mostly off road, sometimes 24 hours a day, sometimes with chained up drivers and steering tires, quite often pulling a trailer, and quite often a way overloaded. I'm still confident that those blocks won't give me any grief, after almost a million rough miles. Don't be scared of them. Maybe roll under there and make sure the U-bolts are tight.

 

[smallfoot]

Billy, you might try to locate an old military technical manual for that...try

TM9-2320-212-10
TM9-2320-212-20
TM9-2320-212-20P

 

[billy]

I think the blocks are there because the transplant 318 oil pan will hit the axle without them.
I took some photos but it is a little hard to tell what is going on

 

[MercuryMac]

Hello Billy, those blocks look good to me. On my blocks, I bore a hole down through the middle of them the size of the head of the spring centre bolt and drop rod [the same length as the height of the block] through the new hole and let it stick out the bottom a half inch to act as a centre bolt extension. That leaves a half inch hole in the top for the real spring centre bolt to fit into. I imagine your blocks have that too. They look good to me.
As I said, "bin dare, dun dat, got the T-shirt." I'll be the voice of optimistic reason amongst a group of naysayers.
Driv'er Billy!

 

[forbigpicture]

I agree with Mac..... should be good to go.....
ride that baby!!!!

 

[dutch]

with a bit of luck a passenger car oil pan could clear the axle... then you can take out the blocks ,which I wouldn`t

 

[billy]

I get on these restoration forums
And every time they open their mouths
They want me to spend $10000.
They told me that I WILL experience catastrophic failure of the transmission and transfer case because of the water that was in them.
That is just the tip of the iceberg

 

[Old Iron]

Yea, someone somewhere always has something to say about nothing.
Enjoy that baby billy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[billy]

thanks jfg455!

got my new hi-beam/back up light/people bugger
jfg455 sent me this groovy spotlight
i rewired it and found a place that sells bulbs for odd stuff like this but they are new and 12v

 

[MercuryMac]

Hi again Billy. Here's a picture of my spring blocks that I put in, in the late '70's or 1980. My memory was far from perfect though, the spacer block between the main spring pack and the overload is 1", then a half inch overload leaf and then 3 and one half inch blocks, which still comes out to five inches of lift blocking. They have about 35,000 hrs. on them. Yours look better than mine so you should get a few hours safely on them.
This is just one of the trucks that I have put blocks under, successfully.
You have to guess, that if I put an overload leaf under my front springs then I was driving in rough country.

 

[MercuryMac]

And Billy, to spray a little more optimism on you, the water in the transmissions issue is also a political football for the armchair opinionated. Most of the old farm tractors in Canada and the northern half of the States, had snow melt run in through the worn/cracked gearshift boot over the years until there was significant water or ice in the transmission and rear-end. They all survived. I have gone out in the spring to a few old tractors and before moving them, pulled the plug on the trans and drained out pure water, clean enough to drink. Sometimes, I'll bet water was left in the oil in the transmission for years, mixed up when it was being used and then settling out when not used for a while.
Don't soak up all the pessimism that's out there Billy, or it'll bring you down so you never go forward at all.

 

[billy]

installed the speedbleeders. (love those things)
and once it warms up a bit i will do the minor and if needed major brake shoe adjustment as per the military brake procedure pages i found online.

i am wondering if i will crush the axle housings if i jack up the truck from anywhere but those little pads that have the springs and u bolts?
its a 7500 lbs truck

 

[05snopro440]

Billy,

I go on a Chevy truck restoration forum, and someone who remotely modifies a vehicle can do nothing right according to the old codgers on there.

A guy on there was claiming you can never get a lowered vehicle to handle well and they're all death traps.

The best way to combat them is just to show them it can be done.

I was also on a V8 Buick forum and all these keyboard experts told me I needed at least an 850CFM carburetor for my 455, which realistically rarely gets cranked over 3500 RPM. Finally a renowned Buick builder chimed in and told them that from his dyno testing, for street driving a bigger carb wouldn't make a difference in power at the RPM range I was operating in.

There are a lot of opinions on forums, just keep in mind not all of them are right.

 

[billy]

And Billy, to spray a little more optimism on you, the water in the transmissions issue is also a political football for the armchair opinionated. Most of the old farm tractors in Canada and the northern half of the States, had snow melt run in through the worn/cracked gearshift boot over the years until there was significant water or ice in the transmission and rear-end. They all survived. I have gone out in the spring to a few old tractors and before moving them, pulled the plug on the trans and drained out pure water, clean enough to drink. Sometimes, I'll bet water was left in the oil in the transmission for years, mixed up when it was being used and then settling out when not used for a while.
Don't soak up all the pessimism that's out there Billy, or it'll bring you down so you never go forward at all.

i told them about my kaiser/willys jeep that had tons of water
i replaced the seals in the t98 an 18 after draining refilling a few times
10 years later it is still driving around on texas hog hunts
it was like their eyes couldnt read that statement
nope my tranny WILL BLOW UP and probably kill every nun and orphan (not to mention all those poor kittens)in a ten mile radius

 

[dutch]

I dunno man.... I think you take it way light.... I`d be really worried if a whole forum told me a wet tranny would blow me [S

 

[05snopro440]

I dunno man.... I think you take it way light.... I`d be really worried if a whole forum told me a wet tranny would blow me [S

Thanks dutch, I needed that laugh.

[cl[cl[cl

 

[billy]

ai yai carumba!
my moms gonna wash my mouth out with soap
and all i did was READ it!

 

[dutch]

oops.... language barrier just blame it on google translate....

hey Billy, my niece`s husband has a ww2 dodge WC52. Is that the same as yours? ( apart from the ambulance body) Sure looks like it.... [S
US army left most wheels behind and there`s this organization here called "keep `em rolling", that try to ,well, keep em rolling... Some members even cruise old tanks on club events and memorials... pretty awesome sight

 

[billy]

oops.... language barrier just blame it on google translate....

hey Billy, my niece`s husband has a ww2 dodge WC52. Is that the same as yours? ( apart from the ambulance body) Sure looks like it.... [S
US army left most wheels behind and there`s this organization here called "keep `em rolling", that try to ,well, keep em rolling... Some members even cruise old tanks on club events and memorials... pretty awesome sight

i know the military didnt change things for a loooong time
my 65 looks just like a 50s or 70s