MAIDEN Build. 46' IH Rat Truck

[IRON MAIDEN]

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

I think I have a winner. Im at at estimated axle centerline position, but it's close. The back mounts will bolt right to the frame. Front mounts should be easy. I was hoping the rack pinion would be closer to the frame but it's not too bad. No room for the sway bar as it sits. The front crossmember if in the way. I need to get back over there and get the rag joint and swaybar. I can always box the nose of the frame and cut half the front crossmember out. Half of it is the radiator support and the other half, that dips down below the frame and is in the way, is the motor mount. I won't need the motor mount so if I have to nip it a bit....

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

 

[damucthat?]

Wow Good look'n truck....Nice find!!

 

[clamor]

So that IFS subframe is complete with 4 total mounting points?
You don't need to weld a chopped frame to a chopped frame and fabricate upper a arm mounts?
-Chaz

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

So that IFS subframe is complete with 4 total mounting points?
You don't need to weld a chopped frame to a chopped frame and fabricate upper a arm mounts?
-Chaz

Do some searches on the Jag IFS and the IRS. You can cut off all the mounts to clean up the crossmember and weld it in solid, or rubber(soft) mount it with the Jag mounts. The back looks like it will pretty much bolt through the bottom of the frame. The fronts will need some tabs fabbed up to hold the front mounts. ; )

 

[clamor]

/glee

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

/glee

??? Huh? [S

 

[clamor]

Sorry a mix of geek references.
I was merely indicating that the though of a 4 rubber mount ifs/irs filled me with glee, happiness, jubilation and joy!
-Chaz
B-D

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

Me too.

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

Man. I forgot how curvaceous the front fenders are on this beast. Love em'.
My grille looks pretty good after all the work I did on it. It's still bowed in a bit in the middle, but should be easy to straighten it up. Plus all the seams were dead on.
I just didn't feel good about the measurements I had for my axle centerline and didn't want to risk having my wheels not centered in the fenders. So I mounted the grille and fenders to be sure I am mounting the Jag in the right spot. No real progress mounting this thing, life is getting in the way right now. But, it sure looks cool with the nose on! [dr
Anyone care to estimate how much more drop I'll get with a 327/700R4 combo?

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

Here's where I'm at. I had some 1/4" steel plate, well the bumper that used to be mounted to the truck did, so I cut all the pieces out of that. Actually I had my buddy cut it up. Some stout 3/8" steel as well. At least I'm recycling the bumper back into the truck ; )

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

Still need to grind/shape it some more to get it how I like, but this is the basic idea.

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

The rear rubber mounts will bolt up to the center of the frame rails. I still need to decide on how I'm gonna come off the bottom of the plate to mount up to the front Jag Donut.
I'm tossing up the idea of just some tabs out of the 3/8" plate with a gusset between the two in the front/boxing the front of the tabs. It would simply be welded and fixed in place.
Or something like this that could be bolted to the bottom of the plate. Then I'd have the ability to shim the front and rear mounts to adjust the caster of the crossmember.

 

[IRON MAIDEN]

I cut some quicky 1/4" tabs to tack up the front mounts. It levels the crossmember as the truck sits right now and will be fine until I get closer to redoing them. Problem I'm seeing now is the clearance for the swaybar. Only have 1/4" between the bottom of the bushing retainer and the crossmember arms. Not sure how much the crossmember will move but I/m guessing it will hit here. Think I'm gonna seperate the big plate and raise the swaybar portion to level it with the bottom of the frame. This will give me another 1/4" of clearance.

 

[wendle]

I wouldn't imagine that the bushings that the crossmember mounts with would have enough deflection in them for the sway bar to hit anyway.

They would only be there to isolate vibration I'd think. If they moved too much you'd get caster change under brakes and lose all small bump sensitivity in the shocks...