Steve's 64 Short-bed Project

[SteveCanup]

New Yokohama's purchased for the front...they are mounted on the wheels, just need to get them to the tire shop for balancing. Still looking for a set of 255/60's for the rear...I will find them....more pics to come (we like pics....)

[orangeRcode]

What size of tires do you have on the front/back in the pics?

[SteveCanup]

In the pic I have 215/55-17's on the front and 255/60-17's on the rear. The 215/55's were to short for me. I have 225/60-17's mounted on the wheels but not balanced and installed yet. The 255's on the rear were a worn-out set that I used to test fitment. I am considering 275/55 for the rear, if I can find them. With the holidays and everything else going on (life) I have had a hard time getting to the tire shop to get squared away with the tires and wheels. I went today and the shop closed at noon (grrrr) ....oh, well, I will try to get there tomorrow and get all of this done and get some pics up. The prior pics were test fitment pics....

[SteveCanup]

Made it to the tire shop...balanced the 225/60's for the front and purchased a set of Goodyear Eagles, 265/60-17's, for the rear...Rears barely fit....Done for now with tires and wheels.

[SteveCanup]

Starting to look around for IFS ideas....there is a guy who has narrowed the aluminum crossmember on the Crown Vic ifs. Hmmmmm......I want better handling and steering....stay tuned, it might be time to get radical.....

[orangeRcode]

Starting to look around for IFS ideas....there is a guy who has narrowed the aluminum crossmember on the Crown Vic ifs. Hmmmmm......I want better handling and steering....stay tuned, it might be time to get radical.....

Narrowed CV crossmember is intriguing. Keep us updated!

[SteveCanup]

Went out today in the wonderfully frosty weather (22 degrees) and wallowed under my truck. The only way I could get to my steering box was from the underside of the truck. I have had about an 1" to 1 1/2" play in the steering wheel since I bought it. I loosed the adjusting nut on the side of the box and tightened the screw about a 1/2 turn or so and re-tightened the nut. What a difference! I've been thinking about a Crown Vic ifs, which might happen later this upcoming year or even installing a rack and pinion onto my straight axle for better handling and steering. I have messaged Uncle Skip, who has done the rack and pinion on his slick, and seen pics of what he did. But my steering is so much better, so I might hold off for a while on any modifications. I would still like to drop the truck just a few more inches, especially in the front. I've been studying the spring mounts on the front and the possibility of moving them up an inch or two...anything is possible...stay tuned....more madness to come....and...if you have play in your steering, check the adjustment nut and screw on your box. (A word to the wise though...don't over tighten it or you WILL ruin your box...)
Later......

And Merry Christmas to all.....may Santa fill your stockings to overflowing.....

[SteveCanup]

A lot of guys on here are trying to figure this out...soooo, I'm posting some pics that will hopefully help others with this. I have installed 17 inch Dodge Ram wheels (and this will work, in principle, with the 20 inch wheels also). I followed Farmageddon's thread on how to do this and here are some detailed pics of the Ford center cap which can be installed on the Dodge wheels.
First, these are the lug nuts you will need...note the 'washers' as that is what holds the caps on...they are Dorman 611-171.1 and this seems to be a universal part number among all parts stores. I bought 20 of these...5 from Advanceauto, 8 from AutoZone and the rest from Napa. No-one had all 20 in stock.


Here is a shot of the back of the center cap...


.
Note that I am pointing to the plastic jugs that I broke off. As far as I know that is what farmageddon did to get his caps to stay on...BUT, I'm not sure I should have broken those off. Without them the cap fits closer to the wheels and the pressure of the metal fingers against the lug nuts seems to be what hold the cap on.


Another shot of the back of the center cap showing the metal plate that has the five 'fingers' that snap onto the lug-nuts..


Hope that this helps everyone that has questions. I will post more pics and so forth it anyone needs further info...thanks for asking and looking.
Steve-

[orangeRcode]

Steve, thanks for the pics and details. Makes it a lot more clear.

FYI, if you aren't in a hurry you can find the lug nuts on rockauto.com cheaper than at a part's counter. Be sure to use the 5% coupon in the "how did you hear about us" section.

[SteveCanup]

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[SteveCanup]

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[orangeRcode]

Yep, digging the ford caps on those wheels.

[Rekless]

Steve Thanks for the "Lego" instructions on the hubcaps. I am going to copy your look on my 66

[SteveCanup]

Rekless...you're welcome. Good luck on your build....post pics....we love pics.

[SteveCanup]

Well....I am accumulating parts to 're-do' my center caps. I have ordered a set of push through 3" center-caps. These will go through the center of the wheels and I will use that to 'hold' my center caps on. The right front cap is not wanting to stay on. I have 'slung' it off twice now and was lucky enough to find it later....in the ditch. Right now I've taken all of my center-caps off until further notice. I will post pics...
Steve-

[SteveCanup]

Center-caps, baby moons, etc. TUTORIAL....or.....how I did it...
Here's the finished product...look really, really hard for the chrome acorn nut in the middle of the moon cap...btw, I purchased these baby moons from the local Pilot/Flying J Truck stop for $8.99 each...that's cheap!

Here's what you will need to accomplish the first picture...Center-caps that will fit the big hole in the middle of your wheels. I wrapped mine in electrical tape (no pics) to make it fit really tight. I used 1/4" carriage bolts that were 2" long with 2 nuts and a stainless acorn nut.


You will need to drill an exact hole in the middle of the push through cap to insert the bolt through and determine how long the bolt must stick out. Once you determine the 'stick out' length use the 2 nuts to fasten the bolt tightly against the bolt.

Rear view...

I also cut the moon cap down by 1/2 inch because it had a high side and stood out to far on the wheel for my taste...

Final thoughts, notes and otherwise pontifications....
Take your time finding the center of the moon cap if you go this route. That was the hardest part. I ran out of time this evening and tomorrow I might cut the sides of the moon caps down just a little more. This might not be the route for everyone....but it works on these wheels that do not have the hubcap nubs on the wheels. Another idea for the really talented. Just weld the nut to the push through cap and just use a nice looking stainless steel Phillips-head screw/bolt to hold the cap on. Anyway, here's the 'lego' version...hopefully it will help. I have finished one wheel and I will post pics when I get all of them completed and installed on the truck...
Steve-

[FarmMotorSports]

Would simple retainer clips work?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/112264798587
No exposed hardware, change the caps and style any time without tools.

[SteveCanup]

I checked those out...They would work, I guess. I had a set from another 'left-over' wheel and I couldn't get them to mount correctly on the slope of the wheel.

[SteveCanup]

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[orangeRcode]

Steve, like the look and hopefully you won't lose one like the other caps. You can't see the acorn nut in the center from the pics. What did you use to find the center for drilling a hole? What did you use to cut off the excess material on the caps?