Suspension and brakes upgrade: I've been busy.

[Holly100]

Here is my 64 slick fresh off the lift after what I consider a full suspension rebuild, brake upgrade, and differential swap. This thing drives like and entirely different truck. I'm mostly posting this for fun but if anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer. Below is the work I did.
Speedway Disc brake swap
All new brake line and hoses front to rear
New power brake booster with Ford dual bowl master cylinder and GM stlye disc/drum proportioning block
New brake light switch
Rebuilt rear drum brakes including springs, wheel cylinders, and shoes
All new leaf spring and shackle bushings
New leaf spring isolators
SIDS 3" drop front axle
Tie rod end links (Moog)
Steering drag link (Moog)
Monroe front and rear shocks
On leaf removed and flipped on top of rear spring to de-arch and lower (about 3-4")
Tightened parking brake cable
Removed 3.89 gear set and replaced with 3.25 ratio (running with T98 granny 4-speed)

[F164]

Very nice.

What size tires are you running?

Did you have to modify the firewall to install the booster?

Did Sid do kingpins, drop tie rods and center link for you?

[Holly100]

Very nice.

What size tires are you running? Front= 225/70 15 Rear=235/75 15

Did you have to modify the firewall to install the booster? No, I just used the steel mounting plate that was behind the original MC. I did have to ream the holes on the new booster a little to get teh bolts to line up. The Booster and MC was sold to me by a friend who got it in kit from No Limit Engineering for his 65 slick.

Did Sid do kingpins, drop tie rods and center link for you?

He did Kingpin install and tie rod drops. I bought and replaced tie rod end links and drag link with Moog parts.

[SteveCanup]

Now that's a full day of work....nice truck by the way. That is all of the stuff I will eventually do to my '64...thanks for the inspiration!

[Gary Seymour]

Way cool stance. NICE upgrades. That's a sweet little truck right there!

[Holly100]

Now that's a full day of work....nice truck by the way. That is all of the stuff I will eventually do to my '64...thanks for the inspiration!

pfft, I wish. It took me 4 full days to finish.

[skidoorulz]

I am thinking about disc brakes but really do not want to do the power brake conversion, just dual master and discs. Is that available? Also s that proportioning valve adjustable or fixed if fixed what is the bias? Lastly is that the stock 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern on the front hub?

[F164]

The brake upgrade can be done manual or power. On a straight axle, manual is easier since they never came with a power brake option.

I would like to drive a truck with a manual disc/drum setup to see how it performs.

All the kits for 61+ that I have seen are 5x5.5

[orangeRcode]

Great upgrades. Love the stance and look of the truck! Congrats.

[Holly100]

I am thinking about disc brakes but really do not want to do the power brake conversion, just dual master and discs. Is that available? Also s that proportioning valve adjustable or fixed if fixed what is the bias? Lastly is that the stock 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern on the front hub?

I wouldn't shy away from power brakes unless money is holding you back. The setup I did works extremely well. I still have a nice firm pedal and I never feel like the boost will cause me to over power the brakes. The Speedway kit will work with just a plain dual bowl master cylinder if you choose to go that way though. The proportioning valve is a GM style that meters for the from and rear and is not adjustable. I was hesitant too and bough an adjustable prop. valve just in case and was ready to tear it all out. Well, it works great and I really don't know what the bias is. The bolt pattern is still stock 5x5.5. I think the kit uses 73+ Ford truck rotors that they adapt 71-76 calipers to. I'm very pleased. Now I just need to find a fix for worn out steering box.

[SteveCanup]

Holly100...I just ordered the same disc brake conversion kit last night from Speedway for my '64. Their price can't be beat and my kit will be here day after tomorrow . I took the time to price the individual parts and the Speedway kit is almost $100 cheaper than 'scrounging' the parts together. I'm still on the fence about whether to use a power booster or not. I will probably purchase a '67 Ford truck dual master from the local parts house ($37) and run manual disc/drum. From what others have written, that setup works great.
Mine...


Thanks again for the write-up on the work that you did...it sure helped me.
Steve-

[Holly100]

Holly100...I just ordered the same disc brake conversion kit last night from Speedway for my '64. Their price can't be beat and my kit will be here day after tomorrow . I took the time to price the individual parts and the Speedway kit is almost $100 cheaper than 'scrounging' the parts together. I'm still on the fence about whether to use a power booster or not. I will probably purchase a '67 Ford truck dual master from the local parts house ($37) and run manual disc/drum. From what others have written, that setup works great.
Mine...


Thanks again for the write-up on the work that you did...it sure helped me.
Steve-

The booster costs more for sure but I really like it. You'll probably be fine without it but I got a really good deal on the booster and MC together so I went for it. I really like your wheel offset. What width are those and do you know the BS by chance?

[SteveCanup]

The fronts are plain jane original 15x6 Ford wheels a friend gave me. They were off of an early 90's Ford F-150. I knocked the centers out and reversed them. I set the backspacing, if I remember correctly, at 2 1/2 inches. The rears are Wheel Vintiques from Summit 15x8 and I can't recall the BS. I'm running 225/70's front and 255/70's rear. I hated the way the truck looked when I first brought it home, the wheels/tires appeared to be to far back under the fenders. I may end up with a booster/MC if I can find a good deal on them.

[F164]

67 was a one year only m/c.

Is there a reason why you want a 67? Most use a 68+.

[SteveCanup]

Yep...I misspoke...or mis-typed. I will use a '68 or later master cylinder for disc/drum.

[Holly100]

Hey Steve, when you flipped the front shackles, did it interfere with the bed? It looks like you did it without ever removing the spring and then used three of the four stock holes. Right? Also, I like the rear shackle idea but don't want to cut away my bed.

[SteveCanup]

The front hangers did not contact the bed at all, but the rear shackles did. You could possibly run the same type of shackles and grind a little off of the top (end?) of the shackle, about 1/4 to 3/8 and be alright. The shackle that I used had two holes (settings for height) and if you used the lower hole you could certainly grind the shackle for clearance. I didn't mind cutting my bed because it was already rusted out pretty badly. Anything else I can help with, just let me know.
Steve-

[Holly100]

What rear shackle did you use? I can't seem to find one for a 64. When you flipped the wheel center did you knock out the rivets, plug weld the holes, then weld a bead along the rest of the back edge?

What sway bar kit did you use too?

[SteveCanup]

I found the shackle kit on ebay and it was for '65-70ish Ford F-100. I did have to grind a tiny bit off of the bushing to get it into the rear hanger as it was a little wide. For the wheels I took my 4 1/2 inch grinder and removed the rivet heads, took a punch and beat the rest of the rivet out. It was not easy to punch them out. If you have a good set of drill bits you could drill them out, but you will have to grind the head off first. I used a 2 pound blunt force hammer and knocked the centers out. I cleaned up all of the rust and old paint and reassembled the wheel. When you put the center back into the rim you will have to knock it back in with a hammer. I installed it on the front of my truck, set the backspacing where I wanted it, took a screwdriver and affixed it to a jackstand and 'trued' the wheel up. Took it off and into my garage and welded it up. I have a Hobart 140 mig with gas. I also put JB weld over my welds on the rivet holes to make sure that they didn't leak...one of mine did have a pin hole leak and I had to take it off, remove the tire and weld it a little more. I checked for leaks the old fashioned way...spray bottle with a few drops of liquid soap and spray all over the wheel. I installed the tires myself and when I drove the truck to the local garage, 9 miles away, surprisingly there was no vibration at all. I figured the thing would vibrate like crazy.
Sway bar was ordered from Summit...but let me dig through my paperwork and check and re-post on that one ...I think it was $139 with everything needed to install it. There are at least two well written threads on installation of a sway bar on the front of these...one of them was written and posted by 'Uncle Skip...the threads are under "Hints and Tricks." Well worth the time, money, effort to install as my truck handles and tracks much flatter through the curves.

[SteveCanup]

I ordered the sway bar from G.W.C. Distributors Inc (ebay) "Suspension Stabilizer Bar Front Dorman 927-194 fits 75-79 Ford F-150" Item #391058718757 - $119.12 + 9.95 shipping = $129.07.