1992 f150 daily driver and adventure rig.

[greengreer]

Got the 33x10.50r15 put on today. Havent put but a few miles on them on the way home from my tire guy. Definitely a noticeable difference, less wandering and rolling resistance. They look alot smaller than the 12.50s but part of that I think was the 2" wheel spacers the previous owner installed. Got rid of them and the truck looks much cleaner and closer to stock. I wish there were more options in this size, but the 3ply sidewall and severe snow rating are must haves and the other sets I have run lasted a long time. My biggest complaint is mud performance, but they are an all terrain after all.

Back to the recovery point discussion, I found this thread:
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/908821-pull-points-and-strengthening-the-crumple-zone-2.html
I think I can come up with something like that fairly easily.
Called about a few campertops but just cant find anything I like or that will fit. Oh well, just keep looking.
Hoping my tires sell soon so bilsteins can get ordered. Its a bit bouncy on the rough roads.
Also I may have narrowed down my weird starting issue, smelled gas today and poked around to find a leak somewhere around the tank. I think it is the return line, at least I hope. What say you ford guys, essier to pull the bed or drop the tanks. I have a cherry picker to lift bed but it is dissassembled for storage. Also thought I went that route I would try to do some preventative treatment on the chassis for rust. There is none there now and I would like it to stay that way, but the way they salt the roads around here it will look like crap in about 2 yrs. Anyone know of a good product that protects good metal from oxidation and holds up?

 

[greengreer]

Also forgot to mention lockers. The open diff on the 8.8 has got to go. I am fairly happy with the 3.08s right now so I was thinking lunchbox locker or something I could install fairly easily. I am an accomplished shadetree mechanic but something like a ring and pinion I would at least want someones help who knows what they are doing. Every other truck I have had has the factory posi/locker, which has been adequate. I like the trak lock in the sterling better than the g80 in the 14bolt. The g80 locked up better but always seemed like it would let you spin a bit too much before it engaged, unless you were on an icy road in a curve, you had better push that clutch in. An arb or other selectable locker would be ideal but not sure if I can budget it at this point. Honestly a good solid lsd might work for me but want to hear some opinions on other types. Specifically the spartan and aussie lockers. Thanks

 

[Riley]

I've got a 93 Ex-cab with dual tanks, I dropped the aft tank without problem.

Pulled the spare, juggled it past the receiver hitch changed the pump and raised it back in, two, three hours tops.

The mid tank looks a bit tougher though it's on the agenda...

 

[kojackJKU]

Love it! I had 2 mid 90's f150. A 2wd xl standard cab straight 6. and 4x4 extended cab lariat. I would love to find a 4 Door super duty 4x4 in awesome condition. That is my dream truck. Dunno why, its still a truck. The, so called trucks these days are glorified cars.

 

[greengreer]

Thanks! Nothing like an old truck, it's just much more of a truck than what they put out now. I would be afraid to put anything in the bed of a shiny new truck or take it off hwy for fear of scratching the paint. Much rather have the old iron. The best part is that it was paid for the day I bought it.
So I found what I think is an aluminess bumper that I am going to pick up this evening. It looks almost identical to their 1992+ e series one. Anyone know if they used to make bumpers for the obs f series? Wasn't really planning to do a winch bumper at all on this truck but I am a sucker for a deal.

 

[greengreer]

Well the old f 1 chitty had a good evening, picked up a decent camper top for a good price. Needs a good cleaning but hey it works. Even the gas pistons that hold up the hatch work and it came with the key. Two used camper top firsts for me.
The real highlight of the day is the winch bumper I traded my 33x12.50s for. I am almost certain it's an aluminess, the guy I got it from said he got it off a 95 f350, although I still havent verified aluminess made a bumper for f series those years. A quick few measurements told me it should bolt right on but I guess we will find out. Hopefully I can get it on tomorrow and see how it looks. Stay posted for some pics tomorrow. Pretty excited how fast this truck is coming along, I will have owned it two weeks on monday and feel like I have more than half of the mods and repairs done.
Going to the unaka mtns in tn on sunday to hike, glad to be able to get some r&r

 

[underdrive]

Nice score on that bumper! One slight concern about it, it will probably make your front end sag a little. Especially if you actually throw a winch on it. On the flip side it does solve your lack of front recovery points issue.

Here's something kinda odd we've seen done to avoid the crumble zones weaknesses - literally chaining up the front bumper to the frame rails back behind the crumble zones. The particular truck had a pair of those high-strength eye-bolts used for lifting and moving heavy machinery (lathes, mills, etc) bolted to the front wall of its engine crossmember, passenger side was right next to the frame rail and driver side was as close to the steering box as they could get it without the chain touching it. On the back side of the crossmember wall they had added some thick steel plates to spread the load applied by the eye-bolts. Then the front end of the chains was attached to the bumper on the back side of the recovery points. The idea was that during recovery pulls (truck frame is in tension) the slightly pre-tensioned chains will transfer a lot of the pull force from the bumper directly to the stronger parts of the frame, thus bypassing the "questionable" crumble zones. On the other hand if the truck were ever in an accident, the chains due to their nature would offer absolutely no resistance against frame compression, thus allowing the crumble zones to do their thing as the factory designed them to. Might sound redneck as heck to some, but I think the reasoning behind this setup was pretty sound...

Are you 100% sure on your 3.08 gears? Yes you could get a 2wd truck with them, but I don't recall ever seeing a reverse-cut D44 (Ford's front axle) with them... In any case, with the 3.08 your NP435 is pretty close to a typical wide-ratio ZF5 with 3.55s, in fact at say 60mph your engine is turning only about 200rpms faster. Gears 1-3 are darn near identical between the two as far as wheel speed per given engine speed goes. We've had the opportunity to drive a 300I6 F150 with 3.55s and a ZF rolling on 33s, the thing had absolutely no problems pulling off a dead stop uphill even with a camper trailer behind it. What I'm getting at is that what you have now should work very well for a camping and just general truck duty purposes, I see no point in spending all sorts of money on regearing the axles and switching to a 5-speed.

Random NP435 stuff you probably never thought about: if your factory shifter feels kinda awkward, try using one off a '70s Ford with a NP435, it's a direct swap and after straightening the top kink and readjusting the lower bend (few minutes with the oxy-acetylene torch) it can put the shifter knob in a more comfortable location. Also the shifter knob off a '80s GM truck with a SM 4-speed transmission will spin right in place of the factory '70s Ford NP435 shift knob - the GM one is IMHO of much better quality, it's solid steel inside with a rubber cover and overall more comfortable to grab. The GM shift pattern reads L-1-2-3, if you wanted you can change this using a piece from a '80s Ford with a T19 transmission, we left ours alone tho cause we thought it looks kinda cool.

I saw someone suggested that you swap your rear axle to one off an early '80s F150 - unfortunately you can't easily do that. I mean yes the 9" axle will bolt up right in place of the 8.8 you have now, but it lacks a tone ring and a VSS on the pumpkin. If your truck was one year older you'd be just fine without them as all you'd lose would be the ABS, but starting in 1992 in Ford trucks EVERYTHING that somehow needs vehicle speed information uses that axle VSS - this means speedometer, odometer, ABS, and cruise, none of it will work with a factory '80s F150/Bronco 9" rear axle. Now, given the 9" uses an all-steel housing (piece of cake to drill, tap, and weld onto), I'd imagine it'd be pretty easy to install the VSS into that - but the VSS has to read off something, and that something is the tone ring typically attached to the differential flange for the ring gear. Does someone make a tone ring that can fit a 9" diff - probably, as 9" axles are still pretty popular for racing applications powered by EFI engines via computer-controlled transmissions. Heck for all I know there is a whole 3rd member somewhere out there that is set up with both tone ring clearance and VSS port, but being used to the 8-lug 1-ton stuff I simply don't know what's available in the "halfton" aftermarket world... Something for you to looking into it maybe?

 

[greengreer]

Thanks for all of the good info. Firstly the winch bumper is aluminum and weighs less than 90lbs, so without a winch I doubt I am adding much weight if any. Eventually I will probably put a 8 or 9k winch with synthetic rope in it so figure about another 60-70lbs. I am very keen to try to keep weight off of this truck in general, especially the front end.
I am almost positive that the axles are open 3.08, unless the tag on the rear is incorrect. The sticker on the doorjamb is missing.is there anyway to look it up by vin? If not I guess we will find out when I have the cover off. The truck is pretty driveable with the 33s/3.08/435 combo. I wouldn't want to tow very much in traffic though. It just takes some getting used to, other trucks I have/had were 32s/4.10/zf5 and 33s/3.73/nv4500 both diesels so its a bit different. I am putting gear and transmission swaps on the back burner at this point, too much work for what its worth to me right now.
The chain idea is a good one, although definitely redneck engineering. I need to see how this bumper lines up then probably just weld some plate in to bypass the accordian section. I am not worried about having crumple zones.
The truck is too nice and clean to swap in a junkyard axle, even with traklok, so I have been thinking either lunchbox locker or selectable. I think right now its between aussie or lokka, and eaton e locker, but I am open to suggestions.
I'm going to play around with the bumper and see how she looks, that is if it fits. If not check the classifieds later, lol.

 

[AFBronco235]

Even with that aluminum bumper, you're still going to be adding between 70 and 100 lbs to the front end of the truck with a winch. You'll want to see about getting some heavier springs up front. Don't just go with spacers, since those will actually limit your total front axle travel.

Why are you going with a new bumper? The stock bumper is just as solid as anything aftermarket out there. Maybe even more so, since its a solid chunk of steel hammered into shape. Its also easier to replace if its damaged with just a quick trip to your local junkyard for a new one. Sure, the new bumper looks cool, but I just can't see aluminum standing up to the abuses that your stock bumper can handle.

As far as lockers go, don't go with anything more complicated that requires additional equipment outside the axle. No powered lockers. They just add un-needed complexity. Something as simple as a limited slip differential is all you'd really need. Same for up front. With regearing, well, that up to you. There's always a tradeoff between torque/towing capacity, acceleration, and fuel efficiency.

 

[kojackJKU]

I dig the bumper and understand the reasons to put one on, its awesome. that's why! ha ha. As far as lockers go, I would use true tracs and call er a day. They are probably the best for a daily driver rig.

 

[greengreer]

Someone else recommend tru tracs, I'll have to read more on them.
Mocked the bumper up and didn't care much for it. Its just too big. I think the warn classic on my 350 looks way better and I am not even done making it fit (came off chevy).
I wasnt actively seeking a bumper but figured I would give it a try. It's not everyday you see an aluminum bumper on craigslist. And yes this thing is stout as hell. Way beefier than the stock bumper. Dont discount aluminum. I would pit the quality of manufacture and material above arb.
I posted it for sale in the classifieds if anyone's interested. If not I will probably mofify to fit the f350 and maybe put the warn on this truck...
anyway here is the cheap campertop I picked up. Spent sone time cleaning it up this morning.

 

[greengreer]

Also, I dont think a 1/2ton truck is going to care much about adding 70lbs to the front. Tons of people do dual batteries and don't have an issue. It's a truck, what do you think happens when you load half a cord in the bed? Thats probably closer to 1000# on the front axle. Would I want to ride around like that all the time, nope, but I'd be damn good at swapping balljoints.
The reason I am looking to the aftermarket for traction aids is because the rear is open, but otherwise mint condition. An aussie locker or similar can be had for less than 300, and installed in the driveway with basic tools. Not the same as a carrier swap or even swapping a rear end. Even if I choose to go with a full carrier locker or lsd, I would have to have a shop do it and I might as well put something better than a factory traklok in because labor is the same either way. This is just what I have come up with in my limited research. If I had a factory posi I wouldnt change a thing but maybe tighten it up a little.
Really I am not too concerned with the e locker, even if it breaks the wire its not a terribly difficult fix. Not exactly sure but I would think it defaults to open. Selectable is the way to go in everything but price. I've cursed my traction aids as much as I've blessed them in previous trucks.

 

[underdrive]

Agreed that selectable is darn near ideal for most situations, but like you said there is the issue with cost.

Factory LSD can be majorly annoying to get just right - if it's too loose it's not really helping you much, if it's too tight it can wear the tires faster and can make a drive on slippery road quite interesting and not in a good way.

E-locker is nice in that it requires pretty much no additional equipment to run it. IIRC it has a "race" version that defaults to locked position if it loses power to it, but yes the typical model defaults to open if wiring somehow gets damaged. Do look into its strength tho, I think I've seen it mentioned in the intrawebs that it's not quite as strong as say a mechanical Ox or air ARB. But then again your entire axle isn't all that strong to begin with, plus it's not like you'll be towing a mobile home behind the thing anyways.

ARB can also be had in default-locked version, IIRC price was the same either way. The downside of needing to install an air compressor to run it is negated by the fact that now you have a compressed air source - this makes even simple things like changing a flat tire much easier (obviously you'll need a hose and a small impact wrench), but you can also air tires up and down much easier, and you can dust things off much faster (need a blow gun adapter). Once you have that it's pretty hard to not find ways to use it, lol.

True-Trac will probably be your best bang for the buck tho. BTW you can install one in your driveway no problem - first you get the carrier bearings preload right (careful measurements of factory stuff can get you awful close to ideal), and then as long as you're not changing your gears at the same time (thus no change in pinion depth) all you gotta do is locate it properly left to right - which is really not that hard to do if you know the 8.8 axle backlash specs, pretty much all you'll be doing is pulling shims from one side of the diff and moving them to the other side till you get a good backlash number. And since this is a Ford axle you won't have to deal with the need for setup bearings and fancy pullers and all that BS associated with Dana axles. Plenty of information on the internet regarding that, as long as you can follow directions and have decent attention to detail you can do it as good as any shop can.

Bummer the fancy alu bumper didn't work out for you, but hey, form is not always inferior to function - if you can't stand looking at the thing every time you go outside you simply won't have as much fun with the truck. But on the subject of hanging a winch permanently, on truck like that I'd go with a portable one - the 8k-9k ones are light enough they can be moved to front or back (or even the sides of the truck if you set it up for that) by just youirself, this versatility makes their use much easier and simple (cause using a front winch to pull the truck backwards kinda sucks). Your dually has what, a 10k-12k monster in that bumper? It makes sense to install something like that permanently, and all our trucks are done in that matter, but they also all have provisions for a receiver mounted rear winch, just in case (we share the same big winch between 4 trucks, you really want 2 people to lift and move that thing around). Thus my advice would be the same as the one I gave to the Dakota owner in another thread - get a nice front receiver hitch, a nice 9k winch with a mount that is easy for you to handle, permanently run heavy gauge cables to both bumpers of the truck, and only throw the winch in the toolbox when you're actually out exploring whatever it is that you plan on exploring.

Camper top looks nice!

Btw if you still want a front swaybar post a picture of what your TTB axles look like in the area where the springs bolt to them, and I should be able to come up with some suggestions.

 

[kojackJKU]

True tracs are a maintenance free limited slip unit. they lock up like a locker when needed but release at the right times. Only down side is when one wheel is in the air, but that can be overcame with braking.

They are great for daily drivers, which is why im installing them in my rigs.

 

[underdrive]

They are great for daily drivers

Especially in the front axle it seems, where an auto locker can be predictably unpredictable and a tight LSD can be an understeer white-knuckler on slick roads if you don't have enough weight on the tires...