Matt stopped by this evening on his way through town to show me these hinges. Really nice idea! It's obvious he has spent some time and money getting the design just right. If I still had a 40 or 45, I'd be all over these.
Keep up the good work, Matt!
I'd still get a hold of Kurt at Cruiser...
If you're putting them in the rig in your signature line (the one with the Detroit, the larger tires and the low gearing in the T-case)- you're NOT going to be satisfied with 1310 series U-joints. TOO WEAK! Try to go all Toyota or, bump up to Spicer 1350 series.
I have the SST if you want to rent it for a couple of weeks. PM me for details.
And- you'll want to use the Marlin heavy duty axle seals. Even if you get everything perfectly concentric- they are stronger and more tolerant than OEM.
The tool should be fine for all disk brake axles. What I'm not sure of is whether it works for drum brake axles. I would think it would, but I don't know that for a fact.
By the way, I own that tool and rent it out to people that need it and don't want to buy it. Seems a little silly to...
I'd guess that the rotors are a little warped and the caliper is "floating" in its mount. There are typically "anti rattle " clips that keep the caliper pushed over against the mount and prevent this.
I've been keeping mine up on jackstands in the shop ever since I got it (in 2002). So far I haven't damaged the high steer at all. Bump steer is non-existent, too.:beer:
1974 was a "transition" year. It is either a 1F like earlier trucks, or a 1F with some 2F parts on it. You'll need the serial number of the truck to know for sure.
Are those lift springs? It looks like you went to high steer arms, with a dropped pitman arm. There is nothing "wrong" with it- but I do agree that it is opposite of what most guys end up with.
Squirrelly on the road had nothing to do with the angle of your drag link in this case. The...
Your username implies you have a 1971 Model FJ40, located in Arizona. If it is the original engine to your truck- it is a 1F. 2Fs weren't available until 1975.
Why would you say it sticks out too far? I say it doesn't stick out far enough to function as a stinger. (ie. to prevent a forward roll-over when headed down a steep obstacle.)
Just askin'.
DO NOT, under any circumstances, burn a Heep in trying to appease the Cruiser Gods. It only pisses them off. If you do, all your future endeavors will involve massive expenditure with mail order catalogs and many skinned knuckles. Too late? Yeah, for me too.