Suspension & wheel ?'s from a noob (1 Viewer)

[MtnYota]

Hiya's!
So, I apologize in advance if these ?'s seem elementary. I've been reading a bit here and it seems there's ten ways forward but not a most common path.
I've decided the first mods to my newly acquired Pig will be knuckle maintenance, a modest lift, finding new center caps & putting bigger tires 31.5x10 on my stock rims. It's a stock '76. I'm not goin to be hard wheeling, but mostly DailyDrivin'. I do live waaaay up in the Mtns, so she'll be see'in bumpy stuff while camping local, fishing, and other assorted local adventures.
Looking at 2.5 lift shackles, new poly bushings, knuckle rebuild, which I've found all of online.
My first ? Aside from longer shocks, what mandatory items am I assuredly overlooking.
Second ? Is what would be the right shocks to pair with a 2.5?
Third ? Does this approach even make sense?
4th ? Where the heck can I find the center caps?
I REALLY appreciate any feedback!!

 

[wngrog]

If you are just doing 31s you don't need a lift.

Extended shackles are a band aid and will effect your caster up front.

Shoot us a side view of your Pig. If it is sagging in the rear you can do 2.5" longer rear and 1.5" in front.

Lifting one side of the spring only gets you 1/2 of the lift so 1 1/2" longer shackles get you 3/4" lift.

That's about the biggest front shackle I like to use without getting into caster Shims.

Center caps are available still new.

Stock length shocks will be fine. You can get Monroe on eBay cheap. $80 set.

 

[MtnYota]

Thnx for the tips, Wngrog!
I don't see any obvious Saggy Butt Syndrome.
Some part of me would like the 33's, but I think it would slow the piggy down on the Mtn passes up here. Home is 10,200 ft above sea level & paved passes run near 12,000ft I think. On dirt, the highest pass in N. America is a few miles east of my house here in Leadville, CO.
I plan on gradually turning this's into more of a daily(ish) driver. So, a road worthy balance is where my middle ground lies.

 

[wngrog]

It's already got aftermarket front shackles. If you running that tire replace the shocks and roll out. Run your tires lower psi and it will help the washboard

 

[MtnYota]

Good eye on the front Shackles, Wngrog, & thnx. I've got a stack of manuals that came with 'er. I reckon I'll get under there and see if my untrained eye can pick out any other aftermarket stuff. The PO said he was "fairly certain" it was stock....which means, who knows?! Heh heh.
I had a '72 in my younger years that came off a Naval Base somewhere and it was definitely lifted, supposedly an OME kit. I LOVED how that rusty Dark Blue Pig looked. My not so awesome girl at the time begged me to let her brother borrow it till his car was fixed. Surely, He rolled it up by Irwin Lodge outside of Crested Butte, near his home. I never saw it again. I'd like to think it wasn't too bad & it still lives, just with a crooked roof?

 

[fj55-100]

you are within striking range of our big pig meet in june 21-25 , you need to stop by to see all of your options .we should have close to 20 pig there ,

 

[MtnYota]

you are within striking range of our big pig meet in june 21-25 , you need to stop by to see all of your options .we should have close to 20 pig there ,

It's definitely on my Radar!! I'd love to see everyone's Pigs, hear stories & get some tips in person! Rico is about 4 hrs from me. I reckon it'd be a decent first trip. As of yet I've only driven her home from purchase & around town. But, my gut says she'd make it no prob. Worst case, my wife rescues me with our Tundra.
Only hitch is a varying work schedule, 2 (actually 4) other ongoing vehicle projects mixed in with raising an 18month old. But, my piggie is taking precedent currently. If I find out it's got enough room...I may change my mind about the 31.5's and put 33's on...road manners be damned!

 

[MtnYota]

It's definitely on my Radar!! I'd love to see everyone's Pigs, hear stories & get some tips in person! Rico is about 4 hrs from me. I reckon it'd be a decent first trip. As of yet I've only driven her home from purchase & around town. But, my gut says she'd make it no prob. Worst case, my wife rescues me with our Tundra.
Only hitch is a varying work schedule, 2 (actually 4) other ongoing vehicle projects mixed in with raising an 18month old. But, my piggie is taking precedent currently. If I find out it's got enough room...I may change my mind about the 31.5's and put 33's on...road manners

Sorry, mis spoke...obviously the toddler takes precedent over all my other projects!! Haha, little bugger is keeping me busy!

 

[J Mack]

what mandatory items am I assuredly overlooking.

I would call Kurt @cruiseroutfit and talk to him about the lift he put together for the 55’s.

Guys have tried to piece together lifts and spend more for a Hodge-podge lift in the long run than just buying Kurt’s well thought out kit to start.

The kit I used, Cruiser Outfitters

This is my pig right after installing the Cruiser Outfitters lift with 33” tires.

 

[MtnYota]

Sweet,
Your rig looks great! Nice work.
Thnx for the contact! I reckon I was heading down "Hodgepodge" street. That looks like a proper setup for my swine! Would a lift & 33's be manageable with the stock 2F/4 speed? And, is the clearance in the back enough? To My amateur eye, it looks tight from the back of the rocker to the front of the back tire? I guess I'd be ok sacrificing streetability to have my Pig look like that!!

 

[onemanarmy]

I run 2f and 4 speed with 33*10.5 tires on stock wheels with 1.5" shackle lift and stock length shocks. Does fine. If you want to firm up the ride a bit, you can add an add a leaf to the spring packs. 33s look too big on a stock suspension in my opinion.

 

[MtnYota]

I run 2f and 4 speed with 33*10.5 tires on stock wheels with 1.5" shackle lift and stock length shocks. Does fine. If you want to firm up the ride a bit, you can add an add a leaf to the spring packs. 33s look too big on a stock suspension in my opinion.

Thnx OneManArmy,
I guess these lift options can depend on how my work/pay #'s work out this month! It's good to know that there's a way to squeak by on a budget. Pershiate the tip. I'm shooting for that kit from CruiserOutfitters, but we'll see.

 

[J Mack]

it looks tight from the back of the rocker to the front of the back tire?

The tire moves back as the suspension compresses, Kurt’s kit is complete and works as is.

Do yourself a favor and call Kurt @cruiseroutfit and talk to him about your goals and take his advice into consideration when planning your upgrade objectives.

I guess I'd be ok sacrificing streetability to have my Pig look like that!!

That pig has driven 90 MPH plus down the road, no issues with "streetability"
If you think you need lower gears for the transfer case @cruiseroutfit can help with that as well.

 

[J Mack]

Same pig, same rear springs 35" tires. You can see the gap from the back of the rocker to the front of the back tire is still good. The angle of the other picture makes it look closer than it really is.

 

[riderjgs]

I know Leadville well...my uncle was a pastor at St. Joes for 40+ years and have also done some professional work involving the county over the years.
I've run both 33s and 13s with both stock and FJ60 wheels on my Pig. Doesn't sound to me like you really need 33s and you will notice the difference both in your power curve and especially at the steering wheel without power steering. My budget lift got me about 3" with a single added leaf on all four corners and only slightly longer shackles (an inch front and a couple of inches in the rear as I remember). Bushings all around are a must. My shocks are Pro Comp. I called their customer service number, they asked for eye-to-eye measurements on the mounts and gave me parts numbers. I did do caster shims later on but no noticeable difference in handling. Tires wear evenly even though I'm still slightly out of spec. With 31's, 80mph on the Interstates is no issue (I have a Ranger overdrive) and, in my experience with 31s and 33s, a little more grunt across the power curve is preferable to another inch of overall clearance. Especially true at your altitude.
Pics with both size tires...33s on chromes and 31s on the whites. Same suspension set up.

 

[MtnYota]

Same pig, same rear springs 35" tires. You can see the gap from the back of the rocker to the front of the back tire is still good. The angle of the other picture makes it look closer than it really is.

View attachment 1449158

Yep, that's a much better angle! No clearance concerns from that angle. Looks burly!
CruiserOutfitters are pretty muc the only game in town for a full, well thought out lift kit, that I can tell so far. I almost forgot I've got ClassicCruisers an hour down the road, in Salida I can consult with, too. They did a great job on an 80 I used to have. If I can swing the cost of that w/tires, I'll go for it.

 

[MtnYota]

I know Leadville well...my uncle was a pastor at St. Joes for 40+ years and have also done some professional work involving the county over the years.
I've run both 33s and 13s with both stock and FJ60 wheels on my Pig. Doesn't sound to me like you really need 33s and you will notice the difference both in your power curve and especially at the steering wheel without power steering. My budget lift got me about 3" with a single added leaf on all four corners and only slightly longer shackles (an inch front and a couple of inches in the rear as I remember). Bushings all around are a must. My shocks are Pro Comp. I called their customer service number, they asked for eye-to-eye measurements on the mounts and gave me parts numbers. I did do caster shims later on but no noticeable difference in handling. Tires wear evenly even though I'm still slightly out of spec. With 31's, 80mph on the Interstates is no issue (I have a Ranger overdrive) and, in my experience with 31s and 33s, a little more grunt across the power curve is preferable to another inch of overall clearance. Especially true at your altitude.
Pics with both size tires...33s on chromes and 31s on the whites. Same suspension set up.

View attachment 1449170

View attachment 1449173

Hi RiderJgs!
You called it, the Altitude just KILLS hp up here! Bout 30% power loss from sea level. The 31's make more sense for me, your right....But... I absolutely love the aesthetics with 33's, and heck....I'm kind of a sucker for looks! I'm definitely starting to change my mind about going with 33's over 31's. Who's in a hurry? Heh heh. Your 55 looks awesome by the way!
I lifted and put 265's and Audi alloys on my Westy Vanagon, all because I bottomed out once camping ( & actually, really because it looks badass) so you can imagine nothing is gonna be too slow to shock me.
Where did you find your leafs? & what shackles did you use? If I go that route, these are the ones I've seen
Shackles - HFS™ - Barbell Lift

 

[riderjgs]

Man-A-Free add a leafs I got in a parts package bought here on Mud. Don't know if they're still available. Shackles found the same way here on Mud.

 

[wngrog]

I would never argue with a complete Old Man Emu setup. That's the bar. (I hate the nitro shocks though)

That said, shocks and new shackles with bushings all around may get you all you need.

 

[MtnYota]

Sheesh...never realized how hard it is to find parts for the Pig. Can I use 1-1.5, later year 40 series shackles, and add a leafs? Will that fly on the front & rear? From what I'm reading, I need the 55 specific bushings, right?