I ran into the same problem, I ended up lifting the entire truck up to be able to droop it out.
CK5
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'72 K5 - Greg's @MightAsWellK5 Build
- Thread starter Greg72
- Start date
This is the build description. I will improve this later. (GB)
chulisohombre
1/2 ton status
So uou were only getting half droop on either side while flexing. Not full droop like hanging off a rock on one side. That really sucks. Hope it doesn't send you back to the drawing board too bad. Hopefully you can figure a easy solution.
y5mgisi
1 ton status
Could you possibly run "Baja" style flared fenders?
Actually, I was getting NO DROOP on the low side during my early testing.
If you think about it, the truck is set up in my garage at RIDE HEIGHT. This works great for checking link angles and clearance and all sorts of things, but when the tires are installed for testing you've got no droop. It's impossible unless you chop out the concrete under the tire, or artificially raise the entire frame/chassis another 8" to see what the "fully drooped" issues are going to be.
I was playing games with droop early on in the process, where I'd unbolt the wheels and just let the bare hub drop down. That gave me a sense of what it would be like but this was before I had the front struts mounted so I didn't really have a great way to determine where "full droop" was.... it was always a guess since I didn't have an upper strut hanger to measure from.
Other weird stuff happens too.... like the travel of the strut isn't actually the same as the amount of tire movement you get under articulation.
Example: The suspension is fully stuffed (6" of bump travel) but it actually has 10-1/2" of clearance off the ground.
This is because the shock is sitting further inboard on the axletube than the tire, so you end up getting quite a bit more wheel travel than shock travel.... this works in both directions (bump and droop) so my guess is that even if I'd lifted the truck up another 8" to test "full droop" the tire would still have hit the ground too soon.... I'd probably need more like 12" of additional height to insure that the drooping tire was fully drooped-out.
.....and for no particular reason other than the fact that it's cool looking, here's a bonus shot from the inside of the stuffed tire with the fender bolted on. At least I won't need to trim any holes in my hood for tire clearance!!!
-G
I don't think you are going to get any "I told you so's". It isn't really so bad. Just a little sheet metal to adjust. It sucks, but you are well aware by now that it isn't done until everything is checked. It doesn't look like it will cascade too far, unless it gets into the brakes or the drivers floor excessively. You will have to now decide on the max wheel and tire combo you will EVER RUN though.
Embrace the suck.
Embrace the suck.
Look at the bright side, it looks like you won't have to curve the additional tube you were going to add.....and for no particular reason other than the fact that it's cool looking, here's a bonus shot from the inside of the stuffed tire with the fender bolted on. At least I won't need to trim any holes in my hood for tire clearance!!!
-G
OK Zim sure....... I guess I'll see you guys at BB2068!!!
Actually it looks like I could actually install that curved piece BACKWARDS (with the curve aiming at the tire!) and still not come anywhere close to hitting it....
-G
I hear your pain Greg, when I cycled mine at ride height like you are now I had to leave the brake rotor off or it would hit the ground. I am sure you will come up with a solution that looks good and still clears the tire.
Also make sure you are getting the full 14" travel when they are empty, they don't have an internal stop the will travel further under load (extra wight of the tires, momentum, etc)do they?
That's almost heartbreaking. No pot shots here.
Axle and steering geometry are locked in...but what about stretching the frame (and fenders) a couple of inches...make the cut right at the firewall? Can you pull that off without losing the visual appeal?
Axle and steering geometry are locked in...but what about stretching the frame (and fenders) a couple of inches...make the cut right at the firewall? Can you pull that off without losing the visual appeal?
Just say the word Greg, I'll come pick it up and finish it for ya if you can't handle it. 
Have you considered smaller tires? Nobody wants to wheel on rollers but maybe a little smaller tire will make a big difference.
Have you considered smaller tires? Nobody wants to wheel on rollers but maybe a little smaller tire will make a big difference.
I'm going 31's....
With these portals I've got way more under-axle clearance than I really need anyway....
-G
With these portals I've got way more under-axle clearance than I really need anyway....
-G
I'm going 31's....
With these portals I've got way more under-axle clearance than I really need anyway....
-G
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
It looks like you can figure out how much firewall needs to go by removing that mounted tire and making a cardboard version of the inner sidewall to bolt up to an unmounted wheel. That may allow you to turn all the way right so you can project some lines out from the cardboard onto the firewall.
PUT IT DOWN AND STEP AWAY FROM THE CUT OFF WHEEL, SIR? Lol 
You could always use my sheet metal approach
2014.08.20 - UPDATE! - EMBRACE THE SUCK....!!!
What a difference 24 hours can make... Sometimes all it takes is some quiet reflection time to allow a solution to present itself.... And of course, you have to be willing to fight through the frustration long enough to work it all out.
There was a big clearance issue to deal with at the start of last night, so I decided to "take small bites" and remove a small amount of metal at a time until the shape I actually needed was revealed through the iterative process.
The simplest answer to finding the shape I needed was to trace a larger circle onto the firewall area once the tire was in the position where interferences were occurring. This clever little adjustable gizmo worked perfectly!
Since I couldn't get either full-stuff OR full-lock steering, it made sense to cut about 1" off each time, and then raise the tire up again to mark a new reference line.....
Here was the first one of the evening....
The result was immediately a LOT better....
......but not quite good enough. A few more quick revisions
....and a growing pile of discarded firewall sheetmetal
Things were going great! Though it was amazing to see just how CLOSE the tire was getting to the lower fender mount bracket....... Only about 1/4" of daylight is left!
By the end of the process, I had a nice new fresh-air vent for my passenger!
FINALLY.... Full-lock right turn / full bump!
......and here's a parting shot of the fender shape that clears the tire (all positions and angles) with the tire at ride height.
If I'm being honest, it's a bit larger than I was hoping for but I think once I weld the factory fender lip back on and smooth everything out completely it should look fine.
Time to move along......
-G
What a difference 24 hours can make... Sometimes all it takes is some quiet reflection time to allow a solution to present itself.... And of course, you have to be willing to fight through the frustration long enough to work it all out.
There was a big clearance issue to deal with at the start of last night, so I decided to "take small bites" and remove a small amount of metal at a time until the shape I actually needed was revealed through the iterative process.
The simplest answer to finding the shape I needed was to trace a larger circle onto the firewall area once the tire was in the position where interferences were occurring. This clever little adjustable gizmo worked perfectly!
Since I couldn't get either full-stuff OR full-lock steering, it made sense to cut about 1" off each time, and then raise the tire up again to mark a new reference line.....
Here was the first one of the evening....
The result was immediately a LOT better....
......but not quite good enough. A few more quick revisions
....and a growing pile of discarded firewall sheetmetal
Things were going great! Though it was amazing to see just how CLOSE the tire was getting to the lower fender mount bracket....... Only about 1/4" of daylight is left!
By the end of the process, I had a nice new fresh-air vent for my passenger!
FINALLY.... Full-lock right turn / full bump!
......and here's a parting shot of the fender shape that clears the tire (all positions and angles) with the tire at ride height.
If I'm being honest, it's a bit larger than I was hoping for but I think once I weld the factory fender lip back on and smooth everything out completely it should look fine.
Time to move along......
-G
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