So, I listed Penny for sale at 20k on a local classifieds page just to see what would happen and all I've got is hate mail from local (and even non-local wheelers who know me) for listing it in the first place
I doubt she is gonna sell for what I would want for it, so I decided to quit pouting and go do something with it. Despite being sick as a dog on Saturday, I went out to the shop, cranked the heat and started playing with the front end. The toe was obviously way the heck off still, so I centered the ram and eyeballed it as best I could with a buddy of mine to set the wheels straight. We didn't get it perfect, but the truck drives a hell of a lot better now. It still wanders, a lot, but it is controllable at highway speed now. I play pingpong with the lines, but I can keep it between them.
It has a pull to the left as well, which I believe is caused by the front axle not being parallel with the rear so I am going to take the truck in for a 4 wheel alignment. This time I am going to sit the tech doing the work down and walk him through how to do it properly step by step. Last time they put a genuine effort in but forgot a lot of factors that lead to a poor alignment anyways. I think after they align the axles, shim the camber straight, set the castor to 7 degrees and get the toe spot on it should actually drive in a straight line.
It still has some roll steer and bump steer issues but I cannot do anything with that until I have the capability to modify the frame side link mounts and to move the steering box / frame side panhard bar mounts to make everything parallel and the same length.
I actually took Penny out wheeling yesterday, despite her issues, and man was it good for me to get behind the wheel of the thing again. I wasn't feeling too hot (still stayed home from work today) but I needed some seat time to get the motivation to get it going back.
I learned a few things:
1. The rear suspension is definitely a major contributing factor to all the problems with the truck. It initiates the roll steer by wallowing side to side when I hit a bump. I'd guess 60% of the self steering is coming from the rear suspension.
2. The air bumps are in a totally useless spot. While the axle won't hit anything on the bumps, the shop appears to have totally forgot about the fact that there are tires on the diff. They solidly plant into the fenders and bumper when turned left or right while articulating.
3. It has lost some articulation up front offroad. It droops awesome, but it does not stuff the tires as well as it used to. I feel my upper coils are a bit too heavy for the truck. I'm going to order some lighter ones to allow the supension to work more. I didn't launch the truck, but hit a few good bumps at speed and never even touched the air bumps.
So, the game plan is as follows:
1. 4 wheel alignment and steering alignment. Set the numbers where I want them (0 camber, 7 castor and 1/16" toe in per side)
2. Rip out the rear suspension and replace it. I had the truck weighed and she came in at 6800lbs with an empty tank of fuel and a 200lb driver. Front axle is around 4000lbs and the rear is around 3000. I am going to replace the 54" spring with a set of 63" springs custom made to allow me to switch back to a tension shackle and eliminate my rear blocks. I'm going to dump the monotube shocks and put in a set of smooth body kings with remote reserviours. I'll top it off with a traction bar that will not allow the springs to wrap anymore.
3. Tune the front suspension as best as possible once the rear is done.
4. Tweak the front suspension mounts, tie the shock hoops together and make the front work properly.
I am not going to replace the front diff until after it fails again. At that time I'll replace it with a fabricated front housing. Hopefully this is well after step 4 in the game plan....
In the mean time, I'm just going to wheel it as is. I have another trip planned on the 23rd so I am going to get #1 done here next week. I've got too much time, passion and money tied into this truck to give up on it. I won't be doing any major mechanical work until into the new year. I need to finish paying off another toy first haha
