Sweetness! 
CK5
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Truck ran great on the way back. No issues at all.
Somewhere along the way, the mechanical trip meter on the truck got messed up and stopped reading correctly.
But the mileage differences on the mechanical odometer between departure and arrival equates to 364.1 miles.
Actual trip miles on the gps odometer app were 336.53 miles. A difference of 27.57 miles, about 8.19%.
All that to the side, the important part is that actual fuel economy (based on the gps odometer) came to 16.02 mpg! That’s all highway miles.
I’m pretty happy about that.
Not sure what made the difference because I have had all highway mileage recordings in the past of 13 mpg. Will be interested to see how things improve once I get the fuel filter replaced.
Now it’s time for a vacation from the vacation.
Somewhere along the way, the mechanical trip meter on the truck got messed up and stopped reading correctly.
But the mileage differences on the mechanical odometer between departure and arrival equates to 364.1 miles.
Actual trip miles on the gps odometer app were 336.53 miles. A difference of 27.57 miles, about 8.19%.
All that to the side, the important part is that actual fuel economy (based on the gps odometer) came to 16.02 mpg! That’s all highway miles.
I’m pretty happy about that.
Not sure what made the difference because I have had all highway mileage recordings in the past of 13 mpg. Will be interested to see how things improve once I get the fuel filter replaced.
Now it’s time for a vacation from the vacation.
Moved the gauges today. Much easier to see from the driver seat now. Don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. Much cleaner too IMHO.
Updated the build title.
Here's the story behind it that I added to the overview:
Have been thinking through this build a lot and decided to change the build name to something more appropriate. It's no longer "Saving Rusty the Mud Truck" for two reasons: 1) Rusty is no longer a mud truck and 2) Rusty is effectively saved. It's proven to be a reliable daily driver which is it's most important function. Sure, it still needs a front axle and that will come, but the task of 'saving' the truck is essentially complete. Looking forward, I've thought a lot about what makes Rusty a truck. If you have watched any amount of Star Trek then you're probably familiar with the Borg Collective and the ideal that many parts make up one collective. "Rusty: The Collective Truck" made a lot of sense because, in the effort to save Rusty, it has taken parts from a collective total of 20 trucks to make up the One (not including the innumerable new parts installed). And that number will continue to grow. Some day (no time soon) Rusty will probably get a "new" body and frame. I've asked myself a lot, "if I go this route, will that be abandoning the original build and truck?", and my answer is "No". A body and frame are replaceable parts, just like an engine, transmission, axles, or anything else. So if I did go this route (and there's no guarantee that I will), though the body and frame may go away, the collective truck that is Rusty remains. The purpose of this build so far has been to document what it takes to save a beaten, abused, and rusted out mud truck. The focus going forward will be to document what it takes to keep said truck alive: A collective of trucks to make one.
Here's the story behind it that I added to the overview:
Have been thinking through this build a lot and decided to change the build name to something more appropriate. It's no longer "Saving Rusty the Mud Truck" for two reasons: 1) Rusty is no longer a mud truck and 2) Rusty is effectively saved. It's proven to be a reliable daily driver which is it's most important function. Sure, it still needs a front axle and that will come, but the task of 'saving' the truck is essentially complete. Looking forward, I've thought a lot about what makes Rusty a truck. If you have watched any amount of Star Trek then you're probably familiar with the Borg Collective and the ideal that many parts make up one collective. "Rusty: The Collective Truck" made a lot of sense because, in the effort to save Rusty, it has taken parts from a collective total of 20 trucks to make up the One (not including the innumerable new parts installed). And that number will continue to grow. Some day (no time soon) Rusty will probably get a "new" body and frame. I've asked myself a lot, "if I go this route, will that be abandoning the original build and truck?", and my answer is "No". A body and frame are replaceable parts, just like an engine, transmission, axles, or anything else. So if I did go this route (and there's no guarantee that I will), though the body and frame may go away, the collective truck that is Rusty remains. The purpose of this build so far has been to document what it takes to save a beaten, abused, and rusted out mud truck. The focus going forward will be to document what it takes to keep said truck alive: A collective of trucks to make one.
Rusty, the truck made of recycled materials.
Pretty much haha
I always called my K5 “Borrowed Parts” cause I trade for parts a lot.
So after reading through @campfire ’s suspension thread here: https://ck5.com/forums/threads/time-to-build-a-suspension-looking-for-input-on-springs.327516/
I was intrigued to read that disconnecting the swaybar can actually somewhat improve highway handling. So, knowing the direction I’m going with the Dana 60 (parts collection has commenced), I figured I’d follow the recommendation in that thread to remove/disconnect the sway bar, drive it around, and decide if it’s even needed.
I was surprised to find that the front end does indeed have a softer feel to it and no noticeable difference in body roll.
Interesting.
I was intrigued to read that disconnecting the swaybar can actually somewhat improve highway handling. So, knowing the direction I’m going with the Dana 60 (parts collection has commenced), I figured I’d follow the recommendation in that thread to remove/disconnect the sway bar, drive it around, and decide if it’s even needed.
I was surprised to find that the front end does indeed have a softer feel to it and no noticeable difference in body roll.
Interesting.
I haven't gotten my sway bar reinstalled yet.
But I definitely have sway, and I do find it annoying. Not problematic, and not dangerous (at least, when I'm the one driving).
But I do find it annoying, and I do plan on reinstalling it.
See that’s interesting to me. There is no noticeable difference in body sway for me. Drove my truck all around town tonight and it actually seemed to drive better and sway less than before. I wonder if the overly stiff rear spring packs are doubling as an anti-sway mechanism ... hmmm ....
I can tell the sway bar isn’t there. Softer ride seems like, but it’s crazy how it seems to handle better.
Oh well. I’ll call it a free upgrade in highway handling.
Concerning your sway bar, I'm taking a wild guess that the truck has at least a 4" lift on it right? If you didn't do anything to correct the sway bar position post lift, you are right the effectiveness of the bar will be less than it should. Reason being is since the sway bar attaches directly to the axle without secondary links like most do on other vehicles the lift changes the angle of the bar. That change in the angle effectively reduces the length of the bar from the pivot to the mount.
ORD's swaybar quick disconnect kit raises the mount point by 2" which restores the factory geometry of the bar. I'm running the ORD kit on mine and I can say the highway manners are much better than my former 75 I had with the same lift but no swaybar disconnect kit on it. I've never disconnected the bar off road.
ORD's swaybar quick disconnect kit raises the mount point by 2" which restores the factory geometry of the bar. I'm running the ORD kit on mine and I can say the highway manners are much better than my former 75 I had with the same lift but no swaybar disconnect kit on it. I've never disconnected the bar off road.
You are correct, it’s lifted 4”.
But I didn’t lift it, I actually dropped it from an 8” lift to 4”. The sway bar has what I'm guessing is spacers to correct the angle.
I’m going to have to be swaybar-less anyways once the Dana 60 is installed because it’s a dodge d60 and I have been told the stock sway bar won’t work with it.
Yes, stiffer springs will have less deflection for a given amount input condition. Keep in mind that I deliberately chose the softest springs I could find (so they want to move), and that my front shocks are worn out (so they're not resisting movement as much as they should be).
Brake steering is actually more annoying than bump steering. When I hit the brakes, the nose drops enough to shift the steering wheel a couple inches. Takes a few miles to get used to this.
Having no sway bar doesn't make the ride softer. It just allows more body roll. On the road there is no benefit to having extra body roll, so I don't think you'll find any downsides to installing the sway bar, aside from doing a bit of extra work.
If you've changed the length, height, or arc of the leaf springs, the factory geometry may not work well with your sway bar. It doesn't have free links, so the sway bar arc must match the axle arc perfectly if you want to avoid binding (which would keep the springs from moving under deflection). The disconnect kit functions as a pair of free links to allow longitudinal freedom to the axle. Killing 2 birds at once.
And the sway bars attach to the leaf spring plates, not the axle. The stock plates may not play nice with your dodge axle (I'm not sure on this point), but there's not any reason why the dodge axle can't work with the stock sway bar. At worst case you'd make up a special bracket.
That essentially is what I was getting at. The spring plates are not likely to work well with the dodge 60, so I will have to figure out something if I ever want to add the sway bar back. That’s essentially what ORD told me a while back.
I imagine the super stiff rear springs and nearly new shocks do a lot to reduce body roll, which is probably why I’m not noticing much of a difference. I’m sure once I get softer springs installed I’ll experience more roll. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
For now I’m fine without it.
I haven't run a sway bar on my trail rigs in probably 14 years, and I drive them on the road on curvy mountain roads. The truck leans in the curves but not horrible. I do think buying good shocks helps control the body roll.
I'm running 6" Superlift HD springs on my truck with no sway bar. Body roll is very minimal. Course the springs do have a crazy high spring rate so they carry weight awesome. Flex is limited though.
Picked up some extra paper weights today ...
Figured it was time to dig out the 60 and get it on stands so I can clean it up as I continue parts collection. I am in awe at the size of this thing.
