1975 ford had a 460 in it when my dad bout it in 1975 milage was 6.5 mpg now wth the perkins is 25+ when I drive it fairly easy staing at the speed limit.
1975 Ford 6.0 Perkins 6cyl.Twinturbo
hx35/18-ht60/23,330hp Inj,no.0 fuel plate RTO6610E/F trans,3.54 posi,inner cooler,,USGear Ex. brake,4"ex,Stacks,clayton aircomp, FASS,AFE,Lots of polished alum.35gal.polished alum.fuel tank,homemade air susp.airtilt front clip,17gauges Walnut dash BW 5th TOM July 2005 DTR


Dale

 

was the perkins a factory turbo engine?
and is the rto an over drive?
how many gears do you have to skip when empty?

 

WOW! That's something else... looks nice!

 

Yes that Perkins was turboed
The RTO means overdrive 20% over .80:1in 10th gear
I usally start out in 4th low the gear are all 500rpm split if I skip and dont go easy on the go peddle she will smoke tomuch onless I rev her out the afc spring only take 5lb to full fuel.I do have a valia switch.

Dale

 

New picture at the city park.after aa car show.
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nice ride.

 

How does that rear suspension work? Not just ride quality, like how does it actually operate? I'd really like 100% rear air suspension for my D350 because it's going to be a car hauler, and I'd like to be able to drop the rear onto the bumpstops for loading cars. Ride quality would just be a bonus!

I've looked at the air suspension on big trucks and it seems to me that while they're simple, the axles aren't able to go higher up on one side than the other, maybe that's not a problem. As in if you went over a dip that was only on the left side of the road, when the back wheels hit it, the whole TRUCK would tilt left, instead of just the axle.

 

I have leveling valves on the the axle the sus. will move with the dips if you stop with one side up are down the axle will adjust.I have 2valves one on each side.I f you have 1 in the midle of the axle the air will bforced from one bag to the other. my bags or from a KW 8 bag setup rides smooth empty the bags have 8lb towing the sled we had grossing 26.000lb almost 4.000lb of weights and tools and spare part on the bed and the tung weight The max air pressure I have seen is 15 to 20lb.The air compressor is gear driven of the motor.I,m puting a electric dump valve to lowwer it on the bump stops.
I,ll post some more pics of the setup.

Dale

 

The arms flex and the mounting bushings are squishy, they do have some articulation. A good way to duplicate a truck setup and scale it down to a pickup would be with cut-off stock leaf springs for trailing arms and a track bar off the front of a 3rd gen 4X4 for lateral location. The springs would give you the flex needed for the suspension to articulate. Plus you already have 'em...

 

That is what I did I had main leafs made a little thicker and a 2nd one also and made a traction bar .

Dale

 

I don't have the upper link on the truck any more did't need it with the lower traction barthe ride is smoother with out it.Had a local spring shop make the mainleaf and second.
Dale

 

WOW!!! i was just scrollin through here, and man that is an awesome truck!! to clarify earlier, that tranny you have in that ford, is a 5spd with hi/lo? what rpm's r u turnin at highway speeds

 

Thanks for the pic! Do you have any more of 'em? This is pretty much what I'd like to do on my truck from what I can see so far.

Is there a sway bar or anything else to control side-to-side movement or does it work fine how it is?

 

i take it that the inch diameter top link bar is mounted inboard of the spring pad mount by 3-6" or so? i would like to see the back side where your air bag is. nice idea.

 

there is a pic of the air bags up farther on the page