I finally got the suspension, gearing, and tires on my truck. This weekend I took it up the ramp for the first time.

The ramp was set at 23-deg and the truck went up about 60 inches. The tires were inflated to 50 psi (front) and 40 psi (rear) for the test. The antisway bar was removed. The truck has a 135" wheelbase, so that's about 44%. Not bad for a suspension designed for desert running, but not the type of numbers I want for rock crawling.

It has a Kore suspension kit which is approximately a 2" lift.
The tires are Michellin XL 11.00-16s on factory wheels.
The truck was regeared to 4.56s.

The front wheel wells were trimmed a little bit on the back side.
We had to cut some sheet metal behind the rear wheel wells to get the mud flaps to fit.

The rear tires come within an 1/8" of touching sheet metal on the forward side. That's fine, but I don't think the bump stop on that side made contact with the axle housing.

There's a lot more to do.

 

man talk about fome frame flex..... geeesh

 

Looks like a pretzel in the making...

 

Thats very cool. I can't believe those tires fit...

 

You should be jumping that truck, not ramping it!

 

The longer the frame the more the twist. You ought to see my 1966 Powerwagon W200 on the ramp. It can make it 2ft up and the body is twisted so bad you can't open the doors or tailgate.

 

Yeah, my old '68 W200 was like that, and it was a short bed ! but that sucker could really flex ....

Looks good ... if you you get around to it, I like to see a picture from the front and back.

 

Thats is cool. It kinda looks like you could drive on up and flip over.

 

Here's another one. The setting sun made taking pictures a bit rough. I'll be ramping it again soon for better measurements.

Yes. You can roll on a ramp like this. The goal is to go up until a tire gets a bit of air time. From there you can measure axle articulation and check for binding (in the suspension, for example) and stretch (brake lines), and rubbing (tires against sheet metal).

BTW, I got 18.2 mpg on the first time out after the re-gear (4.56s) and tires (11.00r16s). That's a 1mpg loss from running 3.54s and 265/75r16s. Not bad!

I am not a big fan of suspension kits, but this one is a start. I am thinking a set of custom made leaf springs for the rear will help it stretch a little further. The front coils are a little stiff, but that Cummins is a heavy engine. How soft can you go before the front end becomes unstable and not safe for on-road use? (Just pondering)

 

Linda all I can say is EXCELLENT!

Nice job!!

I can really appreciate the clearance issues that you had to deal with!!

Please fill in you signature so we may be able to help you out better!

Rick

 

Pretty cool, Linda!

 

What is the actual height of those tires? Been looking for a set for my 77' GMC. May I ask where you got em'? TIA

 

I still wanna see what the long arms will do......no heim's but still curious.

 

Here's a link to the tire specs.
http://www.tirecraft.com/commercial/MichXLspecs.htm

As far as where to get them. I would suggest finding a government surplus company the specializes in military vehicle parts near where you live. The tires weigh close to 100# each. Shipping costs may make you think twice about buying them. If you want to buy brand new ones, expect to pay anywhere from $400 to $600 each.

Since you are interested in maybe putting them on a 77 GMC, I thought you might be interested in seeing a friend's '89 Chevy 1-ton Crew Cab diesel work truck looks like with them on it. His truck has an 8" lift and hydraulic ram assist steering.

 

I got a set for my first gen on ebay. They were used but plenty of tread left about 85%. I paid $430 to my door. Shipping was expensive $180 but i thought it was still a good deal vs buying 4 new 38's of any brand name.

How dose that thing ride with the KORE system Vs stock?