starting my 4.6 swap

RICH MUISE · 2016-02-08 18:24

I used round rubber washers and stainless washers from Lowe's. They both can be found in their hardware drawers. Seem like they were 2" dia, but had larger and smaller. I alternated ss/rubber//ss, etc. until I got the thickness I needed. Used a slightly smaller dia. combo under the bolt head on the wheel side.

canadian_ranchero · 2016-02-09 20:09

went too do some more welding...now the welder died

checked the welder out,has a bad trigger switch,off tomorrow to find parts

canadian_ranchero · 2016-02-13 13:20

got the welder fixed,now back to the front end

Ford Blue blood · 2016-02-13 15:28

Funny....my (purchasedin 1995) Daytona Mig started being bad, figured it would cost half as much as the purchase price to fix so I did some research. Settled on a Miller 141 or a Miller 211. Talking at breakfast (normal Sat morning group) turns out one of the guys (a good friend) was looking to upgrade from his Miller 211 and it turned into my new welder. Love it!

Running out of gas and wire are on my list of things that push me over the edge! Equipment failure is a real close second!

canadian_ranchero · 2016-02-16 21:37

all painted up,almost ready for install....now where are those special bolts i bought???

canadian_ranchero · 2016-02-20 17:36

there has been so much discussion on this ride height/spring issue i decided to put the tires on and see were it would sit.i know the front end is not on and there is more weight to be put on.right now with it on the ground the springs did not compress at all.the upper control arm bumpers are still compressed into the frame.if i stand on the frame were the rad support goes [over 200 lbs] it is still on the bumpers.if i jump up and down on the frame,it moves down about a inch then back on the bumpers.i do not think these spring[they are almost 60 year old used springs] are going to compress enough even with the weight on.i am thinking of putting in the original 6 cyl springs before i put the front end on.what do you guys think?here are some pictures.the springs in right now are .717 in diameter and about 16 inch long,8 active coils.so almost the same as rich's springs [see the correct spring spex in my next post]

RICH MUISE · 2016-02-20 20:19

Sounds like the same problem I had. Your springs are even heavier though...mine had a wire size of .700. Wish I had an answer for you, but I'll find out Monday if my friend can swap the coils again, either Monday or Tuesday, but I have a feeling it may be after our trip to Phoenix, so at least two weeks. I do have the too-high ones I had in there cut and ready to go back in.

canadian_ranchero · 2016-02-20 21:18

i pulled out the left spring.it is 17.25 long, 1.165 between coils,5.5 OD,.712 wire size,8.5 active coils.these springs came out of a 57 ranchero,but must be from something else.maybe one of you math persons can calculate the spex on these springs.i took a picture of this spring and a stock one out of my wagon just to compare the two.

RICH MUISE · 2016-02-20 23:14

Lynn can do that!!!, lol. That's a heck of a spring that was in the Ranchero...was that the one you sold a few years ago? Any idea what the ride height was in the donor car? My guess is the old springs will work a whole lot better.

canadian_ranchero · 2016-02-20 23:19

the tall springs came out of a parts ranchero,had no motor when i got it so do not know what hight it was

lalessi1 · 2016-02-21 08:19

You betcha! I wake up every morning looking for a good equation..

Based on your numbers I calculated a spring rate of 365 lbs/inch for the tall spring. I did count 9 active coils from the picture though so I used that.

If I use the load we used for Rich's car.... (Front corner weight of 896 lbs, and a spring load of 1900 lbs) that spring will have an installed compressed length of 12" compared to a factory spec of 9.6" That puts the ride height at 5" above stock!!!!! In other words the suspension won't even compress under static weight.

Where do you want the ride height to be? What spindles are you using?

canadian_ranchero · 2016-02-21 09:23

i am using granada/lincoln spindles.looking for more of a stock ride height.if i worked the numbers right from your post you put under rich's build,it looks like the original 6 cyl springs will be close.they are the b7a-e spring 13.75 free height,9.6 load ,2025 load lbs,500 lbs/in.maybe if i ask nice you can run the numbers also.thanks for now

RICH MUISE · 2016-02-21 09:42

Out of curiosity I ran the comparison of your 215/75/14 tires against my (newly changed size) tires of 215/70/15. Because of your 75 sidewall height, your 14" tire dia only comes up .150 difference, so your 14's will only be a lower ground clearance of .075 than mine.
I'm curious if the 215 wide tires on yours hits the hd sway bar at full lock....I'm guessing since your turning radius isn't limited like the R & P it does hit.??

canadian_ranchero · 2016-02-21 09:50

the tires clear by about a 1/4 inch.when the car is at ride height,i should have a little more clearance

lalessi1 · 2016-02-21 09:52

No problem... If we assume your car's weight applies a 1900 lb spring load compared to the original 2025 lbs, that means that instead of the spring compressing to the 9.6" stock length, it will compress to 9.85" That will raise the car by only 1/2" over stock.

The numbers you gave me for the spring are a little off. The 500 lb/in spring will compress 4.05" giving a compressed height of 9.7".

What is the spindle drop on tthe Grenadas?

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starting my 4.6 swap