41 Ford F15a CMP

[Kootenay Cruiser]

It's going to be tight between the Ram manifolds and the doghouse but it should be about 1/2-3/4 of an inch clearance on each side.

[Bob Carriere]

Interested on how you will hookup the engine tranny to the Transfer case and how it all fits length wise......

Bob C.

[Kootenay Cruiser]

I'll get a pic but there is lots of room length wise, it had a Chevy I-6 in it before and the tranny is hooked up with a short pilot shaft(looks like two front yokes hooked together) and the clutch is hooked up using a cable

[Kootenay Cruiser]

Going to start rebuilding the brakes today, the plan is to fab in a vacuum boost something about 8" in diameter

[Kootenay Cruiser]

Here's a picture of the R/F brake and all it's inhabitants.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Just catching up on the build. So, you bought the truck ten or eleven yrs ago and drove it slowly to an intermediate place of residence. Then more recently you dragged it to its present place of disassembly. You pulled the original engine and are swapping in a new V8. There are clearance questions, but so far so good. But ... there is a remark there I don't understand. What did you do to the box? Step side?

[Kootenay Cruiser]

The box was bent and heavy so I cut it up, shortened it and cut the sides down. I'm going to build a step side box out of it like a mid 70's Ford pickup.

[Kootenay Cruiser]

This is the new brakes

[Kootenay Cruiser]

Brakes all refurbished, cab all bolted down, added a three inch body lift. Bought a set of 42" SuperSwamper tires.

[JamieCavanaugh]

You are on the same track as me. I just haven't gotten started yet. Can't wait to see pics.

[Harry Moon]

Originally Posted by Kootenay Cruiser

The box was bent and heavy so I cut it up, shortened it and cut the sides down. I'm going to build a step side box out of it like a mid 70's Ford pickup.

... and tears flowed freely.

[Bob Carriere]

Sorry Harry...... as hard as I looked I could not find a icon giving a Kleenex !!!

Bob C

[Ganmain Tony]

Originally Posted by Kootenay Cruiser

Brakes all refurbished, cab all bolted down, added a three inch body lift. Bought a set of 42" SuperSwamper tires.

I am itching to see a lot more photo's of this project Rob.

Dont be shy...

[Kootenay Cruiser]

New and old tires, does any one know if the stock split rims are 16" or 16.5"?

[Kootenay Cruiser]

And what is the gear ratio of these old Ford axles?

[hrpearce]

Originally Posted by Kootenay Cruiser

does any one know if the stock split rims are 16" or 16.5"?

The rims are between 16.25" and 16.5". I have 16.5" tires on my blitz at the moment and they are a drop on fit.

[Bob Carriere]

On the C 15a the ratio is given as 6:39 ....... not sure if it is the same for Ford axles but should be darn close to being the same as some Fords ran from the factory with GM axles front and Ford axles rear.

The official size of the original rims is 16 inches, I would be hesitant to run modern 16.5 tires as the tire bead of modern tires and the original rim design are not intended for that. With a more powerful engine you may have enough torque to spin the rim inside the tire and watch the tube stem shear off.........

16 inch bar tread military tires intended for these rims will NOT drop on the original rims they are a nice tight fit ........

However, I bow to the practical experience of others who may have tried it and survived.

Bob

[hrpearce]

My MB-C1 and MB-F1 give the 15A diff ratio as 6.5 to 1.
Bob I had worried about rim spin when the tires went on so easily but I did some serious four wheeling with the spray rig and have had no trouble so far. I run the tires at 50 to 55 psi.

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Kootenay Cruiser

And what is the gear ratio of these old Ford axles?

Just to expand a bit on other replies - F15A came with 16" wheels and 6/39 toothed diff (6.5:1 ratio), while the 3 tonner Fords (F60S and F60L) came with 20" wheels and 6/43 toothed diff (7.16:1 ratio). Ditto for Chev series - as Bob says the axles were designed to be interchangeable.

Looking forward to more pics as this project progresses, and hopefully some YouTube video when it's finished, putting it through its paces off-road. Should make for spectacular viewing with 350 Chevvy and monster tyres!

BTW your rear crossmember damage is typical Rob, and I notice you're missing the fishplates as well. These are essential for frame strength and stability, so you'll need to find a pair or fabricate some, along with a new rear crossmember. Others have faced the same task, you'll find a discussion of the subject on this thread, starting about halfway down the page:

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...=15575&page=17

Anyway good luck with the build, it must be very liberating to throw away the book!

[Bob Carriere]

Just to expand a bit on other replies - F15A came with 16" wheels and 6/39 toothed diff (6.5:1 ratio), while the 3 tonner Fords (F60S and F60L) came with 20" wheels and 6/43 toothed diff (7.16:1 ratio). Ditto for Chev series - as Bob says the axles were designed to be interchangeable.

The MB C2 shows a ratio of 6.5 and the GM Major Assembly manual shows ratio as 6:39......... and 6:39 is what is usually stamped on the outside of the gear cluster and I remember now that this was previously discussed on the MLU at the "Tooth" count on the ring gear.

Bob

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

and 6:39 is what is usually stamped on the outside of the gear cluster

You've just reminded me Bob - the diff ratio on Fords is stamped on the outside of the housing, adjacent to the filler plug, so it should be a simple matter for Rob to confirm. Here's a few examples on my own Fords, and a stores tag I found wired to a Ford diff housing recently. Presumably a replacement axle assembly - rather important to choose the correct ratio!

[Bob Carriere]

Here is the stamping from a Chev 15CWT.

Bob

[Kootenay Cruiser]

Thanks for the info guys, I'm going to replace the rear crossmember with a piece of 4" square tube and then mount a 10000 lbs winch in front of that with the fair lead bolted to the top of the tube