Ardent Fab Custom Axle Flip, C-Notch, and Shock Relocation

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brianmcb

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I put the trutrac in mine....sooooooo nice! Especially coming from an open diff! Even lucked out with installing the original shims and got perfect backlash

95 rcsb, L33 5.3, hot cam, frost tune, 5spd, 4/6
 

ArdentFab

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I put the trutrac in mine....sooooooo nice! Especially coming from an open diff! Even lucked out with installing the original shims and got perfect backlash

95 rcsb, L33 5.3, hot cam, frost tune, 5spd, 4/6
I'm jealous!

It's something I wouldn't mind going in debt for by putting one on a credit card lol I think it'd totally be worth it.

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Aarong23

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Thanks, I appreciate it! And yes, I'm really happy with it; truck feels planted and finally doesn't sound like it's about to break in half when I go over a bump.

Oh I would have totally gone with a four link and panhard bar instead. It's just out of budget for time and money. The leaf springs and associated parts were easier because that's what the truck came with but I'll be making a four link in the future when I can afford to do it (would greatly benefit from a Detroit Truetrac differential first though lol).

I mentioned earlier that it is kinda bouncy but I think that's mostly due to the fact that I have the KYB MonoMax shocks that they advertise with "40% more damping force". They're much, much stiffer than the cheap twin tubes you find off the shelf so I think they add spring rate out back and being that there's no weight there it's just a little stiff. If I had a four link I could change spring rates and such. Another plan in the future is to build a fuel tank to fit in between the frame rails where the spare tire lived to help get some weight back there where it needs it.

Also, many of the shocks have a metal cover welded on that makes it too wide to fit between the frame rails and shocks so it's really the only one that will work other than Bilsteins (from what I've come across).
I have KYB gas-a-justs on mine. They definitely have a stiff, bouncy ride too. The shocks that came with my drop kit were total crap, so they are an improvement. The gas tank in the back will be a must for me also. I agree that the distribution of the weight back there would make for a less choppy ride. I haven't had any experience with a truetrac, but have always heard great things. I would love a 4-link set up, but I am just doing a mild LS build so my dad who's a mechanic and has worked on every single kind of these obs trucks thinks some bolt on suspension upgrades would be more than sufficient. But I tend to overdo things, so who knows. lol
 

sewlow

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My '98. The black one. First did the 4/6. Didn't like the rake. Dropped the rear 1" by removal of the overload.
Removing the overload was one of the worst things I ever did to the truck.
Even added another leaf the same length as the overload, but in the shape of the rest of the spring pack.
Like driving a damn PoGo stick. Absolutely no progression to the rate.
Any kind of enthusiastic cornering & the rear would blow through the suspension travel & kiss the bump stops. Long not-so-sexy kisses.
That overload was replaced & I got that 1" back with a dropped shackle.
You can see that short overload replacement here.
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ArdentFab

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My '98. The black one. First did the 4/6. Didn't like the rake. Dropped the rear 1" by removal of the overload.
Removing the overload was one of the worst things I ever did to the truck.
Even added another leaf the same length as the overload, but in the shape of the rest of the spring pack.
Like driving a damn PoGo stick. Absolutely no progression to the rate.
Any kind of enthusiastic cornering & the rear would blow through the suspension travel & kiss the bump stops. Long not-so-sexy kisses.
That overload was replaced & I got that 1" back with a dropped shackle.
You can see that short overload replacement here.
You must be registered for see images attach
Yea I noticed your leaf springs are different from mine. I guess there's a difference between the early and late models, mines an '89.

My stock leaf spring pack was three + one overload, 2.5" wide. Before I did the notch and flip I rolled around with the overload and bottom/smallest leaf springs removed and it rode like crap but I didn't want a huge 2" rake. Right now, all I have changed on the leaf springs is that the overload spring is removed. Even with that, I barely even kiss the bump stops, only when the bed is loaded up with stuff.

I still want the back a little bit lower but not sure exactly how much, hence the fine-adjustable shackles I'm putting together. I'm still trying to find time to finish them but I'll share a teaser picture. These are suppose to have adjustment for lowering the back between 1/2", 1", and 1 1/2" (on paper). They'll use a nice polyurethane bushing with an easily accessible grease fitting.
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Thomas Hansen

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Good work there, bud! I definitely like this idea for shocks more than mine. But, do the shocks bottom out before the bump stops? I can tell you when I did my jeeps outboard shock relocation, it had a huge increase in handling AND ride quality. Even better when I got my new shocks and had them tuned. Of course the jeep frame is boxed and I have a true 4-link. That gives me a little wiggle room as apposed to the truck

I definitely like this notch as I’m gonna tow things with it, and it will be getting a significant power increase. I too would like to get the frame rails tied together in a way that will clear the diff. What’s your plan if you tied together the frame rails?
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ArdentFab

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Good work there, bud! I definitely like this idea for shocks more than mine. But, do the shocks bottom out before the bump stops? I can tell you when I did my jeeps outboard shock relocation, it had a huge increase in handling AND ride quality. Even better when I got my new shocks and had them tuned. Of course the jeep frame is boxed and I have a true 4-link. That gives me a little wiggle room as apposed to the truck

I definitely like this notch as I’m gonna tow things with it, and it will be getting a significant power increase. I too would like to get the frame rails tied together in a way that will clear the diff. What’s your plan if you tied together the frame rails?
You must be registered for see images attach


Nice work, looks good! I like how the notch doubles as the mount.

No, the axle will hit the bump stops before the shock will fully compress. I'm planning on making a 1/2" spacer between the leaf springs and axle to lower it just that much more. Probably going to trim the bump stops a little to get a bit more travel as well.

Sorry, I must have missed the part about tying together the frame rail..
 
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