I had another side project that was eating my weekend time, but it has left, so i got a little more done to the truck
yanked the front suspension and axle
removed the stock front crossmember. the engine crossmember was taken out long ago. added some bracing to keep the frame square and at the correct width
this is the stock cast bushing tube/bracket. it is well known that the stock 1.125" bushings are not known for their durability. they also were in the way of my frame boxing plans
since i mentioned frame boxing, i will show these. still have to get them in there, but at least i have them...
so, to replace the crap stock stuff, i whipped out a pair of these today. bushing tubes are 2" .250" wall DOM. the frame has a 1.875" hole punched for clearance around the stock cast piece. i turned the tube down to slip fit tightly into the stock hole in the frame and will locate and holesaw the other side in the boxing plate after it is firmly in place. the bolt sleeves are just .750" .120" wall DOM faced on the lathe for the cool guy effect. and mostly just because i was there. i will use a normal spring eye bushing for the new upper shackle bushing, hopefully greatly increasing the durability with the added weight of the cummins.
this is a picture of the idea. i may fishplate around the tube, but i think it would be a bit overkill, and i don't have a lot of room to weld the tube in if i do. that will be decided later i suppose.
i think i am running to denver for some sheetmetal parts saturday, but hopefully i can get some of this stuff at least tacked in on sunday
ryan