[UGAK5]

So, the chassis is done! Almost........all it took was 2 buddies, my new friend ochre1971 (thanks for bringing your blazer over!), 4 hours, 2 ratchet straps, 3 2x4s, bottle jack - and a total disregard for personal safety.....

Yesterday, we hung my new ORD custom front and rear leaf springs, got the front axle on and everything torqued to spec, we just couldn't finish hanging the rear axle. The U Bolts that came from ORD for the rear also incorporate 'a reversal' that switches the U bolts to bolting on top of the leaf instead of under the leaf (which I like), but that requires a custom top plate that unfortunately was left out of the box. Nothing a phone call cant fix tomorrow.

Otherwise, I am very happy with all the parts from ORD. Front leafs went in pretty easy - just a 2x4 for compression and some minor persuasion with a dead blow to align the second eye. The new pin on the leaf is a tad under 5/8" and the original Dana 44 alignment holes were right at 1/2". Sending my reluctant wife to Home Depot for a drill bit fixed that. Done.

Rear leafs were more challenging. Since these leafs have an engineered 3" lift in them, they have a significant arch until they get installed under a load. this makes them too short to reach eye to eye. So our solution (after some trial and error) was to connect the front eye, then use a ratchet strap wrapped around the center of the leaf and the top of the frame - wedge a few smaller (12 to 14") 2x4s between the frame and leaf to compress it - which lengthens it. Then, we put a 2x4 (about 36") and a bottle jack (about 10" closed) between the 2 eyes and started pumping - and praying - for it to work, and not pop out kill someone. Based on my ability type this morning, the prayers worked! I'd have gotten a pick of this technique, but we were kinda distracted.

Enjoy the pics!