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mud truck suspension help

10K views 32 replies 7 participants last post by  fordtrucknut77 
#1 ·
Hey guys I'm looking for some tips setting up my suspension, truck is a 77 shortbed..coil spring front leaf spring rear
My plans for the winter....extend front radius arms with Johnny joints instead of bushings, shackle reversal in the rear...or what about spring sliders in place of shackles? with probably 3 or possibly 4 leafs in rear...
What about shocks? Any drag style shocks that will work with a hill n hole pit?
What about traction bars/ladder bars. Do they serve any purpose other than eliminating axle wrap and wheel hop? .
I want this thing to launch like a drag car on slicks..
Am I on the right track or what do yall recommend
 
#4 ·
Hill and hole needs long travel suspension. Most drag shocks aren't long enough to get what you need. Think more like prerunner shocks where you can adjust the valving to set up your suspension to the track. I'm running Fox 2.0 air shocks on my ranger and made most of the changes for more travel from my spring sliders back to shackles to get the needed travel to suck up the bump and keep the tires planted when needed. You will need some type of ladder bar, torque arm, or triangulated 4 link to keep the housing from twisting up. The key will be making the front mounts so they pivot on a shackle instead of just a fixed eye so the arch of the leaf springs doesn't get bound up.
 
#18 ·
KJETT - I have heard the 10:1 ratio before, but no one ever says what size tire that works for. A truck with a 10:1 ratio and a 33" tire is a lot different than if it had a 42" tire. When you suggested the 10:1 ratio is that because the OP said he was running a 38" tall tire?
 
#15 ·
I would do the gear swap first, especially if you are not having any problems with your current transfer case. If you switch to a 205, you will still need to do a gear change because your 4.88's will not be low enough. In addition there will be other changes that would need to be changed to make the swap.
 
#20 ·
1st off you have to have the motor to spin the tires. The 10:1 final ratio is to get the tires spinning fast enough to get the truck to sort of float on top of the mud. Tire size has just as much to do with it as gearing. I run a 38/39 tire size combo, and launching off the transbrake at 4800, shifting right off the line to 2nd and in 3rd by 30' running 200' passes. The smaller tire will need more gear to get it spinning more to cover the same roll out distance as the larger tire. A 44" tire doesn't need to spin near as much as a 33" tire to cover the same distance.
 
#22 · (Edited)
The smaller tire will need more gear to get it spinning more to cover the same roll out distance as the larger tire.
What do you mean by "more gear"? Do you mean a lower gear ratio (numerically higher, I.E. 5.13:1), or a higher gear ratio (numerically lower, I.E. 3.55:1)? Remember, the transfer case locks the front/rear driveshafts & pinion gears at the same speed/revolutions.
DistanceCalc (Travel Distance Calculator)

http://www.angelfire.com/ca5/TheDuck/calculators.html (This page has all the calculators.)
 
#25 ·
If you have enough hp and the torque to get moving fast enough, the taller the tire the less (numerically lower) overall gear is needed to cover the same distance. To cover that same distance with a smaller tire, you will need more (numerically higher) overall gear. Not that is needs to be at the axles, but somewhere in the combination, be it trans, transfer case, or axles. If this it tried with a low hp stock motor, all this whole idea goes to crap though. lol
 
#28 ·
OK let's try a longer answer lol, I had typed a big long post last night..and the dang page crashed on me lol
So here's what I'm doing,
Shackle flip in the rear, took a 6 inch lift spring and took out the 2 bottom leaves (not the long flat thick one but the 2 above it) so there are now 4 total springs in the pack.
I am a bit over 300 pounds and I can jump on one of them and it will move probably 6 inches..
Does that seem to soft?
 
#29 ·
All depends on what you are doing. For flat tracks, put it all together with shocks and see how it reacts. Worst case, put one of the shorter springs back in and take one of the longer ones out and see if it stiffens up some. You want the rear soft enough to take the weight off the front, but stiff enough to plant the rear tires.
 
#32 ·
You run hill and hole, so there could be the potential that when the spring droops down and comes out of the pocket, it will fall out and not be good. Keep it connected. Stiffer springs and a properly valved shock will help raise the front end up and keep it up during the run. It's why drag cars run 90/10 shocks. What classes are you trying to run? are coilovers allowed? Air shocks? I used to run a Deaver coil with an AFCO single adjustable coilover shock (minus the spring) up front and a monoleaf/slider and double adjustable coilovers (with the spring) out back and had great results. I've since changed the front shock out to Fox 2.0 air shocks and a 3 leaf spring pack/shackle with fox 2.0 air shocks out back to get me better suspension travel for hill and hole tracks. I'm trying to stay in lower classes which require a "stock style" suspension with this truck. If you aren't subject to that, 4 link and coilover it and be done.
 
#33 ·
I'm doing the same, must be stock style suspension, I'm just trying to get a little extra out of it without spending a pile.
I had thought about sliders but didn't know if they would work on a hill n hole.
If I disconnect the front coil I will definitely put a pipe down through the center to keep the spring in place
 
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