Concourse 4x4 conversion

[68camaro]

I almost went with KO2's, but I think the snow driving was concern. My DuraTrac are properly louder for sure, but its really not too bad plus being more aggressive they can take everything you can throw at it without problem. The tread and weight of vehicle gives me comfort no matter the conditions.

Whats interesting is even though I do have rubbing, I regularly drive 6 - 8 hours on highway and never had problem, nor had rock stuck off road, but I guess the rubbing solved that

[68camaro]

Jabberbox, I think you built your own own hubs and axles to get away from spacers, to get bigger brakes etc., did you find place that built to your specs or did you have them machine made to your specs? I couln't find your recent post on this?

[Scott]

I was replying to one of your posts and then it was gone. Weird. You're right, custom machine work is very costly. I was a machinist for a long time. My guys performed magic tricks when they made complex precision parts, and even bigger magic tricks when we collected on invoices. One or two of something is extremely expensive to make. But sometimes it's the only way.

I got a little lost. Can I try to summarize so it's easier for me to understand? You wanted the late model front axle due to it's superior coil spring design, and because it's newer and has some advantages. From this, you can employ the fancy suspension linkage and radius arms instead of ox-cart leaf springs, and you get the proper axle positioning. Sadly it uses the 200mm lug pattern, so you're required to use two different wheels F/R. Good so far. To match the track and lug pattern of the front, you'd need wheel adapters in the rear. Instead of adapters (dangerous) and wheels sticking out (no class), you had a shop make custom hubs. I realize this is a gross oversimplification of your efforts, but is that the basic idea?
Can't wait to see it in action. It looks mean.

[Ditmerfarms]

JabberBox was one of the best and most specific retrofitting members I had ever followed. I wish him the best!

[JabberBox]

Jabberbox, I think you built your own own hubs and axles to get away from spacers, to get bigger brakes etc., did you find place that built to your specs or did you have them machine made to your specs? I couln't find your recent post on this?

Yes im running custom one off rear bearing hubs. I had to have one off axle shafts custom built as well as other unforseen problems to overcome. It was a costly venture but it all worked out in the end and now the truck has 8x200mm lug wheels on all four corners with NO wheel adapters of any sort and 9.6" wide 245/75-17 tires all the way around. The 13.5" diameter brake rotors on the rear are just a bonus. Needless to say it will stop on a dime now.

Obviously the primary goal was to find a way to mount Ram wheels on the back of my Chinook without having to swap out my original axle that came with the Chinook. It had to net a result that did not require wheel adapters and did not push my wheels out beyond the fender opening. I could do this all again for far less money now that i know all of the details and specifics involved. But unfortunately i was the one guy who decided to be the first, that said trial and error is always costly in terms of money and time.

One of the primary reasons for all of this work is that most people who convert these things to 4x4 pay someone else to do the work to the tune of $25 grand. The net result is usually stock 16" wheels on the back with 17" inch wheels on front to clear the Dana 60 brake calipers or they run wheel adapters on the back so they can match the 17" inch wheels on front.. The problem with mixing tire sizes front and back on a 4x4 truck is that it can literally destroy a transfercase once you shift into 4x4. A mere 1/2" overall difference in tire cicumference will destroy a transfercase. Circumference is not the same thing as tire diameter.

[JabberBox]

Of course the front was all finished and buttoned up months ago with the addition of REID knuckles and changing some of the original components i had used initially.

[68camaro]

Very nice.

Have you done any long trips yet and if so how was ride. I just completed 1,300 mile round trip and rig drives so good after all my upgrades.

[JabberBox]

No i havent gone on any long journey's yet. I drove it to the next city east of here and back which is about 100 miles round trip. Ride is far superior to the factory 2 wheel drive suspension both front and back. But keep in mind i installed progressive style leaf springs in the rear that are arched for 6" inches of lift. Up front i put on a brand new set of the OEM ford coils the same as what came on the truck new. Ride quality is very nice in comparison to a two wheel drive version, however i think the front coils are just a smidge to soft for my liking. Im going to install a pair of Fox shocks on the front and see if they help, if not i will install some stiffer coils up front, no big deal labor wise.

On the smooth roads like hiways and the interstate its really smooth, on city streets its nice until i hit a big bump and thats where the soft front springs compress so fast and easy it hits the bump stops. Nothing different springs wont fix, the Fox shocks may very well cure it however. Right now i have Bilsteins on front because at the time i was shopping for shocks it was mid covid and no one had any inventory for Fox shocks on hand, at least not in the extra length i needed. Overall im pleased with the results in terms of ride quality and happy the only issue i have is the front coil spring compression rate which is no big deal to resolve. I also want to get some air assist bags for the rear, likely they will be from carli suspension as they are the only ones that make kits tall enough for lifted trucks. The reason being is i have read multiple posts on other forums where guys had issues with rear spring sag short term after installing lift springs on the back. My thinking is if i give them some assist from day one with air assist bags maybe i can avoid that dilema in the short term.

Over the winter i plan to work on the interior and redo the walls and cabinets so i can install a new marine refridgerator, water heater, furnace. Likely i will just pull the sink and stove and pull out those cabinets and build new ones from some better quality wood as well as the walls around the shower and fridge and closet. I think im also going to put in thicker laminate flooring. I have vinyl laminate in it now but its not very thick and some of the planks have shifted and detached from the adjacent piece. I think a thick plank about 1/2" will stay locked together better long term. Laminate flooring isnt ideal in an RV i have found unless a guy wants to actually glue it down rather than letting it float. I may glue a couple of planks this time as an anchor point for the rest and see how that works out.

I may take a brief trip out to Denver and the mountains yet this year but it will just be a short trip, maybe a week.

[chin_k]

Theoretically, a stronger Fox shocks is what is best, since you want to keep the smooth ride characteristics on the freeway. However, I would like to know how you implement it and the result.

I think I need to replace or re-bent my springs, since they are original, and they do not seem to be looking right. I am going to read about on the forum, but if you have any pointer, I would love to hear it.

For the flooring, the issue is that vinyl is not very stable dimensionally if there is a large temperature swings. I don't think a thicker plank will help that much, but maybe the stronger way they attached to each other may help. If you glue the edge pieces, and let the middle float, the planks may still detached from each others. Should discuss this on a separate thread, however.

[68camaro]

Im going to install a pair of Fox shocks on the front and see if they help, if not i will install some stiffer coils up front, no big deal labor wise.

I installed the Fox Shocks (custom valved I think) from Action Van at same time as doing their Performance Suspension System upgrade, I also added the Fox Steering Stabilizer. These upgrades with the new rear leaf springs makes this thing drive so nice on highway and offroad.