Project BAD Monkey 2001
The front install part 1
At this point I had the rear installed and I jacked the front up and supported it in three places with
jack stands and the rear was just sitting on the tires.
As with the rear I just started unbolting stuff, I took off the shock towers and disconnected the dual
shocks and the coil springs just came right out the side.
Here you can see that the shock in the center of the spring rotated outward so the sring could be removed.
Boy, it sure is amaizing how much stuff there is to deal with on the front end as opposed to the rear
end. After unhooking it all, I rolled the old axle out from under the truck with a floor jack.
This is my official goodbye to the puney Dana 44 front end.
Installing a D.T. trac-bar drop bracket
I will be making my own trac-bar but I decided to use the D.T. trac-bar relocation bracket. The stock
trac-bar has a tapered ball stud that mounts to the flange shown next to the rancho bump stop.
The D.T trac-bar bracket includes a tapered sleeve for the tapered stock bore with a straight I.D. The
supplied 5/8" bolt slips through the frame flange and that sleeve and then the bracket itself.
The first bolt holds the bracket in place. A second bolt slips through the top of the crossmember and
then through a flange on the backside of the bracket.
Once the first two bolts are in place then you have to drill two holes using a 3/4" holesaw into the
frame crossmember using the bracket as a guide. First you use the holesaw without a pilot bit to drill
through the first wall. Then you install the pilot bit and drill through the far wall. Then using a
1/2" bit you enlarge the far holes to clear the bolts.
Here is a view from the rear showing the supplied crush sleeves inserted into the 3/4" holes I drilled.
Two 1/2" bolts with washers and nuts finish up this installation.
I trimmed the washers I used on the front so that the heads of the bolts would sit flat against the
crossmember.
Installing a Skyjacker Drop Pitman Arm
Heres the stock arm with the taper positioned so the drag link is above the arm. The new arm has the
taper reversed so the drag link is below the arm.
I first removed the nut using a 1-5/16" socket (or 33mm) and an impact driver.
Here's the tools I used, an impact driver, and a pitman arm puller.
I popped the puller on the arm and cranked on it with my impact driver and it wouldnt budge! I finally
had to break out the propane torch and heat the pitman arm, a whack of the hammer was all it took
after that.
I could see why that pig was so tight after I got it off, it was all rusty!
Installing the new arm was a breeze compared to taking the old one off. See the taper facing down?
This picture shows the new arm in place and the trac-bar relocation bracket, I finished up the install
by relocating the clamp for the brakeline that runs next to the bracket.
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As with the rear I just started unbolting stuff, I took off the shock towers and disconnected the dual
shocks and the coil springs just came right out the side.
Here you can see that the shock in the center of the spring rotated outward so the sring could be removed.
Boy, it sure is amaizing how much stuff there is to deal with on the front end as opposed to the rear
end. After unhooking it all, I rolled the old axle out from under the truck with a floor jack.
This is my official goodbye to the puney Dana 44 front end.
I will be making my own trac-bar but I decided to use the D.T. trac-bar relocation bracket. The stock
trac-bar has a tapered ball stud that mounts to the flange shown next to the rancho bump stop.
The D.T trac-bar bracket includes a tapered sleeve for the tapered stock bore with a straight I.D. The
supplied 5/8" bolt slips through the frame flange and that sleeve and then the bracket itself.
The first bolt holds the bracket in place. A second bolt slips through the top of the crossmember and
then through a flange on the backside of the bracket.
Once the first two bolts are in place then you have to drill two holes using a 3/4" holesaw into the
frame crossmember using the bracket as a guide. First you use the holesaw without a pilot bit to drill
through the first wall. Then you install the pilot bit and drill through the far wall. Then using a
1/2" bit you enlarge the far holes to clear the bolts.
Here is a view from the rear showing the supplied crush sleeves inserted into the 3/4" holes I drilled.
Two 1/2" bolts with washers and nuts finish up this installation.
I trimmed the washers I used on the front so that the heads of the bolts would sit flat against the
crossmember.
Heres the stock arm with the taper positioned so the drag link is above the arm. The new arm has the
taper reversed so the drag link is below the arm.
I first removed the nut using a 1-5/16" socket (or 33mm) and an impact driver.
Here's the tools I used, an impact driver, and a pitman arm puller.
I popped the puller on the arm and cranked on it with my impact driver and it wouldnt budge! I finally
had to break out the propane torch and heat the pitman arm, a whack of the hammer was all it took
after that.
I could see why that pig was so tight after I got it off, it was all rusty!
Installing the new arm was a breeze compared to taking the old one off. See the taper facing down?
This picture shows the new arm in place and the trac-bar relocation bracket, I finished up the install
by relocating the clamp for the brakeline that runs next to the bracket.