MG Metal Works DIY kit knowledge share

[mk216v]

Originally Posted by Kendel

I tore out my front suspension today and intend to get the F250 axle in place tomorrow. However, I don't have brakes and rotors, so won't be able to get everything done until I buy some.

My question is, can I put the bigger 2013+ rotors and calipers on a 2011 axle or are the axles different?

Calling @mgmetalworks as I believe he knows. I personally forget the cutoff year.

[Lilnuts2]

No you can't the newer caliper mounting bracket won't bolt up to the older axle.

[ScrapIron]

I just bought a pair of REID racing knuckles for my rig. According to them Ford changed the brakes on 2012½ and later SuperDuties so they will not work with earlier year knuckles.

https://www.reidracing.biz/super-duty-2005-2012

Heres a comparison between the earlier knuckles and the 2012-1/2 and up knuckles. You can see the caliper bracket mounting holes are much wider spaced than the earlier models.

[Kendel]

Okay, thanks for the pictures. That makes it look like the stock E-250 calipers from my 2011 might fit those 2013+ calipers. Part numbers say it won't.

Today is cutting and bolting day. I've got to trim the cross member and remove a bracket. Then, I need start fabbing a temporary crossmember to let me run in 2WD with my 4R75, since the girlfriend is wanting us to do a trip in the van in the middle of June. Thank goodness I finally learned how to MIG weld, with the key being a 3.0 cheater lens in my welding helmet. I thought I was incompetent. Turns out I just couldn't see!

[Kendel]

Anybody else run into the bolts for the shackle supplied by Sky being too short? The ones they included in my kit are at least a 1/2 inch shy of engaging the nylock. In my airplane work, I'm required to have a minimum of three threads sticking out of a nut and these bolts aren't anywhere near that requirement.

[Mikerson]

Originally Posted by Kendel

Anybody else run into the bolts for the shackle supplied by Sky being too short?

It’s been a few years now, but if I remember correctly, I drilled out the holes in the bracket and used extras from the bolts that MG specified for the front brackets.

[Kendel]

Originally Posted by JimGee

My last Van was also a 5.4 gas with a 4R75E and some exhaust mods had to be done as the catalytic converters were in the way of the front driveshaft.

Now that I have the front axle installed, I see that the driver's side catalytic converter is in the way of running the front driveshaft. Can someone tell me how you solved this for the 5.4 engine with dual cats?

[mgmetalworks]

Originally Posted by Kendel

Now that I have the front axle installed, I see that the driver's side catalytic converter is in the way of running the front driveshaft. Can someone tell me how you solved this for the 5.4 engine with dual cats?

Here's a pic of the general idea of what to do with the driver side cat.

[Kendel]

Got the front axle in, the rear lifted with a shackle flip, and have been running errands in the van the last couple of days. No sway bar or steering damper installed yet. I'll get the front end aligned tomorrow, but mostly just to center the steering wheel. I've not been up to highway speeds but it seems to track rather well, with no bad tendencies. I doubt I will put a sway bar on but have ordered the bracket for the steering damper to make it a little more girlfriend friendly to drive.

I'm not digging the shackle flip. The nose of the diff is now pointed up too high. It's not in the same plane as the transmission, so a little more driveline stress than I'd like to see. I also didn't get as much lift from the 4.5" shackle than I expected, with the spring leafs all touching each other. Maybe when I remove the four heavy 3600 PSI tanks for CNG and put in the midship gas tank, that will lighten it enough to raise the rear some more.

[Lilnuts2]

Kennel, you might consider an axle shim to change your angle and give you a little more lift.
https://www.amazon.com/Omix-Ada-1820...56836223&psc=1