RE: [ihc] Slight lift to older Travelall

["Mac @ TRIAD" <mac@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

## >> Mac, On your TA, is the front leaf spring centered on the axle, or is
## >> it slightly offset? My '64 front spring mount was centered, but my '67
## >> is not. In other words, there's more spring ahead of the axle
## >> than there
## >> is behind. Did IH go back to a center mount later?

i just went out and measured for you.  the rear axle appears to be pretty
well centred on the springs, but the front...  is not.  measuring from the
centre of the spring mount bolt up front to the leading outside axle tube
edge, i get about 22-1/2" or so.  from the rear shackle bolt to the trailing
outside axle tube edge, i get 17-1/2".  so the front axle is closer to the
rear of the spring than to the front of the spring.  this is probably a very
important bit of information to have (i did not know it wasn't centred), but
what effect this has on which axles and springs you can use, i do not know.

## >> If I go  with the plan
## >> of swapping in a '74 or '75 front end, am I going to be in trouble? In
## >> the end, I know I need to find the donor, and get out the tape and the
## >> calipers before laying out the cash. But it would be nice to verify my
## >> plan is good before getting too excited. You and Allan and Ed
## >> and others
## >> have all talked about successful axle swaps, but if I'm not
## >> mistaken, it
## >> has all been between 70s trucks. Has anyone ever taken one
## >> from a mid 70s
## >> model and put it into a late 60s? Thanks, John A.

mostly i was just concerned with axle swaps between similar model trucks.
my intention was to recommend upgrading your springs and axles to those from
a similar year/series truck as what you have.  see if maybe the springs (and
axles) from a '66 series A through '68 series C 1200 would fit your 1100.
you'd get the lift you want and better springs out of it.  it is possible
that other year/series springs and/or axles will fit your truck as a direct
swap/bolt-in, but that seems like it might be a bit more complicated than
simply finding a donor of a similar year and series to what you already
have.

as Allan E pointed out, there really is no compelling reason to change the
axles if you don't have to.  just changing the springs should be enough to
suit your purposes.  the heavier axles might be nice, but finding brake
components for the heavier stuff seems to be getting more and more difficult
as time goes on.  my axles are from the same era as the 1110 ('69 to '73),
and i'm told that finding replacement drums for my 12"x3" drums front and
rear is going to be very difficult if not impossible if/when they wear out.

the closest i've come to the kind of swap you're talking about is taking the
rear hardware from a '66 1500A and putting it under a '60 B122.  i believe
there were more changes and differences in the '74/'75 years compared to
every preceding year than any other model change, so you may have more
difficulty adapting those parts to your truck than working with '69-'73 or
even older hardware.  again, i'd say your best and safest bet is going with
a '66 through '68 1200 for your donor.  maybe others can tell you how to do
it with a later truck.

and finally, in answer to an earlier question, i believe it was 1968/1969
that the change was made to 8-lug in the 1200 and 1300 model trucks.  i'm
looking through my Crismon book, and all the 1200s and 1300s for 1967 and
earlier have six lugs, whereas in 1969 they show 8 lugs.  the pictures for
1968 are inconclusive, as i'm having trouble getting a good look to see
whether they are 6 or 8 lugs (look like 6, but i'm not positive).  if
current information is correct, there is almost no hardware left available
in that older six-lug pattern anymore.  i am do not know, but others can
tell you how easy or possible it is to convert those older 6-lug axles to
8-lug and/or convert from drum to disk brakes (here we go, opening another
can of worms).

--Mac

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May the Hamr lend thee Strength and Courage,
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Wassail!

Krystof "Mac" MacBryghde
TyrGothi

http://master.triad.ath.cx/
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