To submit a question, email: mini.truckin@sorc.com
As you read last issue, Max Fish is taking a breather from his column to dedicate every waking moment to a big time SEMA build he has cooking. He’ll be back once the craziness dies down, but we have a lineup of awesome pinch hitters that will be answering your tech questions in his absence. This month we have the ever so talented Mr. John Keith of Keef’s Rod & Custom (www.keefsrodncustom.com) at the plate. Batter up!
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Hi MT,
How do I do tie-rod ends on my ’96 Taco … they need to be flipped. Who makes a sleeve to run off my stock rack to fit a Heim joint?
Thanks!
Sean Nullmeyer
First issue we need to address is, why do you think the tie rods need to be flipped? Doing so would actually make the bumpsteer worse on those older Tacos. Next, where are all the tacos? I’m feeling hungry talking about all this food.
I would suggest talking to one of the many suspension specialist across the country and having them set up your frontend correctly and safely, in most cases they can build the necessary parts and ship them to your door allowing you to install yourself which saves cash on the labor allowing you to buy more tacos … mmmm.
Hey!
I’m building a ’bagged and ’bodied ’84 S-10 Blazer. It will have a tube frame from the firewall back and will be powered by a small-block Chevy with a Ford 9-inch rear. What would be the best rear suspension setup for this combo, four-link, three-link, reverse four-link etc., and where would you recommend mounting the ’bags? Also, what type of ’bag would be best? I’m not planning on racing it but I would like it to hook up. Any help would be appreciated.
Scott L.
Reading, PA
I would suggest a satchell link setup which is similar to a triangulated four-link but the lowers will be triangulated towards the chassis (wider at rear end) and the uppers will be your straight links. You can then mount the ’bag on bars, but not too close to the pivot since you don’t want it too soft on a setup you intend to hook up. This type of setup hooks up well in straightline applications but really helps the most when cornering and accelerating off corners.
Hello MT,
First, I would like to say I really enjoy reading your guys magazine. My main reason for this email is because I want to build a slick daily driver and I was wanting to now some key things to keep in mind, as this is my first build.
Thank you,
Brian
Build it for yourself and keep it simple. Most everyone gets into the “bigger and badder is better” mentality but at the end of the day attention to detail wins the most praise. Good luck with your project and be sure to send us plenty of pics, and of course, tacos.
Mini Truckin’,
I recently got an ’86 Blazer with hydros, would it be hard to switch it over to ’bags? I hate charging batteries and having the hydro fluid leaking all the time, so if you could help me out I would really like to hear back from you guys.
Andrew Marin
Somewhere in TX
It does take a lot of fabrication work as well as completely revamping all wiring and plumbing since the setups are nothing alike. Depending on how nice the work is, you may wanna look into some of the newer Hydroholics setups. They are a lot more reliable and even quieter than the old type setups of years past.
| maximized Letters December 2012 1986 Chevy S 10 Blazer
