Two-Day Trunk
September 19, 2022
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
TOYOTA STEERING SOLUTIONS
While early Toyota trucks are a great foundation, they do require a few modifications to make them capable of serious off-road use. Sure, you’ll need the basics, such as larger tires, lower gears and some kind of traction-aiding device in the differentials, but first there is a more important issue at hand. The steering on these early Toyota trucks was not designed with hardcore off-road use in mind.
Observations From the Field
Call ’em tech tips, building tips, details or whatever you like, but this is the stuff we see at events and shows while shooting features or doing shop tours, not to mention things we’ve discovered while working in our own shops. It’s like when you’re foot-cruising an event with the boys and pointing things out to each other, or when you have a stroke of genius while working on your own project.
THE 2004 GREAT EIGHT
It was once said, “To aspire to perfection is the goal of all who create, as anything less confines us to conformity,” and never has this been more apparent than in the numerous rodding creations being shaped today. Never before has so much time, effort and expense been lavished on vehicles that were once pushed aside in favor of newer endeavors.
Spotlighter
PUTTING THE “HAUL” BACK IN HAULER
Author
Bob McClurg
Story & Photography
When You Want to Use Your Street Truck as a Work Truck
The term “street truck” is sort of an oxymoron, because once you slam one of these light-duty trucks into the weeds, their hauling days—at least in the physical sense—are pretty much over. But sometimes you have to use your truck for what it was actually intended. What then?
Fresno, California’s McGaughys Suspension Parts, one of the performance aftermarket’s leading manufacturers of dropped-spindle suspension lowering kits for muscle cars and light-duty trucks, just released its new airbag spring helper kit for the 2002-’05 Dodge Ram 1500 series 2WD and 4WD half-ton regular and Quad Cab models. Applications for Ford and GM light-duty trucks and SUVs are also available from McGaugys.
“The main reason why we designed these kits was because there are so many ‘one size fits all’ airbag products out there on the market that leave it up to the installers to figure out where they are supposed to place the airbag, where they are supposed to drill the mounting holes and where they have to either weld or clamp on the airbag leaf spring mounting brackets,” commented company designer Steve McGaughy. “We wanted to manufacture a ‘specific fit’ application for a particular-series truck rather than guesstimating by releasing just another universal-fit kit.”
McGaughys uses Firestone airbags. A pair of 90psi Firestone tapered-sleeve airbags was used in the manufacture of the Dodge airbag spring helper kit (part No. 02-DODGE-AIR). “We also manufacture our own-design, 3/16-inch-thick steel, CNC-laser-formed and welded, black powdercoated mounting brackets and related hardware, which includes a Schrader valve and T-fitting and 18 feet of air line.”
More good news: Not only will McGaughys new Dodge Ram 1500-series airbag spring helper kit work with the company’s 2-/4.5-inch 2WD Dodge economy lowering kit, 2-/4.5-inch 2WD and 4WD Dodge deluxe lowering kit, or 2WD 4-/6-inch Dodge deluxe lowering kit, but it will also interface with any other manufacturers’ suspension drop kits for these trucks!
Priced at $289.95, FOB Fresno, these kits are also available through participating McGaughys Suspension Parts retailers. Installation is fairly simple, using common shop tools, a floor jack and jackstands. However, in order to make the installation go more quickly (and safely), it is highly recommended that the installer use a hydraulic lift. Follow along as Steve McGaughy shows you how easy it is to install one of the company’s airbag spring helper kits beneath this awesome-looking, 4-/6-inch deluxe dropped Dodge Ram 1500-series 2WD Quad Cab. TB
1. McGaughys Suspension Parts’ new airbag spring helper kit for the 2002-’05 2WD and 4WD Dodge Ram 1500-series regular and Quad Cab models will not only work with any McGaughys suspension drop kit, but it will also interface with any other manufacturers’ kits. McGaughys uses a pair of top-quality Firestone tapered airbags (90 psi) along with a pair of CNC laser-formed, welded and powdercoated upper and lower mounting brackets, along with all the necessary mounting bolts, 18 feet of air line and a T-fitting and Schrader valve assembly. The kit lists for $289.95, FOB Fresno, California.
2. Engineer Steve McGaughy begins by first removing the rear wheels and tires from this modified 2WD Dodge Ram 1500-series Quad Cab, which has already been equipped with a McGaughys 4-/6-inch deluxe drop kit.
3. Here’s a closer look at the Dodge’s 6-inch drop, clearly showing that the rear framerails have been C-notched, so hauling anything with substantial weight is a dicey proposition.
4. The first order of business is to bolt up the Firestone tapered-sleeve airbag to McGaughys spring mounting bracket. Note that these brackets feature an adjustment slot. A 3/8-inch bolt and a little Loctite are used to secure the airbag in place.
5-6. Next comes the installation of the upper airbag mounting bracket, which butts up to the existing McGaughys C-notch plate on the Dodge’s rear framerails. It is initially secured using a factory hole on the lower framerail with a 1/2-inch bolt.
7-8. With the bracket securely in place, our installer uses a 1/2-inch drill to bore a series of four holes in the frame. Then four 1/2-x3-1/2-inch bolts are used to final fit the bracket.
9. With that done, installer McGaughy uses a 21mm socket to remove the Dodge’s spring shackle plate and 21mm nuts.
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10. The McGaughys airbag and spring mounting bracket are placed between the axle and the spring. At this juncture, you can adjust the Firestone tapered-sleeve airbag on the spring bracket for optimum effectiveness. 11-12. With that done, McGaughy reinstalls the spring shackle U-bolts and plate and final tightens the 22mm retaining nuts.13-14. Next comes the installation of the Firestone tapered-sleeve airbag to the upper bracket using a pair of 3/8-inch bolts.
ARTICLE SOURCES
McGaughys Suspension Parts
Dept. TB
5680 W. Barstow
Fresno, CA 93722
559/226-8196
www.mcgaughys.com
