Say no to Cracks

[1lejohn]

I installed the ORD bolt in steering box and frame brace this past weekend. The install is pretty straight forward. The install does require drilling a hole in the cross member and grinding the holes out on the existing factory bracket. The ORD part is heavy gauge plate that is nicely welded up. The only problem that I had was the bracket hole that attaches to the cross member didn't line up with the existing hole. That hole was used to attach the steel line going to the charcoal can. I had to drill the hole over size and then used a wedge to drive the bracket over and down to get the bolt in. It still was a tight fit. It would have been better if the hole wasn't there. Thats why the make washers!  The front end is now complete every bushing, spring hanger (shackle), ball joint, and steering box have been replaced. I used ORD for the bushings and shackles. I also went with their anti-sway bar disconnect. I have their FUSH brackets, but removing the rivets on the stock brackets looks like a b---h. Let me know if you have done this job. Well, it's on to the rear springs. I am going to replace the bushings and the rear hangers. The bushings may be OE . The ole truck does ride better and I'm not having to George Jones it down the road anymore. These old trucks are just amazing for their simplicity and durability. I grew up riding in these trucks. My stepdad had a 70 C-10 with a 307 and three on the tree which he bought after hitting a tree in his 69 Camaro SS 350 with a 4 speed. My mom loved to drive that car. He traded the 70 in on a new 76 K-10. He rolled the 76 down a cliff which totaled that truck. Imagine that. His next one was a 79 K-10. It rusted out and I guess he sold it. My 85 is black like that truck. I'm thinking it had a red interior, Mine has the maroon color. I'm just ranting now. He's 89 and in hospice. I' m just remembering the times.

 

[85K304SPD]

Show us some pictures of that brace and all that you talked about please.

 

[1lejohn]

Here are some pics of the steering brace. There's not a lot to see it's tight. I would recommend installing the bracket before connecting the hoses to the gear box.

 

[Dleslie212]

Good luck with those rear springs - to this day, that's still the biggest bitch of a job on my K10 I ever did. Cutting the bolts off because they were all seized, and then having to melt and burn the old bushings out because they were seized, and then having to notch, grind and cut out the old metal bushing housings because they were all seized. It sucked

 

[TJ1978]

I have that as well. I recently had the ORD weld on steering box kit installed. I had a couple hairline cracks on the frame where the lower bolts go through to the box.

Now I have both weld on and bolt on steering box brace. I also ran longer bolts through the bolt holes and used lock washers on the end. The outer lower bolt was a pain to do. So I opted for a regular nut and used loctite on all of them. I did not drill the box holes.

If you decide to do this I would do the that same bolt first before installing the ORD bolt on brace. The ORD brace does t utilize this bolt. It stays the stock bolt with the spacer.

The brace gets and steering hoses get in the way making it very difficult to get a lock-nut on while holding that bolt steady.

One bolt is on the top. One is blind and you cannot add a locking nut. Doing this makes this weak area as strong as you can get it.

The third pic is the one Im talking about doing first before adding the ORD brace.

 

[TJ1978]

Here is the brace, the Lower picture help support uses the stock bolt into the steering box

 

[Camar068]

I have that as well. I recently had the ORD weld on steering box kit installed. I had a couple hairline cracks on the frame where the lower bolts go through to the box.

Now I have both weld on and bolt on steering box brace. I also ran longer bolts through the bolt holes and used lock washers on the end. The outer lower bolt was a pain to do. So I opted for a regular nut and used loctite on all of them. I did not drill the box holes.

If you decide to do this I would do the that same bolt first before installing the ORD bolt on brace. The ORD brace does t utilize this bolt. It stays the stock bolt with the spacer.

The brace gets and steering hoses get in the way making it very difficult to get a lock-nut on while holding that bolt steady.

One bolt is on the top. One is blind and you cannot add a locking nut. Doing this makes this weak area as strong as you can get it.

The third pic is the one Im talking about doing first before adding the ORD brace.

I doubled up as well on the outside of the box with nut......sh|ts tighter than a frogs arse 10 fold.

 

[Ricko1966]

Good luck with those rear springs - to this day, that's still the biggest bitch of a job on my K10 I ever did. Cutting the bolts off because they were all seized, and then having to melt and burn the old bushings out because they were seized, and then having to notch, grind and cut out the old metal bushing housings because they were all seized. It sucked

Asking because I haven't done the spring bushings. I have done control arms this way. Can you take a piece of pipe slightly smaller than the outer collar of the bushing. Sharpen one end and push it through with a press. Slit the metal collar that's left with a Sawzall then take the collar out with anairchisel??

 

[Radiohead]

Sometimes, if your socket collection is extensive enough, you have a press bushing in your drawer. Then there's always DOM and a lathe...

 

[creich68]

I recently purchased the ORD box brace as well. When I held the main brace up to see how everything lines up, it looks like the hoses for the oil cooler will interfere slightly on the bottom of the brace edge. The ORD installation instructions note this, but their website makes no mention of it (would've been nice to know this on the front end).

Did you all run into the same thing? Did you have to cut a small notch into the bottom of the ORD brace to give a little clearance for the oil cooler hoses? That might be the route I take but was trying to avoid cutting on a new $140 brace.

 

[1lejohn]

I don't have an oil cooler on my truck. I did have to drill out the hole on the crossmember of the truck over size in order for the hole in the bracket to line up. Typical bolt on stuff. Nothing a large washer couldn't fix.

 

[Camar068]

yeh I hate it when people show their plumbers license and could care less.

 

[vr1967]

I’m considering ordering the brace, just worried it will interfere with the Banks crossover pipe

 

[creich68]

FYI - if you have factory oil cooler lines, it really puts a bind/pressure on the lines if you don't modify the bottom edge of the main brace. I test fitted it a couple times and ended up notching the bottom to allow the lines to maintain their original position. I trimmed it and have about 1/4" clearance around the lines so the don't rub. More than what is probably needed, but I didn't cut into the angle that runs down the center on the back side of the brace (that's what gives most of the structural strength of the brace). I also had to smooth out the weld bead on the bolt flanges because the little bit of overrun and the weld was preventing the bolt head from sitting flush when tightening down. Overall, I'm a little disappointed that I had to clean up the welds and notch the brace to make it work. I spoke with a rep at ORD before cutting to let them know that I don't mind modifying a part, but they should make that disclaimer on their website, not in the instructions AFTER buying the part. Labor to modify a part isn't free either **cough** ORD. It would be nice if ORD offered an brace that was already notched for cooler lines.

Test fitting the brace after notching:

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Top mounting point with weld bead overrun, bottom mounting point after cleaning up:

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