1968 Jeep Truck Buildup - mikes Parts - Photo 10692530

Back to Article

Parts Mike supplied us with new longer steering arm studs, nuts, and conical washers. We greatly prefer the strength and peace of mind of studs over bolts. We double-nutted the studs and screwed them into the knuckle before dropping on the arm and cinching it down.

154 0810 01 z+1968 jeep truck buildup+front view

154 0810 01 z+1968 jeep truck buildup+front view

The new Parts Mike high-clearance steering arm is shown here laid on top of the flat Dynatrac arm we originally used. Note how the new part positions the drag link tie rod farther inboard to clear the tire with normally offset rims.

Parts Mike supplied us with new longer steering arm studs, nuts, and conical washers. We greatly prefer the strength and peace of mind of studs over bolts. We double-nutted the studs and screwed them into the knuckle before dropping on the arm and cinching it down.

The forged steering arm is incredibly beefy and the raised tie rod mount not only decreases drag link angles but allows for a ton of leaf spring clearance when used with a spring-over. The arm came tapered for a large GM 1-ton tie rod end, which fit perfectly with the Parts Mike heavy-duty linkage we got from PSC Motorsports.

The resulting install places the drag link much closer to level for less bumpsteer and positions the drag link free and clear above the spring pack throughout the whole tuning radius.

After removing the line with a flare wrench, the brass fitting that's pressed into the bore can be seen. The residual pressure valve on older Jeeps is often found behind this brass fitting.

With the steering situated, we turned our attention to ridding the stock master cylinder of its residual pressure valve so our front disc brakes wouldn't drag. Don't forget, on a dual-pot master cylinder, the port for the front brakes is often on the rear of the master cylinder.

With the brass fitting removed, you'll find either a little spring-loaded rubber plug (shown) or on older vehicles, a small metal ball bearing and spring. You can use a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove the rubber plug. A small magnet is best for fishing out the steel ball bearing on vehicles so equipped.

With the brass fitting removed, you'll find either a little spring-loaded rubber plug (shown) or on older vehicles, a small metal ball bearing and spring. You can use a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove the rubber plug. A small magnet is best for fishing out the steel ball bearing on vehicles so equipped.

Here's the culprit. We cleaned and smoothed the brass fitting with a little emery cloth before gently tapping it back into the bore. Once the line was replaced, we bled the brakes. We're happy to report our converted original master cylinder stops the vehicle as well as any modern master cylinder.

We hate chasing wiring gremlins, but when the multimeter showed the three-wire Motorola voltage regulator to be bad, we knew we weren't going to pay $70 or more for a replacement. We had a modern GM one-wire alternator from another vehicle so we decided to modify the stock lower bracket to accept the GM alternator.

For starters, the original Motorcraft alternator uses a 1/2-inch bolt through the lower mount, while the GM alternator uses a smaller 3/8-inch bolt. It's super butch, but we simply welded a couple 3/8-inch Grade 8 washers to the lower bracket to decrease the hole size for use with the GM's 3/8-inch mounting bolt.

The second difference is that the GM's lower mounting ear is about 1-inch wider than the Motorcraft's. We cut off the rear mounting ear and welded it in place, using the GM alternator to determine its position.

Yeah, it's ugly and we barely paused to clean it before welding on it, but it gets the job done. In order to clear the larger GM alternator's case when clocked up into position, we had to grind a bit out of the stock bracket (arrow).

The stock upper alternator bracket fit like a charm. We were even able to reuse the Motorcraft's alternator belt.

There are four wires that come off the back of the Motorcraft alternator. The only two we were concerned with came off the charging post. We simply took them off the charging post of the Motorcraft and bolted them to the charging post of the GM. We taped off the other two unused wires. Technically we should have upped the wire size from the charging post since this alternator puts out 100 amps, but it'll do for now.

With the rig drivable, it's now sitting outside the luxurious Jp offices up in L.A. instead of in the RV parking alongside Hazel's place. Once the drivetrain swap happens we'll bring you the full skinny.