"Now to order new front and rear ends that will work with the 15" artillery wheels."
Yes, 68ironhead, I'm confused also. The front and rear end are OK and have the wheels on them. The only issue I see is disc front, which is nice but not mandatory. If I am not mistaken, the front drums and shoes and cylinders are big, if original. Big sq inch.(HDE). Must be some 41-47.1 owners here who have figured a way to do disc on front.
Sorry about any confusion, guys...I sometimes brain storm while I'm writing.
My thoughts on replacing working equipment.
The truck is destined for daily and interstate use, so I want the diff. gear ratios to better match the intended purpose, including comfortable use and operation at interstate speeds. The existing system is rather inefficient all things considered. So that's where replacing the rear diff comes from. As long as I'm doing that we "might as well" add in disks, new springs, bushings, springs, hardware, shocks and etc. because......"might as well."
Up front, it looks like I can use a '47 rack and pinion kit power steering kit, however that doesn't resolve the front disks issue. The bushings look shot and things have to come apart for that anyway. So, by the time I replace all the bushings, bearings, springs and hardware, I "might as well" just toss in a complete new system.
So now, I'm in the "might-as-well" realm. Has it ever happened to you? It's happened to me so often I could be a guide. So, at 60 (and soon 61) my experience tells me it's best to give the "might-as-well" Gremlins some leeway and hear them out. In the long run it's usually cheaper and you have fewer regrets...all within reason, of course.
