David and Terry:
Thanks for the information. It is very helpful. The strap that I have, that I just picked up by itself at a flea market years ago measures "pretty close" to 24 inches. The straps seem to be the same width regardless of year, so I am okay there. I am going to tackle this problem in a big way later on in the week hopefully. With the 6.50 tires I may have to do a little surgery to lengthen it, but hopefully not.
Yes, David, I have the cap and springs working just fine. It is just the long strap that concerns me now. I will post how the project turns out.
On a different note, I am pretty sure I found my rattle. The sleeve on the right end of the tie rod was not snugged down completely so I tightened it up like I should have done originally and VOILA, NO MORE RATTLE.