thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
That is a great idea with the sticky sanding sheets.... 
84 Crewcab...AKA..Patches
- Thread starter thrashingcows
- Start date
69.5CUDA
Blah Blah Blah
i actualy came across the idea out of desperation...an 8th scale lloyd 3d print ment that i needed to smooth multiple mid body mounting points(think sectioning a truck cab into a 4dr), which ment the use of anything "powered" would likely cause damage breakage and obviuously too much heat...never mind the spead at which it would remove materialThat is a great idea with the sticky sanding sheets....
knowing my wife had my rolls of paper for my body work, i went hunting thru her totes of "household stuff" and came across the floor sander sheets and was instantly DING lightbulb...sure enough as course as you could ever want and goes pretty fine too but having a HUGE surface area that you could just work slowly on was sheer perfection..simple yet briliant....i wish id had these when i was sectioning out 24th scale models as i could have gotten alot nicer seams
the sticky on mine are pretty degraded from floor sanding use but have just enough stick to be good on the bench while not being so sticky that you cant easily remove em
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
I've needed new over load pads for a lot of years, missing a couple and the others were cracked or missing half....
Was looking around on-line for alternatives since I could seem to find OEM type units, and found a few I thought would work but they were in the 60-80 dollar range...way more then I wanted to spend for 4 pads. Then I happened on an RV site and people were talking about DIY over loads and pads and one guy mentioned using hockey pucks...Ding Ding Ding I think we have a winner! So off to the store and purchased 4 hockey pucks for under $10.
Then I used a flat wood bit in the drill press to counter sink one side, then drilled out the center for a washer and bolt.
Then bolted them in...
I've had a few heavier loads on them and they work great and are wearing nicely.
Was looking around on-line for alternatives since I could seem to find OEM type units, and found a few I thought would work but they were in the 60-80 dollar range...way more then I wanted to spend for 4 pads. Then I happened on an RV site and people were talking about DIY over loads and pads and one guy mentioned using hockey pucks...Ding Ding Ding I think we have a winner! So off to the store and purchased 4 hockey pucks for under $10.
Then I used a flat wood bit in the drill press to counter sink one side, then drilled out the center for a washer and bolt.
Then bolted them in...
I've had a few heavier loads on them and they work great and are wearing nicely.
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
Now that suspension was done it was steering box time, the output shaft seals had been leaking for over 4 years so definitely time to get this done, and since the steering coupler would be out as well I put another rebuild kit in it.
Kit I got for the output seals...
Fairly straight forward...remove snap ring, then drill a couple holes 180* apart and use 2 screws to pull the seals out...then re-install the new parts.
Then back on the truck it goes...
So next was the steering coupler...I only seem to get about 2 years out of a rebuild, even with a grease nipple installed and fresh grease pumped in at least 3-4 times a year. This time the hole for the cross shaft had wallowed out so had to toss a couple welds and hand file it down so it would be nice and snug.
And since I had a spare shock boot I thought I'd try to use it as a bit of a water/debris shield. Then it was reassemble with the new parts and the PITA of getting that damn cap locked in place...
Got everything back in the truck and started to bleed the PS system...that turned into a n off and on 2 week ordeal.
I couldn't get all the air out of the system, after what seemed like hours of turning the wheels back and forth with the motor off, and with brief fire ups to turn the wheels back and forth, with the wheels the air it still had air trapped somewhere. I figured it had to be in the steering box so I loosened the lines, turned the wheels and and heard some glurping and farting and it seemed better, tightened the lines back up and fired it up and it didn't immediately foam up so that was a good sign, came back the next day all was well!
Kit I got for the output seals...
Fairly straight forward...remove snap ring, then drill a couple holes 180* apart and use 2 screws to pull the seals out...then re-install the new parts.
Then back on the truck it goes...
So next was the steering coupler...I only seem to get about 2 years out of a rebuild, even with a grease nipple installed and fresh grease pumped in at least 3-4 times a year. This time the hole for the cross shaft had wallowed out so had to toss a couple welds and hand file it down so it would be nice and snug.
And since I had a spare shock boot I thought I'd try to use it as a bit of a water/debris shield. Then it was reassemble with the new parts and the PITA of getting that damn cap locked in place...
Got everything back in the truck and started to bleed the PS system...that turned into a n off and on 2 week ordeal.
I couldn't get all the air out of the system, after what seemed like hours of turning the wheels back and forth with the motor off, and with brief fire ups to turn the wheels back and forth, with the wheels the air it still had air trapped somewhere. I figured it had to be in the steering box so I loosened the lines, turned the wheels and and heard some glurping and farting and it seemed better, tightened the lines back up and fired it up and it didn't immediately foam up so that was a good sign, came back the next day all was well!
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
Then I decided that the front RH fender needed some paint since it had been slowly getting worse every winter....so sanded it down quickly and got ready for paint.
Decided to try the roll on tremclad/rustoleum I'd come across on-line since I didn't really care to much how the paint turned out since anything would have been better then what was on there. I also had to fix some old body work filler that had cracked in the passenger side door, and a couple spotson the hood front edge that were rusting/pealing, so thought it was a good time to paint that as well.
Bought a can of gloss white tremclad and mixed it with mineral spirits until it was thick enough that when you pulled a metal spoon out it would take 3 seconds before a drip would start. Then it was use a small 3" foam roller and start getting it on. since it was on the truck I had to sit and keep rolling it until it started to set up and stopped running, even then I had some pretty big runs. Once dry I wet sanded it with some 400 grit and then put another coat on...think I did 3-4 coats and for crappy prep work and even worse wet sanding it actually all turned out much better then I had hoped, with a little more care I think you could get a pretty decent paint job done this way.
Decided to try the roll on tremclad/rustoleum I'd come across on-line since I didn't really care to much how the paint turned out since anything would have been better then what was on there. I also had to fix some old body work filler that had cracked in the passenger side door, and a couple spotson the hood front edge that were rusting/pealing, so thought it was a good time to paint that as well.
Bought a can of gloss white tremclad and mixed it with mineral spirits until it was thick enough that when you pulled a metal spoon out it would take 3 seconds before a drip would start. Then it was use a small 3" foam roller and start getting it on. since it was on the truck I had to sit and keep rolling it until it started to set up and stopped running, even then I had some pretty big runs. Once dry I wet sanded it with some 400 grit and then put another coat on...think I did 3-4 coats and for crappy prep work and even worse wet sanding it actually all turned out much better then I had hoped, with a little more care I think you could get a pretty decent paint job done this way.
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
I also removed the drip rail sealant along the front edge...AGAIN! This is the third or fourth time I've re-done this because it never stays sealed and allows water to get in under it and make the rust that is present a little bit worse... Eventually I'm going to have to pull the roof skin and address the rust...glad I pulled a complete roof off a crewcab that was in a wreckers years ago...it's in a lot better shape then mine is. 
Also re-sealed the front glass since water had been dripping in from several places for a couple years now....removed the old dry and cracking chrome locking strip from 7 years ago, and replaced with a plain round rubber locking strip that I had to pull from one of my parts trucks in the dead of winter. Think it was in the -25*C range and snowing, this was an ordeal with a propane torch to slowly warm up a 4-6" area then carefully pull the strip out, then move along and around until I had it all free, probably took me a couple hours from shoveling snow to having the locking strip in hand.
Finding windshield urethane that wasn't "fast setting" was a PITA since all the new windshields it's set the bead, place the glass and wait 30-60 minutes and it's ready to go, no old rubber window gaskets now a days. Eventually I found a tube of what I needed and got to work, I pulled the seal back on the top and sides and put sealant between the seal and body, then between the glass and the seal on the outside, then locking ring and wait for it to dry and clean off the excess...haven't had any interior leaks since!
Eventually I'm going to have to pull the roof skin and address the rust...glad I pulled a complete roof off a crewcab that was in a wreckers years ago...it's in a lot better shape then mine is.
Also re-sealed the front glass since water had been dripping in from several places for a couple years now....removed the old dry and cracking chrome locking strip from 7 years ago, and replaced with a plain round rubber locking strip that I had to pull from one of my parts trucks in the dead of winter. Think it was in the -25*C range and snowing, this was an ordeal with a propane torch to slowly warm up a 4-6" area then carefully pull the strip out, then move along and around until I had it all free, probably took me a couple hours from shoveling snow to having the locking strip in hand.
Finding windshield urethane that wasn't "fast setting" was a PITA since all the new windshields it's set the bead, place the glass and wait 30-60 minutes and it's ready to go, no old rubber window gaskets now a days. Eventually I found a tube of what I needed and got to work, I pulled the seal back on the top and sides and put sealant between the seal and body, then between the glass and the seal on the outside, then locking ring and wait for it to dry and clean off the excess...haven't had any interior leaks since!
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69.5CUDA
Blah Blah Blah
i cant help but wonder WHY your blowing thru the couplers..is it just the weight of the cummins on the front end maybe?..i mean, i beat the shit out of my RC and never once had coupler issues, hell i blew a front end rear end transfercase trans engine and never once had to do anything with the coupler..tho when i swapped out the steering box for the second time i did open it up and re-pack it...but it saw ALOT of mud slinging and hard hitting offroad....not a ton of miles just alot of abuse..tbh its the same coupler that was on the truck when i got it in 93
those pucks for the overloads..its a hell of a clean look i would have never thought of that and likely bought a slab of delrin..i like the pucks!
those pucks for the overloads..its a hell of a clean look i would have never thought of that and likely bought a slab of delrin..i like the pucks!
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
Yeah I think it has to do with the heavy cummins drive train and the 4wd as well that kills the coupler. You can see the wear it's suffered from the metal shims I have to put in as well. Hopefully one of the parts trucks has a better one I can steal.
69.5CUDA
Blah Blah Blah
ima just blame it on the cummings..the 4wd has nothing to do with it, as the 4wd box is a beefier bastard to begin with...i mean hell its the same unit on a chevy..does the chevy use the same coupler?!?!?!?!
i put a set of 30x12.50s thru mine then part of a worn set of 33 12.50s and then part of a new set of 33x12.50s and god knows it had a BRUTAL life before i got it the frame cracks and breaks as well as the re-skinned body told me that..so i can only assume its weight..i mean your not running 35s are ya?
i put a set of 30x12.50s thru mine then part of a worn set of 33 12.50s and then part of a new set of 33x12.50s and god knows it had a BRUTAL life before i got it the frame cracks and breaks as well as the re-skinned body told me that..so i can only assume its weight..i mean your not running 35s are ya?
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
No just the stock 235/85/16 Load range E tires.
But just a week after I got it back out on the road I was backing into a parking spot and had the wheels cranked and heard a big metallic pop/clang....pretty sure my steering box adapter plate cracked. I have several spare but it just means I have to pull everything off and apart again...
But just a week after I got it back out on the road I was backing into a parking spot and had the wheels cranked and heard a big metallic pop/clang....pretty sure my steering box adapter plate cracked. I have several spare but it just means I have to pull everything off and apart again...
69.5CUDA
Blah Blah Blah
ive seen frames broken and cracked around them, useualy on 38+ tires but ive never seen one actualy break
it does beg a question tho..what size tires and what box/mount was used on the last square body cummins trucks...i can only assume weight of engine coupled with tire grip on the ground is to blame
it does beg a question tho..what size tires and what box/mount was used on the last square body cummins trucks...i can only assume weight of engine coupled with tire grip on the ground is to blame
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
Nothing changed for the box mount...same plate they'd been using for decades. This is the OEM plate that came off the 93 parts truck, so not a bad run.
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
Well I guess with the 10 days we had in the -35*C to -49*C just before Christmas the exhaust manifold started to leak badly, was getting so much exhaust fumes into the cab I couldn't run the heater...thank goodness it had warmed up to -2*C to -6*C on the 2 days I had to work last week, so I only turned the defrost on for a few minutes here and there to clear the front windshield. So on my days off I knew I had to pull the manifold and get those exhaust leaks taken care of.
I was freaked out that a bunch of the bolts would snap, but anything that didn't loosen right away got a hefty dose of heat and more PB Blaster. And every one that was giving me grief about coming loose tightened just a hair and that was all it took to free them up and they all spun out safely. Then it was down to the industrial supply house for some new hardware...they didn't have any 10mm flange head bolts in Metric 9.8 with a 1.5" thread, but they did have Allen head bolts, 12.9 grade and then some beefy hardened washers.
Was surprised how easy pulling the manifold was....
I was freaked out that a bunch of the bolts would snap, but anything that didn't loosen right away got a hefty dose of heat and more PB Blaster. And every one that was giving me grief about coming loose tightened just a hair and that was all it took to free them up and they all spun out safely. Then it was down to the industrial supply house for some new hardware...they didn't have any 10mm flange head bolts in Metric 9.8 with a 1.5" thread, but they did have Allen head bolts, 12.9 grade and then some beefy hardened washers.
Was surprised how easy pulling the manifold was....
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
Since I had the manifold off I thought now would be the perfect time to swap on the 24Valve manifold I've had kicking around for close to 10 years. SO I dug it out of the shed and started cleaning it up so I could mark out the square gasket and transition the round ports to work better on the old 12V head.
But during my clean up I noticed something that looked off...turned out the manifold was cracked right down the center of the manifold...
But during my clean up I noticed something that looked off...turned out the manifold was cracked right down the center of the manifold...
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
So back on went the old manifold, only took about 90 minutes to get it back on and everything hooked back up.
I put a complete 4" Stainless exhaust system on earlier this year and at the time everything went together fine but when I pulled the V-clamp off the turbo during tear down it had shifted and was way off, and it was leaking some exhaust from this as well by the amount of soot around the inside edge of the V-clamp. So I spent a couple hours readjusting the down pipe as best I could to get the flanges to line up. Took it for a drive today into town for some groceries and errands and I think it is all good now, swore I could smell a faint exhaust smell a couple times but might be all in my head.
I put a complete 4" Stainless exhaust system on earlier this year and at the time everything went together fine but when I pulled the V-clamp off the turbo during tear down it had shifted and was way off, and it was leaking some exhaust from this as well by the amount of soot around the inside edge of the V-clamp. So I spent a couple hours readjusting the down pipe as best I could to get the flanges to line up. Took it for a drive today into town for some groceries and errands and I think it is all good now, swore I could smell a faint exhaust smell a couple times but might be all in my head.
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
Started pulling the truck apart to do the throw out bearing, and new clutch at the same time and the rear main seal. well I pull the pressure plate and clutch and sure as heck i ordered the wrong one!
I thought I had remembered everything and that it was the NV4500 flywheel with no lip....turns out I have a NV4500 system with a 1st Gen flywheel and clutch assembly....
Not sure what I'm going to do now, see if I can just get a new clutch disc tomorrow locally since the one in there does have a little life in it but it's almost worn down to the grooves in the clutch material....or try and find a machine shop that can take off the lip on the fly wheel so I can use the NV4500 clutch and pressure plate...I'm super pissed and angry right now, guess I'll sleep on it and make a decision tomorrow.
Not sure what I'm going to do now, see if I can just get a new clutch disc tomorrow locally since the one in there does have a little life in it but it's almost worn down to the grooves in the clutch material....or try and find a machine shop that can take off the lip on the fly wheel so I can use the NV4500 clutch and pressure plate...I'm super pissed and angry right now, guess I'll sleep on it and make a decision tomorrow.
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
Well couldn't find anything in stock locally, could maybe get me something by the end of the week but the prices were going to be through the roof....so decided to just clean up the old clutch, pressure plate and flywheel. Thankfully the NV4500 and Getrag both use the same throw out bearing and that was what had failed.
Figure I can probably get at least another year or two out of the clutch and in the meantime I'll pick up another clutch/pressure plate to match the getrag flywheel, or pick up a flywheel to match the new clutch/pressure plate.
Figure I can probably get at least another year or two out of the clutch and in the meantime I'll pick up another clutch/pressure plate to match the getrag flywheel, or pick up a flywheel to match the new clutch/pressure plate.
b-body-bob
Well-known member
I sold my diesel because it was getting to the point pretty much everything was old enough to fail and it is all way too heavy for me to want to deal with.
To be honest I'd rather work on bicycles than cars and trucks but things don't work out that way in the real world.
To be honest I'd rather work on bicycles than cars and trucks but things don't work out that way in the real world.
thrashingcows
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing...so I'm
Yeah the NP205 transfer case is 150lbs dry and the NV4500 is about that as well...I left them together and used a homemade redneck trans jack/mount to wrestle it out and in...not pretty but it worked. With a proper transmission jack it would probably make the job a lot easier.