Got a lot done this weekend for a change! Finally finished rebuilding the Dana 44 Front axle, with help from my friend Sam. I had a shop re-seal and re-gear the diff with a 4.09 to play nice with the new Dana 60 rear. New ball joints, spindle seals and bearings, wheel bearings, races and hub seals. plus new drilled & slotted rotors. To cap it all off, a Warn refresh kit for the original premium hubs:
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The brass on the hubs was in sorry condition, a few dips in vinegar and a little 000 steel wool worked wonders. Still needs a bit more salad dressing...
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And finally, since I had some time left over this weekend; cab work takes off in earnest:
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The cab is in very good shape, the floor plans rusted where the fire wall seems to the floor plan. A lot of banging on the the anvil horn to get the patches to fit the holes. I hope to begin welding in the front patches in a weekend or 2. Spent most of today with a cup brush removing undercoating (joy). Interestingly enough, the worst rot on it is behind the seats in the floor plans. I guess the slider window gasket must have been leaking for years and years. Most of what you see behind the torque brace is paper thin:
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Oh well, front floors first, some more media blast and then on to those rear sections. 1 piece at a time.
I know it seems a bit weird that there hasn't really been a picture of the truck as a whole since basically the first post. The pieces are getting done one by one and one day, some day everything will just magically come together. Truth is, I'm waiting on lift springs. patiently, and it may be another 2 months. The motor will have to wait until spring. In the meantime, it's gotten cold here. No paint or primer can get done. So, the blessing of all this is I have several months of time to patiently pound tin back into correct shape. Truth is I'm enjoying all of this thoroughly and I don't really have a timeline. So I do pieces as my budget allows, knowing full well there are some big expenditures coming up. As I have said, stay with me, it will get more interesting in due course.
Fleet Fox
I do things my way, and I pay a high price.... JCM