A little project update on Chug A Lug

Oh Lee I am fully aware of the wrath of KARMA.

in this case I plan on spending the money ASAP so Karma can just wait for the pay back LOL

Yes I do the CDL physical exam thing every year.

Edited by Mark W. - 02 May 2017 at 2:18am

I understand your pain with the accountants. I've had the same fun with insurance agents. doctors and lawyers,. You expect me to pay you and I have to do the work for you?
There is a reason I was happy out pounding on a nail in freezing temps.

About half my family pounds nails. I did in high school working for my Uncle and I learned skills I have used my whole adult life. My grandfather was a House painter (with brushes) and did remodeling jobs for the neighborhood (farm country about 200 sq miles of neighborhood LOL) My dad was is now referred to an a HVAC tech we knew him as a Sheet Metal Man he could scratch build sheet metal Tee's and Elbows for heating systems. I learned a lot of that as well.


OH a happy note while showing off the Hot Rod 134L to my neighbor I found the silly blue AN elbow I lost............it was screwed into the Aluminum PCV Dome I made so basically about 9" away from where I wanted it. Gee's

My brother, father and grandfather too, my grandfather was also pretty good model A mechanic back in his day. My father went to the Naval academy at Annapolis and studied electronics after that he worked for Raytheon for a short time, got sick of all that and went back to banging nails. Go figure.

Mark W. wrote: My dads uber rare left hand sheet metal tools got grabbed by his second wife. Who couldn't have used them in a million years. But then she also talked dad into giving her various rifles she knew us boys really wanted. Infact the only tool I can think of I have is a beam style torque wrench and the flat head valve compressor. But I got my own.

Well, I've had to bang some tin on some jobs. M1, M2, M3 snips along with some old, big Wiss shears? White gas torch with a soldering iron to solder gutters.
My brother "borrowed" my 1938 Remington Gallery Gun and I still have a flat head valve spring compressor as well as an old beam style torque wrench.
Some friends seem to have the ability to forget to set their clicky wrenches back to 0. It's hard to screw up a beam style so I have had to get it out a few times for them.
A friend has a 500 LB Ft clicky wrench.
I have no need to torque things to that point.

OK so NAPA web site lied.... But the store up in Canby has one and the wife travels through there on her way home and she's going to be a pal and pick it up for me.

Next PITA is the double Tie rod end has really tight threads (I have cleaned and inspected the threads to no real relief) And it turns out unless I am missing something the only way to get this Cross Over style tie rod installed is to put the Tie Rod Ends in the Knuckles and then screw the thing together all at once!!!! There is not enough distance between the springs and the Knuckle to angle the second Tie Rod End in place. This will not be much fun. I really don't want to have to leave wrench marks on the Tie Rod. And no matter what I do it will mess up the Paint even if I use my hands. I guess this gets painted after its back from the alignment shop.

Only got one of the Brake lines the other will be here tomorrow or Monday At least I can do all the figuring out with just one. Looks like a L bracket mounted to a hole on the bottom of the frame just to the rear of the Bump stop is going to be where it mounts to the frame.

more later.

I had to get creative with my Ford box and full length tie rod set up.  I'll have to look at it again, but I think I stuck the double end on the drag link and then the tie rod went in to the hole on the double end.  That angles the double joint up just enough to give extra clearance.

I HATE BRAKE LINES

There thats out of the way...............


So Yesterday I got into the PITA of trying to create my Front Hard Lines. First I needed to make some niffty Hose mount brackets that attach to the forward mounting hole for the Axle Snubber. The first try had the wrong angle so I took what I learned making those and did it right the second time.

Then I got to find out what POS Dorman Brake Hose Clips are. They have no spring are basically just bent mild steel so at best once use. as once you remove them there is no tension to hold the hose in place the second time. I had one Original clip left so now to scare up a couple others (I want a spare in my repair kit).

So with the Hoses happily screwed into the Wheel Cylinders and then clipped into the little brackets I got to trying to figure out how to best run the lines. The first design I came up with had the line going to the right side running on the back side of the cross member and I didn't like that as it would be running along the full length of the radiator. So I changed the way I was using the little TEE and got the Hard line under the cross member.

The little 90 degree hard line that goes to the Left Hose was a PITA had to make it three times before I had one that I could accept. Then actually running the long Right side hard line was a little easier then I thought it would be the bends on the far Right could be better but acceptable.

Then I made up a little short Hard line to connect the Tee fitting to the Residual Pressure valve (10lbs in the case of Drum Brakes). I wasted time at NAPA and ACE looking for some sort of mounting clip that would hold the Valve in place and finally came home and made some from Micarta. You will notice the forward clamp has no screw in the bottom hole as luck would have it the Left side Radiator mount is so much in the way I can't even drill a hole for a Sheet metal screw. Not to mention a threaded hole like the others. The Clamps hold the lines and the Valve very secure with just three screws so I guess I cut off a screw and epoxy it in the hole for looks LOL.

I made up the two little Stainless Steel Clips that secure the Right side Hard Line to the bottom of the Cross Member. I still have to drill and thread those holes.

Sure wish there was some way to test all this before its all done. Sure would be nice to look for air leaks instead of fluid dripping on paint.

So here's a bunch of photos:

The first couple show the Tie Rod set up and the relationship between the Drag link and the Tie Rod. I got them very parallel and with little angle so I think they should be real good as far as no Bump steer or DEATH WOBBLE.



This one shows them from the left side. I ran them stop to stop and nothing interferes with anything else the locking nuts on the right sides of the Drag Link and Tie Rod get close but never touch. And all of the clearances will improve once the weight is on it. And since the Shocks are currently limited out I don't see how anything could get closer then it is now. So I think I am good to go.



And now on to the Brakes first an overall view





And some close ups of the Residual Pressure Valve mounting and the Left side hard lines.



Top view of same



And some shots of the Hose bracket I made.



The Hose mount bracket has been relieved to fit flat with the Axle Snubber mount under it this also restricts its movement.



I had hoped to get this amount of work done as well as to break down the Steering assembly and get those parts cleaned up and painted. But that just didn't happen. I guess if I am not working 11 hour days this week I might be able to get it done after work.




Edited by Mark W. - 03 July 2017 at 4:03am