Barn Rebuild: The family heirloom

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Thanks for the info. I will look for local bearings. Next question: are the trunion bearings the same for all drum brake axles, or is there a difference between ball/claw (mine) and birfield axles? Some part suppliers can't look up older than 72 or so in my experience.
 
antFJ said:
http://www.sor.com/sor/cat080.tam?anchor=#080-400

scroll down a ways.. it mentions having to order some additional parts for pre 1968 but i'm not familiar.

additional parts for ball and claw:
http://www.sor.com/sor/searchresult.tam?uu=2493497
Click to expand...

I immediately looked to see if Napa or O'Reilly's had knuckle bearings because I figured SOR was more expensive. SOR's price for the whole kit with bearings and seals is only $10 more than O'Reilly's price on 4 bearings alone. My club SOR membership has already paid for itself.

Thanks, antFJ!


Edit: According to SOR, the additional "needed" part for the ball/claw axles is a bushing on the axle shaft itself. Mine look to be in great shape.

Edit #2: CCOT has a similar kit for the same price. Since I live in TX (actually only 30 minutes away from CCOT) they offer a shipping discount (free in this case) to offset sales tax. I ordered it this morning and will clean up all the components for the front axle today so they can be assembled when the new parts arrive. Pics to follow when daylight (and work) begins.
 
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Pulled the front diff carrier from the axle housing today. Old gear lube was the consistency of axle grease. I'm cleaning it with the pressure washer and dousing with WD40 to prevent rust.

Off to buy more gas for the pressure washer and some degreaser. Pics before and after first round of pressure wash.
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Great thread, I will be watching with eagerness as I will be starting a similar project as well. A new to me 1966 FJ40 FST.

Keep up the Great Work!
 
Well, I'm pretty dirty, but the front axle housing and diff are relatively clean. I will treat all bearings with a heavy dose of wd40 and reassemble before painting it all gloss black to match the frame.
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Nearly ready to paint. Some more clean up, and waiting for a few parts to arrive. The plan is to finish the front axle, give the front leaves a quick clean up and paint, then assemble with new bushings and hardware. After that, the rear axle. I take my time with work, but things are moving faster now than the last 2 years...
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As you can see, the steering knuckle races had flattened or "brinnelled" (sp?) from being at straight ahead forward for 46 of the last 47 years. The rebuild kit with bearings and knuckle seals arrived today.



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I had some time today after my exercise to tinker at the apartment garage, so I began cleaning small parts for the front axle. Apparently, the warn hub selector is brass (or similar), so I broke out the rubbing compound. More to do, but I measure the little victories. As my dad has always said, "It is like eating the whole elephant: you have to take it one bite at a time."
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I'm not taking time to disassemble the spring packs. A wire wheel and a sand blaster seem to get it pretty clean. My goal is to get some paint on the front axle parts and springs by sunset. We'll see if I get that far.
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I over-thinned the Paint a little. There may be a second coat coming after spot-treating the trouble spots.

In all honesty, I'm interested in having a nice driver that sees mild off road duty. Some runs in the paint on my axle tubes and hub flanges aren't about to ruin my project.
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Assembly started today on the front axle. I didn't buy enough grease for the knuckles. I need to trim the sealant on the diff housing when it dries. New knuckle bearings and seals (Aussies from CCOT) are great. I forgot to clean and paint the brake backing plates, so final assembly will be postponed until I have that resolved.

Tomorrow, I guess I'll start tearing down the rear axle. I have no immediate plans to replace the rear bearings. I'll clean, reprint, and see how it works out. In a year or so, we'll find out if I made the right choice after I start driving it.

Aside: what is a running driving 72 worth? I have a friend trying to sell me his 40. Other than a lift, 33's and a Weber carb, it is pretty stock. F155, 3 speed floor shift, rear sill rusted through. All parts are accounted for, including the hardtop. I personally went through the rig for the guy two years ago to get it on the road after a 5 year vacation. I know about the few remaining bugs that need working out. Any thoughts on current market value?
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I have a feeling that this is going to be a common occurrence with this project. The $11 wheel lasts more than twice as long as the $5 wheels.

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The backing plates are curing now. Front axle final assembly will happen the next time I get out to the barn.


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I took the rear springs off the rear axle so I could clean and paint. One of the center spring bolts broke when I took the unbolted off. The rears are worse than the fronts, so I'm disassembling the spring packs. No pics of that yet.
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I got my $10 parts washer up and running this weekend. After failing miserably with purple power at $25 expense, I realized that $14 in diesel works better... Both as a solvent and as a lubricant for the stale pump.

The dog bowl has soaking bolts in it. I'm strongly considering painting the pieces for the warn hubs. What was the original color scheme from warn?
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