Build Family haulin'

[boots4]

Please ask your wife if I can let Tencha at your home few weeks .. she need this kind of care !

Bring Tencha! Bring Tencha! I'll have to test out whatever I do to her and Tencha doesn't need anything so I'll happily do some testing.

Incredible build and write-up. Being a young father with two kids and no garage myself, I find your work an inspiration. I have the ability to use shop space at work but it is only during lunch and for a few hours after work one day every other week. Anyway, good work and keep the posts coming!

Thanks for following along, that canopy we got and the insulated jump suit I wear has certainly made it easier to go outside in bad weather but I long for the days of a shop to play in.

 

[jeffsclan]

Welds look good to me. If ya want a good laugh you can see my welds.

 

[boots4]

weekly update

I tackled the leaky hydroboost unit this week. I bought a hydroboost repair kit (mostly rubber) from PirateJack. It came with instructions but I didn't find them particularly helpful. The two major things I used off that sheet was the diagram and the torque value for the bolts (20ft lbs.)

It was leaking from the front piston seal and you can kinda see in this pic.

I separated the Master Cylinder and since I have decent slack in the lines I just moved it out of the way leaving it hooked up. I then took the HB out and started loosening up the bolts. I left two in at the very end of their travel and once the rest were out I carefully separated the case. I didn't know if anything was going to jump out so I made sure I held onto things as it came apart.

I took off the clevis on the end of the shaft and it slid through the back half. I cleaned it up and this is what it looks like inside.

I gently pulled the "push rod & power piston assembly" (input rod assembly) out along with the spool valve and cleaned out the front half. I inspected it and it looks fine to me.

Spool valve that goes on top.

This is where the front piston seal is. It's just rubber so I picked it out, collapsed the new one and worked it in. Old on the left, new on the right.

I found two more seals on the "push rod & power piston assembly" (input rod assembly). They show a slip over tool to get those on but I just worked them with my picks being careful and I got the new ones on. New ones are pictured.

"Push rod & power piston assembly" (input rod assembly) all cleaned up. I didn't get into the piston and I'm not sure if there are any seals inside or not because the diagram was confusing on this part. The brakes actuated great before so I decided not to go to the lengths to get it apart.

This is the cap for the spool valve. Looking at the diagram showed a seal on it so I yanked it and put on a new o-ring.

The front piston seal is a lip seal like the ones I found in my tranny. I was going against the grain pushing the piston back in so I just pushed the piston up to the seal and then from the front a took a small flat-blade screw driver and worked the seal under the piston. Again, just be careful to not gouge the surface if you work it redneck style.

I then put the spool valve in and attached the two together. The instructions say to only use power steering fluid but since my system runs on ATF I just used that to lube the parts as I put them back in.

I didn't dig into the compressed gas accumulator and the diagram didn't show any seals on it anyways so I started to mate the two halves back together. The back half needed a little persuasion to get on the seals but nothing forceful. I tightened the bolts all together bringing the halves together equally.

20 ftlbs. on the bolts and it's ready to go back in the rig.

These were the only seals I used from the kit. The kit is obviously for several versions of the HB but after studying the diagram and what I found inside that's all I needed. Left side it what I replaced, the right side is what was left over.

Adjusted the clevis again to get the pedal were I wanted it (last adjustment was just a little high) and bolted it back in. Hooked up all the lines, the MC, bled it and it all works fine, no more leak.

 

[boots4]

weekly update cont.

Today we woke up to a little snow so we ventured out and to make the trip practical we grabbed some parts. We stopped by Tube service Co. in Portland and I picked up three sticks of 1 3/4" .120 wall HREW tube to make bumpers and sliders out of. I know DOM would have been better but three 20' sticks cost me $138 so I'll work with this.

Also stopped by the cummins parts distributors and grabbed a couple things. I got valve cover gaskets, exhaust manifold gaskets, and a new temp switch for my KSB motor (timing advance when cold).

I got a new switch because I'm wondering if my original is sealing in the intake plate anymore (boost leak possibility). I got the cheap stuff knocked out and still have leaks so I'm having to throw a little money at it now. I also ordered new hump hose connections since I think that's another leak source but those will come in this week sometime. Old on the left, new on the right.

Picked up valve cover gaskets but didn't get them installed today.

Looks like a small exhaust leak at the gasket.

Old on the left, new on the right. Old ones are pretty flat.

I rotated the tires too. That leaky tire slowed down considerably and am only loosing 1-2 psi a day. Weird, I'll keep looking for it.

 

[brokenparts]

now all you have to do is find someone with a tube bender. HMMMM... there's got to be someone around.

 

[EWheeler]

This fit much better and still allow a good clamping action. I was having battery issues with my welder. One of the batteries was not getting a good charge due to a dirty terminal so I had to weld and inch and wait a minute for a decent surface charge and hit it again. I've cleaned the terminal so I shouldn't have to do that now. That's just my excuse for why my bead didn't turn out looking better.

I'm assuming you are talking about a ReadyWelder here? Do you have any tips for a new user? I picked one up a few months ago but have only used it to make some seat brackets for my 40 series. I will be tackling some sheet metal work as well as a spring over with shackle reversal here in the next couple months. The ReadyWelder is a perfect machine for me as I don't have any type of garage or decent power source at my condo complex. What type of batteries are you using and also what type of charger? The couple of time I have used mine I just pull the batteries out of my rigs and then slap them back in and start the truck to re-charge. I don't have a stand alone charge yet. Oh and sick rig, makes me want to build a 60 next

 

[boots4]

now all you have to do is find someone with a tube bender. HMMMM... there's got to be someone around.

Ol' Dora just might be wearing a horn when I show up on saturday.

 

[brokenparts]

nice!!!

 

[boots4]

I'm assuming you are talking about a ReadyWelder here? Do you have any tips for a new user? I picked one up a few months ago but have only used it to make some seat brackets for my 40 series. I will be tackling some sheet metal work as well as a spring over with shackle reversal here in the next couple months. The ReadyWelder is a perfect machine for me as I don't have any type of garage or decent power source at my condo complex. What type of batteries are you using and also what type of charger? The couple of time I have used mine I just pull the batteries out of my rigs and then slap them back in and start the truck to re-charge. I don't have a stand alone charge yet. Oh and sick rig, makes me want to build a 60 next

Yup, everything I've welded on this project has all been done with a readywelder. They are great machines and it's standing up to my abuse, grinder dust, and the elements. I really like the portability of it even if I need to move it to the other side of the rig while I spark on something.

I'm using group 27 deep cycle reconditioned batteries and I would recommend just getting new deep cycles. Group 27s are more than enough to penetrate what I'm playing with. I'm using a Minkota 2 bank (2 battery) marine charger. I build a little cart to push them around in for my first project that holds the batteries, the charger, and the welder case so I can keep it all together.

I use fluxcore exclusively since I'm outside. There was a thread on Pirate about a different tip that would make it easier to see the electrode when using fluxcore but I can't remember the part numbers to look for, but that would be nice to update. I've noticed that I sometimes have spooling issues and that is most likely due to the case nut being too tight and clamping too much on the spool or that the spool itself isn't wound right. The 1 lb spools work better than the 2 lb spools and I just rewind my own from a 10 lb spool (I made a little redneck winder that I can power with a drill) because that's cheaper. I've gone through two 10 lb spools so far (also put together a utility trailer). Sheet metal will be difficult if you're running 24v. If you try out 18v and a smaller wire it would probably be a lot easier. On the lowest setting that will feed wire with 1-2" of electrode feed I can blow through my sheet metal if I pull the trigger for very long. Sheet metal with .35 wire (.23 wire would help too), on the lowest setting at 24v is pretty much a connection of tacks.

So far I'm really happy with it and will be getting my cables set up to bring it with me when I go wheeling since I run dual batteries in my rig.

 

[EWheeler]

Yeah, I had some issues with inconsistent wire feeding but as you stated, I determined I was tightening the cover down too much and creating too much friction with the spinning spool. Question about your charger; do you charge & weld simultaneously? I need to do some research and figure out the best set-up for welding different thicknesses of metal. I know you can vary the voltage (18,24, or 36), the wire thickness, and the feed speed to adjust for different thicknesses.

 

[boots4]

I like to unplug the charger when I weld from the batteries. I have on occasion left the charger on as I welded and did not have any problems but I think it is safer to leave it unplugged. Now my charger leads are bolted onto the terminals so they always stay hooked up, it's just the charger that is unplugged from the grid.

 

[brokenparts]

you still coming by today?

 

[boots4]

Update

Alright, time to pull myself off page 2.

I went snow wheeling eariler this month even though I haven't solved my shock/steering joint clearance issue when flexing. Still need to do that but here are a few pics from that day.

I forgot to take my flaps off before getting into the deeper stuff. Well, nature decided to take one off for me.

The mount wasn't meant to play tug-of-war with so the branch that I was hung up on yanked it off. I'll need to bend it back a little but that's about all that happened to it. I'll probably need to move them down anyways when I get to my rear quarter sliders/protection.

I brought up the rear. I'm not sure others enjoy sniffing diesel like I do so I thought it was nicer if I lingered behind.

I played with ~4-5 psi. Airing back up took a little while with my little electric compressor.

 

[boots4]

more minor updates

Actually hauled the family up to the Columbia river gorge area near Portland and did some hiking. Here is Dora parked waiting for us to come back.

As far as projects I replaced my valve cover gaskets and finally gave Dora a well deserved wash and cleaning. I polished most of the windows to remove hard water spots that had built up over the years.

I started on my rocker chop so that I won't have my sliders hanging down so far. I had debated how I wanted to do this but I just got out some tape and my angle grinder and started cutting.

This is the projected line I wanted to cut off.

After crude cutting it's gone.

I thought about putting a patch piece in it or then welding a small tube or round stock behind the outer lip to give it a finished look but I think I'll just roll on some spectrum underneath, extend the line up the door about 3-4" and paint it with rustbullet. The sliders will fit close to the cut rocker so I don't think I'll really need a finished edge since you won't be able to see it once the sliders are fit anyways. I like the clearance this will allow, now I just need to get some square tube to start my sliders. I did run out of cut off wheels so I only got the passenger side done. I'll also probably smooth out a few spots before I fit the slider up there. The sliders will be welded to the frame and not the rockers. I'm trying to get the sliders set up first before I start on the front bumper (tube bending) and protection.

 

[Tapage]

it's the picture of you are sagging a little bit rear ..

 

[boots4]

The front passenger tire is barely on the hill so maybe that's why it looks like the rear is compressed a little. On flat ground it's still pretty level front to back. I do keep a few things in the back all the time now (tools, emergency stuff, etc.)

 

[Tapage]

Not a big deal anycase .. I'm just little obsesed with the leveled suspension on my Cruisers ..

 

[GLTHFJ60]

The rockers look great! Have any pictures of the undersides?

 

[boots4]

I'll get some today or tomorrow, I wanted to clean them up a little before I show them.

 

[boots4]

I picked up some more cut off disks and took off the driver side. This side had damage from a previous wheeling trip. The nice thing is that I found no rust in either side after I cut them off.

Then I went to the steel yard and grabbed some slider material. I got 3.5"x2"x .250 wall for the slider and 2"x2" .250 wall for the legs. Bill came out to $83.

Measured my length (63 1/2" due to fender trimming), cut some angles and patched the holes on the ends of the tube. Here I'm mocking up for the legs.

I will be adding tube outriggers to these so I wanted most of the slider under the body.

Measured my distances and then cut out the legs. I came in a foot from both ends and then centered a leg inbetween them. Tacked them on and then I put the slider back underneath to see how it fit.

All looked fine so I started burning in the legs to the sliders. I'm pretty sure I've popped another battery on my welder so I didn't get very far and have to wait for a surface charge to get me another inch of bead. I just need to pony up and actually buy some new batteries instead of grabbing blems/reconditioned because they are cheap. I got tired of doing the waiting game so I only burned in one side of legs. I intend to add some gussets before I weld them to the frame.

I also need to cut out some base plates, clean up the rocker cut some more, and bend some tube for outriggers before I weld them to the frame. I'll slap on a coat of rustbullet for my final protection.

I got enough to also make some mini sliders for the rear and then I can add round tube to those too.