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This is what it looks like installed (though I think I want to modify the front top 'tabs' to cover just a little further down):

(glove is just there to cover the WP pulley/bolts for allowing the radiator to rest against it while working):
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Slid over to the passenger side a bit just for testing/lower hoses and to route the PS lines.... but can slide either way if needed...
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Trans/PS coolers are just pushed out of the way for now, nothing is set in stone (or metal) for them yet...

I was able to get an upper hose (no problem, easy peasy).... as expected, the lower hose is going to be difficult. Napa brought out several 1.75" constant hoses out with 90's in them, and I took the only one that I thought might work, but unfortunately it won't.

Project will be on a slight hold until the new SS form-able hose arrives that I ordered.... if it isn't able to make the turns I need, I will have to turn to something different....

I am still glad I went this route... radiator is larger, have better/more options for mounting peripherals/fans, and it really didn't cost all that much.
 
The stainless 'formable' hose showed up today... definitely will work for the lower hose.

Problem NOW is the rubber couplers. There's no way they're going on without messing up the edges and causing possible leaks.

In my research I found that another company claims the rubber couplers are the cause for leakage on this type of hose, so they use silicone.

Put in for an order of 1.75" silicone hose adapters as they should be a bit more malleable... unfortunately Amazon didn't have 2 for prime guaranteed shipping... so I will have to wait...
 
I may test fit since I have the old rubber hose, but the silicone adapters are already on order. The hard rubber ends that came with the kit.... it would have taken way too much to get them on and most likely would have been torn to shreds taking them off in the future if need be.... it's so stiff that it reminds me of new fuel filler neck hose.... just has zero give.
 
I forgot to mention.....

Out of random I had been reading another 40 build, about a Ramjet 350 install.... and he mentions using a similar type hose and having a hell of a time getting the rubber coupler to work.... he had to trim/bevel the interior lip, grind down the flange on the mating surface, and then put the end in hot boiling water to make it fit. No thanks. I tried to bevel it just a bit, but the 1.75" ID.... it really seems more along the lines of 1.75" OD...

In the meantime I got the tie-rod kit in the mail so hopefully I can find time to get that in while I wait, and maybe finally get the stabilizer installed (though with the saginaw I'm not sure where it should connect... I've seen SO many various installs of them).... since the steering in this thing is scary above 25mph.
 
So the plot thickens just a tad.

This was the hose kit I ordered:
Amazon.com: Racing Power Company R7304 24" Stainless Steel Radiator Hose Kit with Polished Ends: Automotive

The hoses, as mentioned earlier, didn't fit the 1.75 properly, so I ordered a pair of 1.75" silicone hose ends.

As it turns out, the metal flex steel actually isn't 1.75... it's 1-5/8 (or 1.625). This is why the 1.5" doesn't fit and is why the supplied adapters don't actually fit a 1.75" water pump/radiator.

Have some actual 1.625 to 1.75 reducers on the way to do this properly... I'll throw the 1.75"s in the truck for an emergency, or something....

Steering is being redone in many ways, so the wait for the right parts isn't a setback, just a nuissance.
 
The fun of my 40 never seems to end....

Started to pull the tie rod ends....

Got the drag link out (was been converted to saginaw previously) and turns out the steering box end isn't a 40 tie rod end (threads mic at less than 1mm difference, but still slightly different) but is standard rotation. Got the tie rod end off (only after realizing it was reverse thread).

And the fun starts. Stared on the driver side... went to get the cotter pin out.... and it won't budge, the open ends broke at the nut. Decided to pull the wheel and just cut it.... used an angle grinder and cut the pin in 1/2... finally got it out. Got the castle nut broken loose.... so got my pickle fork out.... no budging. Left it in and got the BFH out... still no budge other than the pickle fork coming loose.

After trying this a bit... I tried the pickle fork with a cheater bar.... broke the pickle fork in 1/2.

With a standard floor jack under the axle I decided to use a bottle jack under the 'arm' from the knuckle to the tie rod... enough for the weight to lift off the floor jack. I did this because I felt any hits of the hammer, a lot of the force was being absorbed by the arm, and not by the tie rod.

Now it was time for a bigger BFH... a 10lb sledge. After the bottle jack got loose one time ad resetting, the tie rod finally broke loose. (FYI if anyone follows.... save yourself a headache and leave the castle nut on the tie rod when hitting it, mushrooming the top could mean it won't slide out as planned, and the new units always come with new Castle nuts, so destroying the old doesn't matter).

Only took about an hour and a half.... now to get the passenger side loose...

Guess we'll see if somehow I have more wrong parts.... finding that saginaw box end should be interesting....

Tools I used to get the tie rod end out:
Dyes
Lug wrench
Floor jack
20t bottle jack
Angle grinder with cutoff wheel
BFH (probably a 4lb ball peen)
Pickle fork (now dead)
10lb sledge
17mm socket and breaker bar
 
heat is your friend.... if you're having huge trouble getting a bolt apart, heat the bolt (or nut) to red, wait 30s then try to pop it off... this trick even works on taper joints... let the heat soak a bit then apply pressure. Because it's both cast and steel, they expand at different rates when heat is applied. That can generally be enough to break the bond and get them apart.
 
heat is your friend.... if you're having huge trouble getting a bolt apart, heat the bolt (or nut) to red, wait 30s then try to pop it off... this trick even works on taper joints... let the heat soak a bit then apply pressure. Because it's both cast and steel, they expand at different rates when heat is applied. That can generally be enough to break the bond and get them apart.


Ah. Yes.... the piece I didn't mention.... I was out of gas... helpful
 
Your drag link maybe the common conversion piece used in saginaw conversions- metric toyota threads on tierod end and sae threads on pitman arm end to match the sae taper of pitman arm. Both of my converted trucks use this drag link-it is about 28 inches long if I remember correctly. The ends should be commonly available from the cruiser vendor of your choice.
HTH,
Will
 
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Your drag link maybe the common conversion piece used in saginaw conversions- metric toyota threads on tierod end and sae threads on pitman arm end to match the sae taper of pitman arm. Both of my converted trucks use this draglink-it is about 28 inches log if I remember correctly. The ends should be commonly available from the crusier vendor of your choice.
HTH,
Will

Probably.... except that it was converted over 30 years ago, and in some ways, very backwood'ish. Even if I knew what was put in the truck then, doesn't mean what they have/sell in their kits today is the same unfortunately.

I've done a little research and it seems the Cruiser vendors don't mention what the tie rod thread size is and want in the $35 range for one plus shipping. I can essentially get whatever tie rod I want for 1/3-1/2 that price if I know the size.... I think it's RH 11/16" or *maybe* 5/8"... with a taper end.... these seem to be pretty common Chevy or Ford pieces, so I should be able to take the parts to Napa and find what's needed.
 
Being sick sucks.... pretty sure I got some variant of H1N1 from Canada and have been down for almost 2 weeks now.... not so sick that I can't do my normal job, but not enough energy to actually work on anything substantial....

Parts are piling up and nothing is getting done.

The 1.625 to 1.75" adapters showed up - so once the steering stuff is done then I can start working on the radiator/coolers again.

The steering - the tie rod was even less fun than I thought.... once the ends broke free from the axle, the nuts had become wedged and turning the nuts - meant the TRE internally was spinning.... only way off was cutting the TRE in 1/2. I should add that apparently the HF 20T bottle jack was only good for 1 TRE beating, because by the time I got to the passenger side, the bottle jack had called it quits.

Took the "conversion" TRE into Home Depot in hopes to at least find the thread sizes..... nope, too big for anything they have there. Gonna try another hardware store and see if I can determine the size. Still *pretty* sure it's 11/16 with a tapered end. These were used on 60's ford trucks apparently - found a source online for $10 plus shipping.... once I verify the thread sizes.

One of the other problems I was having with the steering as a whole - was the shaft joint at the saginaw pump wasn't fitting as well as I'd like, and the weight of the shaft/U joints actually caused the shaft to droop a bit. In a terrible attempt to fix this I tried using a standard worm drive clamp - which did nothing. I have 2 ways to resolve this..... 1 is to find a proper TRE clamp to actually clamp the end onto the steering box. The other is that I ordered a steering shaft bearing support - and I'll build some sort of adjustable support for the steering shaft itself, so that it doesn't have to hold the weight of itself on it's U joints.... pics will follow. (The bearing has also arrived, I just need to find time to get out in the garage)....
 
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11/16x18 SAE with a tapered end was accurate for my drag link. About $15 shipped from Speedway Motors.

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Was going to see about where the support bearing should go, but, uh.... seem to have misplaced it :/
 
Was going to see about where the support bearing should go, but, uh.... seem to have misplaced it :/

ugh, I hate it when that happens.


My garage is definitely one of those garages that is just packed full of stuff, there's no organization, and tools land everywhere.... and yet I always know where everything is.

Funny thing... I didn't remember the packaging for the support bearing.... it was exactly where I thought it was, and just didn't look a little closer.


On another note - I also mock (quickly) lined up the trans and PS coolers on the arms that extend from the radiator to the fenders - and both fit actually quite nicely. Will look into how I want to actually incorporate them (just simply bolt at the top or build some type of bracing/support at the base of the cooler as well). The lines I already have should reach (if anything, the non pressure line(s) for the PS cooler may need to be trimmed).

It will be shaped sort of like:

\___/

Where the left arm will have the trans cooler, right arm will have the PS cooler, and the center is the radiator. Pics to follow.
 
Every Thursday, I put absolutely everything away so that on Sunday I'm starting with at least 3 clear benches and tools in the right spot... that's the only thing that ever saves me. What kills me is the one-and-out people who borrow my shop... one and out because the first rule is always "put that schmidt away" otherwise they are told to simply go away.... even so, for some reason 13/16 open end wrenches tend to be their favorite thing to lose... why? dunno, but that's the facts.
 
Ah, yes.... other people in my garage means things move and I no longer know where they are.

On another note, I need a heavy duty 1" clamp (like a drag link/TRE adjusting sleeve clamp) and can't find one - unfortunately Napa wasn't a help.... any thoughts?
 

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