Did a little exploring
What Did You Do with Your 80 This Weekend? (85 Viewers)
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Flush mounted a solar panel on a Bowfin rack. Props up on either side as well. @dogfishlake
Then went on a drive.
Then went on a drive.
Swbkrn2003
GOLD Star
Changed all the Window Belt Moldings, Tried to install the Delta Panhard bracket but the Pan Hard Bolt was on there 
it is now marinating in a couple different penetrating oils. Guess its time to hook/wire up the compressor up and use the Air Impact gun instead of the Cheesy electric one. Breaker bar would not budge it, was trying to do it Solo! Added a scan gauge and mounted on the steering column with the mount found on Etsy.I took off the OBD mount and ran it under the dash with a splitter (I wanted to be able to have the fuse door on and I hate cable run over crap, It's stealth, and then put the spare one under the dash on the trailer brake controller. Sorry ran out of Daylight i' ll add pictures tomorrow, Damn Panhard bolt was pissing me off!
it is now marinating in a couple different penetrating oils. Guess its time to hook/wire up the compressor up and use the Air Impact gun instead of the Cheesy electric one. Breaker bar would not budge it, was trying to do it Solo! Added a scan gauge and mounted on the steering column with the mount found on Etsy.I took off the OBD mount and ran it under the dash with a splitter (I wanted to be able to have the fuse door on and I hate cable run over crap, It's stealth, and then put the spare one under the dash on the trailer brake controller. Sorry ran out of Daylight i' ll add pictures tomorrow, Damn Panhard bolt was pissing me off!
Well, it was a great weekend for the ole 91. Since I bought her a year ago there has been an ongoing idle issue. I have recently replaced the driver seatbelt with a complete new OEM unit!! Replaced and calibrated a new TPS, drained coolant, replaced upper hose, lower hose, and thermostat. Yeah, dont get parts from NAPA... I have a 3 month old thermostat I took out because it didnt work. All parts installed are OEM with the exception of hose clamps. After the new thermostat she is warming up just like she is supposed too and idles nice and smooth at 650. I am running a 3fe, desmogged, 3" lift and 35" Wrangler MTR and she pulls nice! Still needs to get the 4:88 gears but all in good time.
Greased U joints, finished desmog, and took the tint of the front windows. Will remove from the windows and hatch when the Golf get back from the body shop. Until then the Cruiser is gonna be the DD.
When doing the desmog I removed the IAC and throttle body warming system. It gets pretty cold here in the winter so I kept all the parts, if it starts freezing up I throw the system back on.
Also found a nice surprise, the PO or a shop over tightened the power steering pump and broke a mounting ear off
When doing the desmog I removed the IAC and throttle body warming system. It gets pretty cold here in the winter so I kept all the parts, if it starts freezing up I throw the system back on.
Also found a nice surprise, the PO or a shop over tightened the power steering pump and broke a mounting ear off
Dissent
Questioning my life choices...
So....would you do it yourself again or send it out to pros? I'm firmly on the fence with mine but leaning towards pros with experienced eyes (wear on parts, etc.).
You are a lucky man!
In general I am a DIY'er. That being said: if i were to do it again, I would still do it myself. I am not trying to maximize my profit on it, so anything that is questionable I will replace or renew vs letting it slide so I make a few more dollars on it.
I don't believe a for-profit biz would have replaced those needle bearings. Ultimately I feel I do a better/more thorough job if I do it myself, and I trust it more. Rebuilding the box isnt very technically challenging, but it does require patience and some creativity.
Dissent
Questioning my life choices...
Solid feedback. I'm in that same camp but this dumb gearbox is making me question things. Thanks for your take on it!
I totally understand. I was comfortable doing it for a couple of reasons:
1) I rebuilt my '60 box already, they're almost identical
2) FSM & good threads on mud to guide me
3) I bought an extra from a part-out, so there was really no risk or downtime
I'd jump in and get after it, it's really not THAT complicated.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Swbkrn2003
GOLD Star
I am in the market for a rack and i like th eBowfin and spoke to the owner of Bowfin. Let me know how you like it and if you feel it is a solid rack! I only want to buy one!
I’d buy one if I needed another.
Does rebuilding the steering box return the steering to the tight configuration like when it was new? My rig has 280K+ and the steering has a tendency to "wander" a bit these days. It isn't dangerous but it is a far cry from my wife's 2007 LX which has about 90K on it.
Same question here.. Have 330k and a bit of a wandering sprite as well... I was planing to replace the bushings this summer..
Went hiking/snowshoeing... Seemed like a cool spot on the road up the the trailhead so I stopped and snapped a pic of the beauty.
mingles
GOLD Star
Beautiful! Love the JDM fog lights.
@DannyG
In my experience "wandering" is more likely going to come from loose wheel bearings, loose/worn suspension bushings, steering rod ends, bad toe adjustment, a suspension lift without proper setup, poor/worn or mis-inflated tires and possibly bad shocks. Others can correct me if I'm wrong but a slack/worn steering box seems more likely to simply make the wandering more problematic since you have to move the wheel further, through the slack, to keep the truck tracking. If your truck wanders I'd start with inspecting your wheel bearings and rod ends for looseness. You can lay under the truck while someone wiggles the steering wheel back and forth and watch/feel each rod end for slack. Then, lift each wheel off the ground and push/pull at 12 and 6 oclock then 9 and 3 oclock to feel for wheel bearing looseness. Loose wheel bearings on the 80 seem fairly common, possibly in part as a result of the FSM torquing process, so I'd always check your wheel bearings if you have steering issues since they can be a way to get a quick improvement.
In my experience "wandering" is more likely going to come from loose wheel bearings, loose/worn suspension bushings, steering rod ends, bad toe adjustment, a suspension lift without proper setup, poor/worn or mis-inflated tires and possibly bad shocks. Others can correct me if I'm wrong but a slack/worn steering box seems more likely to simply make the wandering more problematic since you have to move the wheel further, through the slack, to keep the truck tracking. If your truck wanders I'd start with inspecting your wheel bearings and rod ends for looseness. You can lay under the truck while someone wiggles the steering wheel back and forth and watch/feel each rod end for slack. Then, lift each wheel off the ground and push/pull at 12 and 6 oclock then 9 and 3 oclock to feel for wheel bearing looseness. Loose wheel bearings on the 80 seem fairly common, possibly in part as a result of the FSM torquing process, so I'd always check your wheel bearings if you have steering issues since they can be a way to get a quick improvement.
I keep a pretty close eye on all of these items and inspect them regularly as I typically wheel alone and don't want to get stranded. Everything mentioned above is tip-top. I have had the truck since 97 so I tend to notice when things change. It isn't a daily driver anymore so it simply doesn't get much wear and tear. I have pretty much narrowed it down to the steering box as it is the only thing I haven't rebuilt completely over the last few years. My question was whether this would tighten it back to stock and you have indicated above that it will help alot as long as everything else is in order. Really appreciate the in-depth answer! Removes any remaining mystery.
What is the caster reading?
