For the first time since late last fall, I rolled the truck out of the garage yesterday. It was a hard push at first all by myself, but it made things a LOT easier when I looked underneath the truck and removed the old brake drums that were behind the front tires.
Got quite a bit done today in between "rain events." Got the rearend closed up and got the brake drums installed. The latter was quite a chore as even with the adjusters backed off completely and everything seated firmly in place, the new drums just didn't
quite want to slide on. Ended up using a combination of tricks to get the drums on. Set the drums in the sun for a couple hours (not easy when dodging raindrops much of the day) to heat up and expand. While they were cooking, I also took some 80-grit sandpaper to the shoe linings. Between the two, the drums slid on and everything turns freely via the pinion yoke.
Then I started disassembling the front clip. Hood has been off since last year but now it's time for the rest to go. Got as far as the last bolt on the passenger fender when the rain started again in earnest and I had to go inside. Would have had the fender off if it weren't for the front bumper, which I discovered while getting soaked needed to come off before the fender could. Went back out tonight and removed the bumper. One bolt snapped immediately, two nuts came off fairly easily, and two were carefully dispatched with a grinder. Considering the condition of the rest of the truck, the front bumper is in remarkably nice shape. Too bad I won't be reusing it. Anyone need a really nice painted front bumper?
I was VERY pleased to see that the passenger fender was almost as good behind as it looked from the outside. Considering the rest of the truck, I half-expected it to be full of bondo even though it felt and sounded like metal. The bottom corner where they all rot out is absolutely spotless. The only rust is in the front corner on the flat part inside, where it will not only be easy to repair but also will never be seen. Finally, a part I don't have to replace! I know already that I won't be so lucky on the other side, but fortunately I have a pile of rust-free fenders in my garage from which to choose a replacement.
Pics are below. Hopefully the weather will cooperate more and I'll be down to a bare frame forward of the cab by this time tomorrow.
