Re: Restoring Rusty - Job And A Half
 

ok, enuff about tailgates, lets talk about this weekend, big job coming up, job and a half I tell ya

what's this? you're showing us a pic of your driveway? nice?

well it may seem like ordinary stains but I bet guys like Rich are looking at it going, hmmm I bet the kid is thinking about doing the rear main oil seal (and if I could smell and taste them stains I would recon it's the two piece veriety)

yup, time to take care of GM's PLS

what? PLS?

General Motors Pavement Lubrication System

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

now I know we kicked around the idea of me driving around for a month or so, especially after that big intake manifold upgrade, but this is not an upgrade, this is an honest to goodness repair that just needs a doin'

figure nothing says Happy Valentine's Day honey like baby I'm gonna need you to park outside for a couple a days

Re: Restoring Rusty - Drive Shaft
 

to be honest with you I've removed a drive shaft before, and I removed a few trannys but I never installed a clutch so this will be a learning experience

first we need to remove the drive shaft, so let's see what we are up against

we unbolt it from the third member / diff, then remove the center bearing support, then since I do not have a car TV show my main shaft would not slide out of the trans so I had to undue the universal joint or yoke there what ever it is called maybe someone can learn me

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

I am not kidding when I tell you it took me two hours to remove the two rusty bolts that hold that middle drive shaft support bracket, I thought great I am averaging 1 bolt per hour... but then things picked up a bit

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

yeah it's pretty much like that, three yards and a cloud of dust

seems like every half hour I found myself rolling around in a pile of dirt and had to stop and use the shop vac for a bit

Re: Restoring Rusty - Cross Member
 

the cross member was up next, it is held on by 300 nuts and bolts on each side, or so it seemed

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

No "pre-treat" with PB Blaster on any of those rusty bolts ??

Look for your 1/2" drive breaker bar and a cheater pipe too, the last one of these I did half of the bolts finally broke off (that did save time tho').

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Nice read sir. Very entertaining. Can't wait to see some green turf around here.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Oh, yes sir P.B. always shows up now that WD got fired! Usually soak the bolts the night prior to the B.I.G. job, then again during the big job in between profanities, LOL. I get so high on this stuff my joints feel lubricated. He's right there peaking from behind the drive shaft in one of em pics

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Thank you I appreciate that, keeps me going.

It's gonna be 70* F here in February for the next four days then it drops down to 69* hee hee (I could be painting, LOL) Mother Nature sure has a funny sense of humor!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Good advice, and no kidding. At one point I think I even used the top tube from my floor jack as an extension on my big 1/2 inch LOL (my cheater pipe is custom made for the 3/8th drive you know)

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

You can always smell where he's been..lol. He may work better with a weeks notice.

We did a repair on a garage door in the back of a thrift store and returned in a couple days w/parts - and they asked me to please not use any more of that oil ! HA

Hey...you are keeping up the good work at a pace that makes me jealous - way to "git 'r done" !!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Very nice work!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Thank you B!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

went back to Pick N Pull today (had a day off) and pulled a few things

first the thick 12 gauge pink wire all you '75 owners and newer take for granted that our points guys crave once we convert to HEI

actually found a truck that the distributor cap wasn't uninstalled with a hedge trimmer

(it's not the top red wire in the picture, its the one still plugged in to the base of the distributor with the white connector)

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

and pulled the wrong spring for my driver side door hinge (shown in pics) I do not have a pic of the correct one

(yes I later realized there was actually a difference, a notch in the top part is on opposite sides, and pulled the one from the other side)

I like learning / finding out things like this, do you?

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Do you have a good grasp on how to do the rear main seal?

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Good question because I'll be watching for tips to help when I do mine.

Make sure you get it right.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Drop oil pan, remove rear main, replace oil seal.

If what you are getting at, is what in the heck am I doing? Then I am trying to inspect the clutch plate for contamination as I have oil all up in there, plus the whole drive train is so filthy that I wont be able to tell whats a new leak and whats old

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Hey Greg. Look, I've been there and done that. Let me pass along some of what I learned... Removing the transmission seems like the "easy" (that's a bunch of BS) way to do this job. But let me tell you, having an sm465 myself, they weight 180 lbs with no fluid. Taking it out is hard enough, but putting it back is a real bear. And that assumes you have a way to support the transmission on your floor jack. Just the cup end on the jack isn't going to cut it, and lifting that transmission in dangerous. I almost crushed my arm one time.

Next, even after you get the tranny out, doing the rear main seal is still a b1tch! Ya, it can be done, but it's an awkward job lying on your back.

I found, counterintuitive as this sounds, it's easier to block up the transmission in place, then disconnect the bell housing bolts at the engine, and pull the whole engine. This makes the seal job, and removing the pan way easier, as is realigning the clutch disc. Of course this assumes you have an engine hoist.

The other benefit is you don't have to fight with the driveshaft (those centre carrier bolts are pleasant). And you don't have to remove the tranny crossmember. Man, I spent hours getting one of those out on a parts truck I had. The lower bolts are easy, it's the upper ones under the cab.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Also, now that you have the driveshaft out anyway, check the u-joint condition, and grease them up.

And (you knew there had to be more) is your engine an original 74, or is it possibly newer? If you can see the crank flange, if its bolt circle is 3.58" it's pre-86 and uses the two piece seal (easier to change). If its bolt circle is 3", then it's the later engine and a one piece seal.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

I have never replaced one, but this looks like it might help.

http://www.73-87.com/7387garage/drivetrain/rearseal.htm

Slonaker

Re: Restoring Rusty - Tailgate 101
 

so where were we, ah yes I was telling you what I got at the junk yard today, and there was one more thing

I got the tailgate door handle and linkage and learned whats the difference between 1st Design (uses stud for the hold ups to hook on to, '76 white tailgate below) 2nd Design (uses bolt, but that just means the stud is still there just welded to the bracket that use bolt on, '79 blueish tailgate below) I needed the ladder

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

GM did a lot of things right on these ol' truck, using philips head screws to hold the handle to the tailgate, not one of em

also I demonstrate my super human strength whilst destroying a Harbor Freight special screw driver (surprise)

and then use vice grips to git 'er done