[Chaparralman1974]

2/5/2023 - 2/20/2023
Front Axle Assembly, Rear Axle and Transmission Mount Cleaning
Due to work, vacation, and a plethora of family commitments, I have not been able to spend a lot of time on the truck over the past few weeks, so it has pretty much been a situation where I go out and tinker with it when I can. That said, I was finally able to assemble the front axle and get it installed onto the chassis. I still need to go back into the front end to regear it to match the rear (it has 4.10’s in the front and 4.57’s in the rear) but I am holding off on regearing the front in the off chance that I can locate a 4.10/4.11 dropout for the rear axle. In any event, it is not something that I need to get done right now. Additionally, the front spindles, bearings, races, and grease seals were shot. It was evident that the new donor axle has seen better days. Again, given the relative ease to replace these components, it is not something where I really want to spend money right now. I would rather use my limited budget on other things at the moment. I can always disassemble the front end again and fix what is needed. I did install new rotors, ball joints, and axle shaft u-joints though as they are a one time install thing. I will also likely have to spring for a new set of tie rods so that the wheels don’t flop around as I move the chassis around the garage. I spent a lot of time doing a thorough cleaning of the Spicer hub locks and they move really nicely and I have to say that I am very pleased with the new dials. I still need to get calipers for the front as well, but again, that is not something that I need right now.
Regarding the rear axle, the brakes were beyond shot. The drums were so badly grooved, rusted, and packed full of dirt that there was simply no way to salvage them. I was going to attempt to use the drums and backing plates off of my donor 14 bolt axle, but they were honestly in no better shape than the Eaton, so I made the decision to just go with a disc conversion in the rear. I will only spend a little bit more overall, and will have a better brake system than I could with drums. Additionally, it is a lot less work to just do the conversion than to try to repair the drum setup. I also sourced a new set of hubs for the rear axle that uses 9/16” wheel studs. I know that I could have just drilled out my existing hubs, but I found a set that was reasonably priced so I went that route. This also means that I will be replacing the wheel bearings and races, but I would probably have done that anyway for good measure. The end result will be a reliable rear axle that should last for years to come. I still need to replace the pinion seal on the rear axle (and also the front), but will do that later down the road.
Lastly, I was able to get the transmission cross member and brake/fuel lines cleaned up. The cross member turned out better than I expected. My plan for the brake and fuel lines was to clean them up with an SOS pad and then do a clear coat over them. That way they will have a somewhat “patina” look to them so that the under carriage has that original look to it.
Another topic worth noting is regarding the rear spring hangers and the leaf springs in general. Starting with the leaf springs, I had taken them back to Dunbar to have them arched (they failed to do it the first time) as well as to basically complete the work that they were supposed to do in the first place. Well, once again they didn’t replace the center pins like they said they would and they didn’t disassemble the front leaf packs to clean in between the individual leafs. At this point, I don’t trust them to do anything, so I just took the springs and went home and finished it myself. I am very disappointed, and I feel that I was lied to, but what are you going to do?? I will never use them again, nor will I recommend them to anyone. They did properly arch them and put bushings in, but they didn’t do what they had promised and then screwed up again when I brought them back.
Also, regarding the spring hangers, I found a used set online as the originals were bent and were causing the rear springs to twist. Unfortunately, the replacements that I ordered don’t fit my springs. So I contacted Valley Spring Service and they are fabricating a new set of hangers that are custom matched for my springs.