Ford lover, saves a 94' Z28

[grasshopperglock]

ARP studs installed, left side hub. Lots of grease and a dewalt 1/4 impact. (I later have to remove the studs. I changed my mind on buying wheel hubs)

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Gear change kit from Rock showed up.

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Steering wheel installed

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Tomorrow ill finish the wheel well. Rust treatment (pre caution) followed by zinc primer, then rubber undercoat. Back in the day, I was certified in GM subframe repair. Some school in Dallas a GMC/Buick body shop sent me too. They had a shop full of brand new GM cars, vans, trucks. Less then 200 mile type new.

They'd bend a sub structure using a frame machine. And they'd jacked it up, but good. Then showed us how to either repair it or replace it. Pretty cool school.

One thing GM is super picky about is corrosion protection.

GM requires zinc primer on panel repairs. If their primer was sanded through, or bare metal exposed. It had to be coated with zinc. I guess they wanted to make sure their corrosion warranty didn't take a hit from rust...and to make sure coatings stuck to the galvanizing....

 

[mitchntx]

Memories ... the infamous floor mat curl.

 

[grasshopperglock]

Finished the wheel wells. Zinc primer, followed by rubber undercoat. K member got satin black paint. Knuckle taken apart. Studs installed. Rust repaired. A-arms removed. I smeared flaming hot bushing rubber on my calf beating a bushing out.

Sway bar removed....

More Rock Auto showed up.

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[grasshopperglock]

Lol, burning bushings are kinda hot. As soon as it popped out. Murphy made sure it flew in to my leg. The black spot is freaking rubber stuck to my leg.

Overall, Damn good day. She's coming alone pretty good.

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[grasshopperglock]

Waiting on bushing & ball joints being pressed. $40. Everything popped out fairly easy. Ben's Auto in opera's cove is doing the work. The parking lot was full of chevy. Broke down as usual....

Heres the before-math. The shell on bottom right is the basturd that got my leg. Asshole bushing...

Struts built. Using a harbor freight special. Praying the entire time, I wouldn't lose a finger to a cheap China tool. The old springs had taken a set. 1 inch shorter to the new ones. Plus they were really tired. The new ones were a bitch to compress.

Rebuilt the front calibers...

Calibers got a vinegar soak. Then cylinders were popped out, place back in vinegar bath. Both calibers had a 'sluggish' feel. Calibers weren't sliding. Cylinders were sludged' up.....

After their bath. They were rinsed with degreaser. Dried with wd40.

Bores were polished with oo wool. Cylinder with ooo wool. Washed with purple power again. Whipped down with wd40, paper towels, till clean. Lubed with break fluid. Assembled. Filled up with brake fluid. Stored in a dust free, clean drawer. Ready to go.

"Sent from a puff of smoke"

 

[grasshopperglock]

Tie rods done. Rack had no leaks, so I'm not pulling it. Inner rods had to be heated to remove.

Both wheel wells cleaned and undercoated. Wheel well liners installed yesterday. Stainless metal screws. Sealed with undercoat. New screw type plastic fasteners.

Side note, found some jerry rigging. Some fool changed the coil and did a horrible job. These wire will be soldiered and skrinked' covered. The red object is the coil. Rectifier was also jerryed'.

"Sent from a puff of smoke"

 

[grasshopperglock]

Front tires mounted and aired up. The rear tires are gonna need more then a 75cent, Texaco pay to air machine. To seat the beads. (Texacos air machine worked perfect for popping out the cylinders in the calibers. Used a rubber washer to seal the nozzle. Rattle-rattle..piiissss...and 'ping' go's the cylinder) Lord I miss a air compressor...

Brake rotors soaking in vinegar. 2nd dip.

After first dip 24hours

Rust repaired. Rust remover, zinc primer, undercoated. There's still some rust on the frame rail. Ill take care of that when I pull the radiator. My guess is the car was parked after 3rd gear went out. Battery slowly corroded till + & - shorted out from the crude. Then it started boiling acid over....fucking things up. I'm surprised it ran after that. I guess this OBO1 engine control can take a lick, still tick.

"Sent from a puff of smoke"

 

[grasshopperglock]

Parts I missed, ordered today.

Brake pads, front rear.

Rear caliber rebuild kits.

Two wheel bearing hubs. Passenger side bearing has no preload. Plus it makes that funky grinding chevy sound when spun. Driver side hub is decent. Still has some pre load. But it's Polly got 20k miles till it's tittie up.

Both are getting replaced.

A arms should be done Monday. Monster is building my transmission. I have no clue when it'll be here.

 

[TheDan]

I don't know who that Jerry guy is, but he's worked on every older car I've bought. He gets around!

 

[grasshopperglock]

49 degrees. Dammit bat man!

These are the last parts painted (for the front end anyway) I've been picking yellow boogers for a week.

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It'll only take an hour to put the suspension back together. Lol, that's figured at a cozy 80 degrees. Add 10mins for every 5 degree drop in temp.

When I was younger, this weather wasn't that big of deal. Who cares if you can't feel your fingers? Just listen for the tick of the ice cold ratchet. The clicks mean something's moving. Even though you couldn't feel shit....but witch tit cold. Busting a finger takes on a new meaning in cold weather.

 

[grasshopperglock]

Score. Craigslist special. Factory GM trans cooler off a 3/4ton truck.

$10

Bought it off a dirt track racer out of harker heights. Beats $70-$99 for a new aftermarket 24k cooler.

Its getting mounted dope style. After a flush...(change in plans. Cooler is getting mounted in front of the condenser.)


"Sent from a puff of smoke"

 

[grasshopperglock]

Left side. Waiting on hub. Hubs are due on the 4th.

Great. Folks are slowing down driving by the house. Guess they've never seen yellow suspension?

Sway bar is gonna be the last part installed. And I.M.H...O....grease guns SUCK. Nasty basturds that never work right. Plus grease gets on everything.




"Sent from a puff of smoke"

 

[mitchntx]

Paint the body green and it'll be a John Deere

 

[grasshopperglock]

Paint the body green and it'll be a John Deere

Wait till the sun comes out. Then the paint flips to green. Lol


"Sent from a puff of smoke"

 

[Koinonia]

Looking good so far!
My suspension parts should be coming in the mail this Saturday...

 

[grasshopperglock]

Looking good so far!
My suspension parts should be coming in the mail this Saturday...

Suspension on what?????




"Sent from a puff of smoke"

 

[Koinonia]

My '83 GMC Sierra Classic Pickup! Not replacing the Lower control arm, but just about everything else on the front end.

 

[grasshopperglock]

Monster transmissions sent me an email. Informing me... The 4l60e core is tore down and inspected. Now it go's to the 'build department'. After its built, it's checked with air (makes sure things lock up/clamp). Then a supervisor checks the work. Then it's sent to testing. I believe they install it in a beater chevy truck. Put it through its paces. If it's all good then they mail it.

Had to electro-sign the warranty agreement. 4 pages on how to return or get replacement.

Ill take the old transmission, throw it in the back yard. Plant some flowers in the bell housing. Genuine red neck art!

 

[grasshopperglock]

My '83 GMC Sierra Classic Pickup! Not replacing the Lower control arm, but just about everything else on the front end.

Do what I did. Fill up a bug sprayer with degreaser. Wash it down. It's a whole lot nicer when you don't have crud and grease falling in your face....gettting in your hair...on your dog...lol

After pulling the arms off.

Use a propane torch and burn the bushing. Set it's ass on fire. Let it cook for a few minutes. Spray it down with wd40 after. Dent the bushing where it touches the a-arm with a chisel. All the way around if you can. Dent just enough to where you can see the sleeve pushed away from the arm hole. It doesn't take much, less then the thickness of a dime. It also helps wd40/liquid wrench get between the surfaces. Don't skimp on the wd40. Soak it's ass down.

Then dig the chisel into the side of the bushing and punch it out. If it doesn't move. Light it up again. Let er' cook some more. I recommend doing it on the ground and not in shorts. Burnt rubber is rather nasty. Just ask my leg. Nutin like a second degree burn. Warms the soul....

Works like a charm. Save the bushing sleeves in case they were set at a depth. There will be a rust ring showing how far it was installed. Thinking my bushing had a stop step....I chunked mine in the trash. Then I got to trash can dive to get them back. So I could show the shop installing the new ones. Where the bushings were set in the arm.

Since my arms have a vertical bushing in the rear of the lower arms. They won't bolt up unless the front horizontal bushing is at the correct depth.

Fucking Chevy.....figures

 

[grasshopperglock]

Right side

This is what happens when you forget to clock the strut to the upper mount. You get to use the crappy, finger snatching, china tool one more time.

Muh damn hubs shore need to get here....put the rotors on...calibers on, bleed her till the brake fluid is clear and no bubbles. Then pray that the abs thingy doesn't need to be pressure bleed. From losing fluid after taking the cals off.

"Our Lord who art in heaven......plez let the abs be ok"

Or ill pull the damn thing. Throw it down the street. Right before I fill it full of 40cal...


"Sent from a puff of smoke"