Category: Shop Truck

  • Shop Truck Work Continues

    Another fruitful day in the shop. My current “new” Dana 60 still has the leaf spring mounts attached, along with one shock mount. They proved to be a little tenacious. I used the Sawzall first, then tried an air-cut-off wheel. Both did marginally well. I am out of oxygen for my cutting torch, but I…

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  • Exxon Valdez

    Not a huge week at the shop. I inspected my drums and wheel studs and found them in usable condition, so they will be cleaned and painted. I moved the Dana 60 onto a set of sawhorses for easier movement and spilled a fair amount of pitch-black gear oil. The subject of this week’s short…

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  • A New Dana 60

    Another setback, the hubs on the truck are unusable. My used eBay hubs are, in fact, for a Studebaker, so there are no seals that will fit my axles. Now what? Buy another 1973 Dana 60. This one is a true 3/4 ton, so it will match the front axle, but the shock and spring…

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  • Some Delay…Back in the Shop

    After many hours and parts purchases, my original hubs are still in limbo. The problem now? After installing the bearing races, one race is loose and spins freely in the hub. I do have backup hubs, but they need some extra work. The easiest and cheapest route is making my current hubs work. I am…

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  • Another Good Day at The Shop 1973 Ford F250 4×4

    I was able to press out all the remaining studs and drill out the locator pins. The hubs are finally ready to use. I gave them a cleaning with a degreaser and dried them in front of the shop heater. I was very happy to say the least. This had become a multiple-day job. I…

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  • Shop Truck and More

    Finally, after what seems like months, I am finished cutting and grinding my hubs. I have them sitting in PB Blaster until Tuesday. The next step is to use my shop press to remove the remaining 12 studs. Each hub also has a 0.25-inch locating pin, but I don’t think they will hang the pieces…

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  • New Year Same Truck

    As work continues on my shop truck, Big Green, progress has been slow. The replacement hubs I bought on eBay do not fit. Torque King has new hubs available, but they are beyond my current budget. To review, the current hubs have eleven of sixteen studs broken and were welded to the brake drum. The…

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  • Progress on the shop truck and choices?

    I have all the hardware and brake shoes to complete the rear brakes on my shop truck, Big Green. I will be able to finish the left side and install the parking brake cables on Thursday. To recap, I bought my truck from my brother two years ago with the plan of making it my…

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  • Shop update

    A few new things to mention. Finally installed the correct snap ring on the front left hub to finish the front end. Now brake lines and hoses are all that still need to be replaced for the front. I chose to replace all the brake lines because they were all completely dry. I am still…

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  • Back in the shop!

    Cleaning, organizing, rearranging is the order of the day. I have slowly been getting messier and more cluttered. We have now had two group work days with the family and the shop is useful again. I have a few more weeks of light duty due to a hernia repair, but I have several different projects…

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