A little closer to running, I have the bolt for the front leaf spring hangers out. They were rusty and frozen, and needed PB blaster with some heat. There’s a lot of rust behind the hangers. I was tempted to remove them to assess the frame now, but I think I will get it driving first. I will clean and paint which will slow down further rust and make it easier to see cracks if they develop. Due to the amount of broken parts on the back of the truck I will remove, clean and inspect the leaves. There are two damaged cinch clamps, they all will be replaced.

Work is continuing on the Dana 60 as well, I cleaned and marked the position of the nut and yoke, counted the threads so assuming the pinion depth was right to start I should be okay. The yoke has some imperfect areas but I will run it anyway. The larger issue with the yoke is the 10 spline pinion gear, not as many readily available parts. A new seal is on the way from easy returns Amazon. New radiator hoses because my first set were too small. This week’s schedule includes making some ATF Acetone rust buster and a little shop clean up. Final hose installation and carburetor rebuild will be a priority. So until next time new cars are boring buy something older.