I've restored old h-ware before, Rustoleum paint to get that old school cadmium plated look. We called it Mexican Cad Plating.
I've restored old h-ware before, Rustoleum paint to get that old school cadmium plated look. We called it Mexican Cad Plating.
volvoclearinghouse wrote: I've restored old h-ware before, Rustoleum paint to get that old school cadmium plated look. We called it Mexican Cad Plating.
OK guys, I'll ship you half and Jav half of my nonexistant bolts and nuts and you can restore them and send them back,
In reply to tuna55:
well, at least shipping should be cheap! 
volvoclearinghouse wrote: I've restored old h-ware before, Rustoleum paint to get that old school cadmium plated look. We called it Mexican Cad Plating.
what kind of paint?
No pictures tonight. The inner fender fits better, but without those clip/nuts (which I already had ordered) I am not tightening anything. Looks like only 1 or 2 holes will be re-drilled.
I got 3/4 of the cab mounts off. The front was a pain. They actually look decent enough considering they're 40 years old, and the rubber seems fresher than that. Perhaps they had been replaced previously. I've decided there were enough dry rot cracks to warrant replacement, though.
That's all for now. We're hunting for my wife's Kindle which I am 87% sure went to the transfer station this morning.
No pictures again.
Bought her a new Kindle, and she stopped crying.
Got in the cab support rubber. I did a pretty good job of recovering some GM stuff and re-using it and greasing stuff as to not allow rust. I also cleaned up everything because I came in last night covered in grinding grit, and vacuumed the interior of the truck. This went easy, although the drivers side needs a lot of work, and going over there to do the cab supports made me realize how much it's gonna suck. I still have to redo the fender. I haven't even sanded off much of the paint over there. Does anyone have any recommendations as to how to strip the paint off quickly? Can I get a use the paint stripper attachment for the 4 1/2" grinder or will that be too aggressive? I DO NOT want to use a chemical stripper.
I am also not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I have some crossmember modifications that I'd like to do to mount the one piece driveshaft I have now, so maybe I'll do that. That will be fun. I can also take pictures of it. It will also be modified for a moden-esque gas tank, but I will hold off a bit because it will require a new purchase that I'm not financially ready for (says the guy who just bought a Kindle on the drop of a hat) and it can wait. I've also got a carb rebuild, a shock mount fab, a transmission rebuild and a few other little fiddly things to do while I wait on the radiator supports, but I doubt it will go that long in shipping.
On the paint sanding, do you have any wire wheel attachments? I prefer that for straight paint removal over sandpaper, grinding discs, etc. Although, on the Javelin's rusty/very thin paint roof I did use regular sandpaper on a mouse sander, which worked well. Be prepared for a huge mess either way...
Forget the paint...all I remember was it was Rustoleum, I wanna say it was like "hammered Gold" or something. Looked dead nuts like old school cad plating.
Haven't found a good way to mechanically remove paint yet. I've tried every kind of paper, wire wheels, etc. If it removes paint fast it can damage the metal underneath...and if it doesn't...well, then it's slow. ;-)
In this corner, weighing it at a respectable 50 lbs, a 40 year old hunk of stamped steel, roughly 3/16" thick
And here's the driveshaft hole
And here is the driveshaft!
It's an aluminum one piece job from a mid 80's something GMC which fits but requires an already-purchased converting U joint at one end. It's even exactly the right length.
In this corner is the thin cut off wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder
Hrm. Let's try something else
In this corner:
The surgical scissors did not fare well.
In this corner:
Nope! Not even close. It made a fun noise, though.
In this corner:
This hurt my hand.
In this corner
Now, eventually this would work, but not today. Not this week. Not in February. Not in 2013.
There it is. I had a heavy duty thick grinding wheel. It took FOREVER and used up the entire wheel. Then it refused to come loose, so I had to, after grinding all rivet heads, jack the truck up by the crossmember. It went like this:
pump...pump...pump...pump... BANG.
Just mocked up, but it sure is pretty.
When I get another grinding wheel, I'll clean that edge up. Do any of you think that I need to reinforce that crossmember? I don't think so. I think it was thick because it held the carrier bearing, which had to be tough to do.
Also, my wife thinks I am super-lameo and she recommends against further jokes like cutting still plate with surgical scissors. Do you agree with her or not?
i wholeheartedly disagree with your wife. that made me laugh good enough to almost snarf my fruit loops.
keep it up!
often, our wives dont get our warped sense of humor with automotive things. but out car guy buddies do....
id at least weld a flange on a 90 to the bottom of that crossmember to gicve som additional torsional stiffness.
michael
Dusterbd13 wrote: i wholeheartedly disagree with your wife. that made me laugh good enough to almost snarf my fruit loops. keep it up! often, our wives dont get our warped sense of humor with automotive things. but out car guy buddies do.... id at least weld a flange on a 90 to the bottom of that crossmember to gicve som additional torsional stiffness. michael
Thanks Michael!
I think you're right on the crossmember, too. I may work on that tonight. I actually am enjoying the time away from bodywork. Perhaps the parts will take long enough for me to tackle the rear end mounts, too.
For those who hadn't heard, the wheelhop on this thing is crazy. Literally any throttle application over 1/2 from a dead stop will not move the truck forwards any faster, just up and down faster. Weak springs, worn bushings, non-hotchkiss damper setup all contribute to this. I may address all of them. I also want to lower it about 2".
My thoughts are to splay the dampers (which will be quite hard given the frame dimensions down there) in the Hotchkiss style, install fresher 3/4 ton springs and some lowering shackles along with new bushings where applicable.
For clarity, currently like this:
Desire this (without the side to side angle)
Also would like to put in a sway bar in the front, but that can be done anytime.
Wife and I decided to stay in an watch a movie together tonight. Sort of a date night with a movie and a crying baby.
OK folks, here are the pictures of the rear suspension. I think I can move the upper damper mount along the frame rail pretty easily. In addition, I think I may just entirely remove the center support bearing crossmember altogether, because I'll be adding a fuel tank under there which may take up the area next to the driveshaft, Thoughts?
I don't have much hope in lowering this thing. Has anyone done a de-arching? Anyone know where or the cost? Has anyone ever added leaves to a leaf spring pack? How is that done?
No offense to my loyal readers, but I am going to put a large portion of that last post on the main page to see if anyone else has leaf spring knowledge.
Check out Hot Rods To Hell website. They sell NASCAR truck arm suspension kits for street cars. They also have a kit just for the 64 to 72 chevy pickups to eliminate wheel hop.
Edit: Just read through your last posts again and you do not have the factory truck arm suspension. The kit I linked will not work unless you swap it over to a truck arm suspension.
dlmater wrote: Check out Hot Rods To Hell website. They sell NASCAR truck arm suspension kits for street cars. They also have a kit just for the 64 to 72 chevy pickups to eliminate wheel hop. Chevy Pickup Kit Edit: Just read through your last posts again and you do not have the factory truck arm suspension. The kit I linked will not work unless you swap it over to a truck arm suspension.
I appreciate the link, but yeah, I have leaves.
As I understand it, the default rear suspension for GMC was leaf, and the default rear suspension for Chevrolet was coil. Not sure why, and they could be ordered either way, but I have what I have and I can't afford to swap now.
Re: dropping...
Full disclosure - Im not a truck or suspension guy at all, so this may be totally wrong, but I think I saw something like this on trucks/extreme 4x4 on Spike TV one weekend
couldnt you flip the spring shackles on the axle and put the axle above the leaves?
I think the opposite approach - putting the axle below the leaves like you have now - is what some four wheeler guys do with older 'yota cruisers.
4cylndrfury wrote: Re: dropping... Full disclosure - Im not a truck or suspension guy at all, so this may be totally wrong, but I think I saw something like this on trucks/extreme 4x4 on Spike TV one weekend couldnt you flip the spring shackles on the axle and put the axle above the leaves? I think the opposite approach - putting the axle below the leaves like you have now - is what some four wheeler guys do with older 'yota cruisers.
Yes, a flip is a free and easy way to drop, but it's a big drop, like 5 or 6 inches. More than I am prepared for, and it can require notching the frame. Since I want to add leaves anyway, what I may do is the flip in conjunction with adding leaves, which may put it just about where I want it - not to find out how to add leaves...
I've had good luck ordering spings from Espo Springs n' Things. Googl 'em. They'll probably do you some custom springs, too. Or go down to a local outfit that does truck springs- there should be plenty of them near I85. Re-arching, adding leaves, etc should be pretty simple and relatively inexpensive.
i thionk ive lowered everything ive ever owned except the p5 and the scoobie.
anyway, onto dropping and stiffining a fullsize chassis.
what i would do, and have done, is this: shackles and hangers will get you 4 inches in the back, along with some better rear steer characteristics. they flatten the leaves angles a bit. this is good. this is also more drop than you want, and does not address the spring rate. use 3/4 ton leaves built into the 1/2 ton leaf pack you have. leave the main leaf, and add the other leaves from the 3/4 ton in between the 1/2 ton leaves. add and remove as necessary. when you get to the overload sring, flip it over. this alone will be worth a buch of rate and about 2 inches of lift. you may want to try this first. id also reccomend using the latest model 3/4 ton springs you can get for cheap. as long as the leaves arent too long (longer than your current pack) or any different width than your current pack (+/- 1/16th) youll be fine.
id also stick some slapper bars or homemade caltracs on there for the wheelhop. if you google home made cal tracks, youll find what im referring to. plenty of guys have made their own. pick what you want to make,m and build it.
michael
Dusterbd13 wrote: i thionk ive lowered everything ive ever owned except the p5 and the scoobie. anyway, onto dropping and stiffining a fullsize chassis. what i would do, and have done, is this: shackles and hangers will get you 4 inches in the back, along with some better rear steer characteristics. they flatten the leaves angles a bit. this is good. this is also more drop than you want, and does not address the spring rate. use 3/4 ton leaves built into the 1/2 ton leaf pack you have. leave the main leaf, and add the other leaves from the 3/4 ton in between the 1/2 ton leaves. add and remove as necessary. when you get to the overload sring, flip it over. this alone will be worth a buch of rate and about 2 inches of lift. you may want to try this first. id also reccomend using the latest model 3/4 ton springs you can get for cheap. as long as the leaves arent too long (longer than your current pack) or any different width than your current pack (+/- 1/16th) youll be fine. id also stick some slapper bars or homemade caltracs on there for the wheelhop. if you google home made cal tracks, youll find what im referring to. plenty of guys have made their own. pick what you want to make,m and build it. michael
Michael,
Help me understand two things.
The overload spring is the thick one on the bottom, right? What will flipping it do?
The shackles will bring the rear of the spring up which will -increase- roll understeer, correct? This is why I was originally thinking of flipping the front bracket upside down instead. This would raise the front end of the spring.
Don't want to do slapper bars. I am not pushing 400 hp. I just need the thing to spin the tires before it wheelhops itself to death, not do any wheelies.
I am thinking the following:
Add leaves
Flip front bracket
Flip axle on top of leaves
Replace worn leaf spring bushings
Re-arch only if necessary
Considered Cal Trac bars? Slappers are outdated and no longer viable.
Hey Tuna, I can't see photobucket pictures at work anymore (stupid filter), so I'm just now finding time to look at them (its snowing like the very dickens outside, so I'm playing hookey).
Are you planning on adding some kind of driveshaft retention ring on that crossmember? Okay, that's kind of a rhetorical question. You really ought to have some kind of driveshaft retention ring on that crossmember, or an equivalent somewhere else along the shaft.
I seem to have loaned my best suspension design handbook to my brother and he hasn't returned it yet. It had a really nice progression of solid rear axle suspension design, including (I think) a tidbit about "they did it this way, and relized that created massive wheel hop, so they made this one small tweak and it fixed it". I want to say it was moving one of the shocks to the front of the rear axle, but don't quote me on that. I'll venture out into the snow in a minute and see if I can get a look at what I've got, 'cause I've never had any issues with hopping whatsoever.
In terms of springs, is that a 1/2 or a 3/4 ton? If its a half and you need stiffer without the stiff price of new ones, you might try to scavenge a set of 3/4 ton leafs from a truck of similar vintage.
tuna55 wrote:Dusterbd13 wrote: i thionk ive lowered everything ive ever owned except the p5 and the scoobie. anyway, onto dropping and stiffining a fullsize chassis. what i would do, and have done, is this: shackles and hangers will get you 4 inches in the back, along with some better rear steer characteristics. they flatten the leaves angles a bit. this is good. this is also more drop than you want, and does not address the spring rate. use 3/4 ton leaves built into the 1/2 ton leaf pack you have. leave the main leaf, and add the other leaves from the 3/4 ton in between the 1/2 ton leaves. add and remove as necessary. when you get to the overload sring, flip it over. this alone will be worth a buch of rate and about 2 inches of lift. you may want to try this first. id also reccomend using the latest model 3/4 ton springs you can get for cheap. as long as the leaves arent too long (longer than your current pack) or any different width than your current pack (+/- 1/16th) youll be fine. id also stick some slapper bars or homemade caltracs on there for the wheelhop. if you google home made cal tracks, youll find what im referring to. plenty of guys have made their own. pick what you want to make,m and build it. michaelMichael, Help me understand two things. The overload spring is the thick one on the bottom, right? What will flipping it do? The shackles will bring the rear of the spring up which will -increase- roll understeer, correct? This is why I was originally thinking of flipping the front bracket upside down instead. This would raise the front end of the spring. Don't want to do slapper bars. I am not pushing 400 hp. I just need the thing to spin the tires before it wheelhops itself to death, not do any wheelies. I am thinking the following: Add leaves Flip front bracket Flip axle on top of leaves Replace worn leaf spring bushings Re-arch only if necessary
doing the pair will actually create less roll understeer. doing just the hangar will reduce, doing just the shacle will increase. you are correct. i meant to say flip it to the TOP of the pack. not over. sorry, doing too many things at once today. and cal track are not slapper bars. they are more like lift bars, if you remember the old SSM lift bars. increase traction, reduce wheel hop, firm up front segment of rear levas. all good things, but do induce some binding in torsional movement of the rear axle.
does that help?
Okay, I've got the same thing you've got (big surprise). Our '98 Ranger's got one shock ahead, one shock behind, for what that's worth.
I'd do the easiest stuff first, especially since its stuff you'll want to do anyway. Start with replacing the shocks, then look at bushings and springs.
John, The dampers are new. The dampers are arranged both ahead of the axle, and the Hotchkis (GM design engineer, not aftermarket company) design is one ahead and one behind, an I will definitely be doing that as I outlined earlier.
Why would you say it needs a driveshaft strap? I have driven LOTS of stock cars without one. I was thinking about it, and I understand the 'drag car pole vaulting' scenario, but just for a DD with maybe 250 hp at the wheels on a stock truck driveshaft?
Michael,
I think repacking the springs with 3/4 pieces is a good plan. I think flipping the bracket is a good plan, too. I will replace the eye bushings while I am there. I'll probably just stick with rubber.
Everyone, I really don't want to run caltracs. First off, I have no cash, secondly, plenty of other leaf spring cars without caltrac bars are out there without wheelhop. This seems like fixing a tuning issue by replacing the carb. My 84 truck had the Hotchkis setup and old, worn out everything, with maybe a bit less power and never had any wheelhop, ever.
You'll need to log in to post.
