The lower ball joint came out fairly easy after a couple of hard whacks with a sledge. I spent the day cleaning my upper and lower control arms. The lower control arm cleaned up pretty well. The upper control arm looks good too.
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I really had a hard time getting these 4 stupid rivets out of my upper control arm so I could remove the worn out upper ball joint. I pounded them, ground them down, pounded some more, then drilled and pounded again. Finally, after 3 hours, I figured out how to get them out. The driver's side will go much easier (I hope). It's ironic how it took twice as long to remove 4 rivets as it did to remove the whole PS suspension!
After carefully studying how to SAFELY remove the front suspension, the job took only about 1.5 hrs. I took my time so that I didn't make any foolish or dangerous mistakes. First, the tie rods and connecting sleeve were removed as a unit. A spring compressor was used to compress the spring so I could safely remove it. Ball joints were then loosened from the spindle and the compressed spring and spindle were safely removed. I then unbolted the upper and lower control arms. Now I have a lot of cleaning to do!
I just cleaned the passenger front backing plate in my sandblasting cabinet. My air compressor is not as powerful as it should be for sandblast work, but it's all I have, so it took a while and isn't perfect. It made a big difference.
Phase Two involves getting the brakes and drivetrain ready so I can drive the truck. I simply want to make it stop and drive well enough so I can go around the block. Since the engine is running smoothly, I already have a head start. PHASE TWO will accomplish: 1. rebuild the front brakes
2. new front wheel bearings and seals 3. bleed the brake lines 4. repair what appears to be a possible oil leak at the rear main seal 5. change the transmission gear oil 6. flush the radiator and install new radiator cap 7. inspect things under the valve cover and new valve cover seal 8. repair exhaust manifold to exhaust pipe leak 9. install a decent set of tires so I can drive it Phase One of this project has focused on everything behind the cab including restoration of the folllowing: 1. removal of the truck bed, fenders and cross sills (to be restored later) 2. cleaning and then applying POR15 to the frame and control arms 3. restoring the rear differential including new axle bearings, seals and gear oil 4. new shocks and POR15 on freshly cleaned coil springs 5. complete rear brake rebuild 6. new polyurethane bushings for the control arm and tracking arm 7. new brake lines and rear brake hose The rear brake lines are finally done. A new rear brake hose completes PHASE ONE!
Just as I expected, the front brakes are a total disaster! They look even worse than the rear brakes did.
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March 2024
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