Quote:
Originally Posted by foamypirate
Excellent post, sir! Very detailed!
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Thanks. I'm hoping some of this will prove helpful to others if they find themselves with conundrums similar to my own.
To continue:
You may have noticed a front driveshaft (propshaft for you non-Yanks) in that last photo. All in all I rounded up four shafts from around the shop. Two were identical front shafts in case one was in better condition than the other, and two were rear shafts. One rear shaft was aluminum and had the correct splined slip yoke while the other was the original shaft from my Suburban which I held on to in case some day I would want to install a SYE on the NP241, or a 203/205 doubler. Here's a picture of the finished products after handing both driveshafts off to my local Six States Distributors where they were shortened and balanced:
With the driveshafts in place I set my sights on double checking each of the brake fitting connections. To match the front brake lines, a Skyjacker RBL20 rear flexible DOT approved line was installed. This kit is labeled as fitting '73-'87 trucks. I had been under the impression that my rear axle came from a newer truck when I ordered it. The new flexible line hooked up to the original brass distribution block that is bolted directly to a bracket on the rear axle housing on one end, and to the SS rear hard line at the frame side with the help of a brass adapter.
I took advantage of having the vehicle on a lift to drain, inspect and refill each axle. Nothing out of the ordinary with either. The abuses to the front u-joints, rotor and spindle had left me skeptical but there wasn't any abnormal wear or excessive metal on the drain magnet. I also had the opportunity to check the ring and pinion tooth counts stamped into each ring gear to confirm what I already knew, 4.10:1 ratios. The rear axle shafts were of particular interest to me as this rearend came from a ¾ ton '71-'72 Chevy or GMC and I counted them myself to make sure it didn't have a goofy 17 spline setup. No worries there because they counted out to the extremely common 30 splines. They weren't the sooper dooper Dana 60 HD 35 spline variety, but I later learned that an upgrade is possible. In short, both my front and rear axleshaft diameters are 1.31” Not the strongest thing, but they would probably be sufficient until I started pushing it hard / abusing it offroad.
If mostly stock with an overdrive transmission was Stage I, BBC w/ beefy trans and ¾ ton axles might be considered Stage II. Upgraded rear shafts, front Dana 60, lockers and a doubler might be considered a possible future Stage III.
I found the starter for my motor in a crate full of starters, cleaned it up and put it in it's place unsure if shimming would be necessary later. The flywheel cover had been floating around inside the Suburban and was thrown on with some new bolts. The Skyjacker 7055 steering stabilizer I'd ordered from Summit Racing arrived at the shop, took only a few minutes to put on and came with some nice red poly bushings. It bolted directly to the stock mounting locations unlike the universal steering stabilizer I had originally purchased from Six States and later returned.
The next pieces of the puzzle to sort out involved putting finishing touches on the brake system. At this point all of the hard lines were run and secured while the flexible lines were hooked up and tight. For some reason I was missing a banjo bolt for one of the calipers and had to wander a junkyard or two to find the one I needed. With the POR-15 on the booster and master cylinder dry, back into the engine bay they went.
Somewhere over the years that had transpired since this project began, one of the pivot pins went missing. I made an acceptable replacement from a long shouldered bolt of the same diameter and length. The brake pedal functioned as designed, the hard lines were attached to the master cylinder, fluid was added and the great bleed began.
It wasn't really all that eventful. I had learned to bleed brakes and a clutch with my 240Z. Eventually we got most of the air out of the system even though I hadn't bench bled the MC (it went on my to-do list). The brakes worked passably, so with the help of a friend or two and a winch the Suburban was loaded onto a flat bed trailer and towed home so I could concentrate full time on having the shop ready to vacate.
I didn't take any pictures of it on the way home so you'll have to make do with some pics showing a pair of Ram Horn manifolds I discovered in the shop while cleaning up.
They didn't look too bad until closer inspection of the usual trouble spots:
Into the growing scrap heap they went.