Another OLD BLUE Build Thread - 71 Chevy

[OldBlue71Chevy]

After a full month, I finally pulled Ol' Blue out of the garage and took'er to the car wash to wash the mud off.

Fixed a bang that I had on big bumps. Turns out the U-bolts on the passenger side were too long and would hit my crossmember/bumpstop every once in a while.

All 4 were long, I had already cut one off in this pic. The back right one was hitting the crossmember and the front left one was hitting the cup that holds the bumpstop.


You can see the marks on the two outside threaded portions where they were hitting.


Aside from fixing my front diff breather and re-torquing the steering box bolts, I haven't had to fix anything after the last wheeling trip.




My next project for this week is some shims for the rear axle. It isn't a vibration I can feel, but I can hear the t-case gears chatter some on deceleration. While researching around here, quite a few people said that it could be due to drivetrain vibrations.

The yoke at the trans is pointed down 3* and the pinion is pointed up by 11*. To make them equal and opposing angles, I need to bring the rear pinion down by 8*. This should 'in theory' solve the vibration.

I really don't want to drop the axle and cut off the spring perches, so this is my idea. I have had these 1" lift blocks laying around the garage for some time (years...). I decided they would be the perfect candidate to make shims out of. We have a family friend that has a lathe in his basement so we will be making them this week.

[OldBlue71Chevy]

Finally got the shims in this last weekend. Man time flies.

Ended up going with 8 degree shims and as far as I can tell they fixed my issue.


I also added limit straps to the rear while I had it apart. Single shear mounts, mostly to protect my shocks in case I get a lil' too rowdy at any point in the future. It isn't a desert racer, so I don't see this as a problem. Has bump stops and limit straps on all 4 corners now.


For more pictures and details go here: DIY Driveshaft Vibration Fix | DIY METAL FABRICATION .com

[OldBlue71Chevy]

For sale here:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/vehic...-37-tires.html



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[OldBlue71Chevy]

Well, she is gone...

Gertrude and I went on one last cruise:







Unloading my junk into the new truck:


New (to me) truck!

'03 Ram Cummins 4x4
MBRP exhaust, K&N, Adjustable Edge Chip, Nitto Terra Grapplers in decent shape
High mileage but clean and straight, no goose ball in the bed. Got a trans rebuild ~60k ago and lift pump ~15k ago. I was also told it has a new injection pump somewhat recently but no proof.


Driving away...


The new owner was very excited about getting Ol' Blue. He said he spent many hours reading my website www.DIYMETALFABRICATION.com about what I had done to it. He plans to have rust fixed and truck painted before the end of the year. No plans to change anything else other than some minor things that I didn't finish like putting the gas tank back under the truck, etc.

I am very excited for the Dodge (could potentially carry on the name Ol' Blue?? It is over 12 years old). Drives very nice, synthetic oils, couple nice upgrades like exhaust and tint. Fresh oil and fuel filter. No signs of abuse. Registered ~20mpg on the lie-o-meter on the way home. I will double check it by hand calculations next time I fill up.

The new truck has its own issues though minor. Rear bumper is dented pretty good, intermittent abs/brake light which means bad sensor in rear axle or bad wheel bearing in front which I haven't gotten a chance to check out yet. Came with trailer brake controller, cold a/c, and plenty of room to haul our soon to be here kiddo. I plan to sell the TrailBlazer and keep this one for a long time.

It was time for a change, who knows what the next adventure will be.