Re: Rat repair.
 

Got a late start this morning, but i got the front Fox shocks off so i can exchange the set of Fox Shocks for the correct size, had to do about an hour of research and then email and call the local shop with measurements and some links...

Then i remade my new brake lines and installed them..

And then time to go to work again. :)

Re: Rat repair.
 

Killing time at work while my mill is running i was watching Youtube on inverted flairs, a couple of the vids said to not over tighten while doing the last step of the flaring process... Humm, now i'm wondering if possibly i could have overtightened any of the ones i did.. Guess if i have more leaks later i'll probably know why. :)

Re: Rat repair.
 

Thought I'd post why I'm removing the front/rear shocks and having to deal with BDS engineering, They have assured me that this will be taken care of. I combed the Fox shock webpage and found the two shocks i felt were the best for my truck taking into account the dimensions i took with the axles hanging free, the dimension's taken while on the wheels and the shocks extended and collapsed length, Doing the math i got the most travel possible without having the shock top out when the axles hang free, then i sent an email to my local shop and they are suppose to be forwarding the info to BDS.

Hey guys, none of my manuals are covering this but i need to know the proper brake pedal adjustment when installing a new booster, i don't know if i have it correct or need to slacken the adjuster under the dash, can anybody help?? I cant find squat on line ether.

Off the subject, on 10-25-13 i reached the 25 year mark at the same company, time fly's and ya start to feel old i guess, anyway i celebrated by working this weekend then had a little night cap... which about knocked me on my kester.. :)

Re: Rat repair.
 

So i finally had enough of getting no answers about my Fox shocks from my local 4X4 company, so i had them give me the number of the guy from BDS suspension that they working with, i called Friday, and i called and i called, every time it goes to voice mail so i hang up, i tried again today with the same result so this time i left a message.

The guy called me back in an hour, find out he's just a sales guy and transfers me to someone in the tech department who had been working the shock issue.

It turns out that the guy in the tech department is the same guy i was emailing to about questions i had about my rear U-bolts, I had mentioned to him i had a shock problem going on in the U-bolt email but he didn't seem to know anything about it, so the reality is this guy knew about my shock dilemma but would never answer or talk to me about it in email, also last week he said he was going to send me different rear U-bolts but they were never shipped ether.... Finally the apologizes start rolling in about being busy with SEMA and he dropped the ball ect.

But we talked for over an hour and bottom line is that for my truck they sell the same shocks for an 8" lift a 6" lift and a 4" lift and said nobody in 15 years has ever complained about it, i told him that was absolutely absurd to use the same shocks for 4" 6" and 8" lift kits and that 2.75 inches of travel in the back is still unacceptable, especially if i ever load the back end, it would be bottomed out. He told me i needed to relocate my top and or bottom shock mounts...Really? That's absurd too..... He dug a bit and found one in there inventory that will work on my truck quite well on the rear but nothing for the fronts.

So now my options are to take these shocks back to the 4X4 place and get my money back for them all, OR exchange the rears for the ones that will work out great with almost 6" travel and live with the fronts which give me 4 1/8" travel..

I did go to the Fox webpage and found 2 shocks that would fit just fine on my truck BUT per the same tech guy the Fox shocks they sell have their BDS specific valving in them and if i ordered direct from Fox the valving would be totally different...

What would you guys do? I'm really fed up.

Re: Rat repair.
 

i'd get a set of skyjackers and return those shocks you have and be done with it.

oh, and have another irish death-my kind of barley pop!

Re: Rat repair.
 

One vote for Skyjackers... :)

Re: Rat repair.
 

I did find shocks on the fox webpage that fit my truck properly, but according to the BDS tech guy shocks direct from Fox are not valved the same and the Fox shocks they sell the valving is specific for their springs... So i just emailed Fox to ask them if its true.... The webpage does say application specific valving..

Re: Rat repair.
 

This is a great thread. I really enjoyed reading it.

Sorry to hear about your tribulations with the shock absorbers. I'd be pretty skeptical of the shocks being special made for BDS. Sounds like a great way to up the price on a shock absorber.

Re: Rat repair.
 

Thanks for the comps, sometimes i think the thread needs a little less talk and a lot more action.. LOL!

Actually there Fox Shocks that are just Valved to BDS's specification.. BDS charges $115 for then each if you buy them outright but to upgrade from their regular shocks to the Fox's its an additional $269 or something like that, i don't know how much they would charge for the regular white shocks or who makes them, maybe they turn a little profit with the upgrade??

So i talked to my local shop about it again, i decided I'd give the front shocks a shot even tho they only have 4.25" of compression travel left when sitting on the wheels, they did order me different rear shocks that give me more travel plus BDS is tossing in a set of the 5/8's U bolts that my truck had originally to replace the 1/2" set that came in the kit..

I figure i mainly drive on blacktop with an occasional dirt road for camping or maybe dirt biking so i should be ok, but i do have some concerns if i get into a pot holed out spot on the road. it may be a mistake but i admittedly am curious about how the shocks handle.

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I did pull my stabilizer off so i could set my toe in and should be reinstalling it tomorrow, but going to try installing it a little differently. I'm figuring i'll give the breaks another shot this weekend cause i get another weekend off, i sure hope its not raining!

Re: Rat repair.
 

Maiden voyage sans shocks and stabilizer, brakes seem to pull a little to the right when going forward, don't know if its just the crown in the road or not, seemed to not pull at all when in reverse. I just went around the block for the time being till i get shocked. All the calipers are grabbing the disks ok, all the surface rust is rubbed off.

Pretty happy with the stance of the lift kit, its a little more level than the old Rancho kit but still a little higher in the back. When the time comes to tow with it i may have to put some air bags on it too.

Now for some possible bad news, the fluid was leaking out of the master cylinder lid! sigh.. i took it off and wiped everything down but not too convinced that the new lid is flat, i went ahead and reversed it for now even tho its symmetrical, if it continues to leak i hope the auto parts store can find me a better one without doing an exchange, and before i totally distroy the paint on it and the surrounding area.

Parked back under the cover for now finally, time to clean the driveway! Tonight- Steak and a beer! :)

Re: Rat repair.
 

Congrats brother! I know how that feels, the first drive. They are only little bugs to be worked out. Hope to see you out and about.:metal:

Re: Rat repair.
 

Welcome back Randy!

I think the brakes pulling to the right may be air in the lines, unfortunately my vacuum bleeder turned out to be a POS. I need a better way.

It will be a bigger bug if the auto parts store tells me if i wanna get a better lid to the master that i have to yank it and do a complete master exchange.. :smoke: Lets hope its gonna seal ok.

Re: Rat repair.
 

looks killer man.

i think ill keep the drum brakes on mine though since i plan to pull a goose neck with it once in a while.

Re: Rat repair.
 

Thanks for the comps Skid99!

I have been sidetracked getting my seat frame ready to take to the Upholstery place this Saturday, its a good day to head that way (up north a ways) because the guy is a 67-72 truck nut and he's having a truck show this Saturday.

I bought this frame about 2 years ago at a swap meet, its for the deep foam seat, the frame has developed some rust so i have been sanding it down and primer and paint, i have the bottom sanded and primed, have to get the top sanded and primed today, and if i have time the first top coat of paint on the lower.

Test fitting the American Cushion Industry's foam, Bought the seat cover here on the forum from the vendor Truckseats.

I could use another seat bracket adjust lock if someone has an extra one.

Re: Rat repair.
 

are you happy with that foam cushion ?... i need to do the same thing.

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It from my understanding is the highest quality foam on the market, its made in America and not the import stuff. EDIT, but i should add i have not sat on the new foam yet, i have sat on truck seats with the stock 6" foam and they are a lot plusher than the spring/2" foam seat.

You also need to know if you have a spring seat or a full foam seat frame, the replacement cushions are made for the full foam seat only. How you tell is to look at the bottom of your seat, if the springs run straight across the bottom from front to back its a fill foam seat, if the springs arch upward then its a spring seat. A full foam seat has a good 6" of foam, the spring sear has only 2" of foam.

Re: Rat repair.
 

Earlier in my build i was using Phosphorus acid to coat my axles and U bolt plates ect, It works ok, it covers the rust and turns it to a black iron oxide (i think that was the name)

2 days ago i was reading another build thread and they prepped the rusty parts with Muratic acid, the parts, cast rotors and hubs were unbelievably void of rust, so today i bought some to work on my seat tracks.

When i first opened the jug the fumes started rolling out of the jug, i knew this was some real toxic stuff and in for a nasty job ahead. I first tried to pour it in a new spray bottle, it sprayed fine but the bottle was leaking allover and i didn't buy rubber gloves, big mistake! so i washed up cause this stuff burns, then i filled an old coffee cup and used a brush, the fumes on this stuff are super strong and also toxic, the breeze was on and off so i had to hold my breath then step over to the parts then coat and back away and catch my breath.

It took about an hour to get the worst of the rust, but a lot of the surface rust melted off in about 10 minutes, not very good pictures and forgot to get before shots but these brackets were solid rust when i started. Another benifit was that it cleaned out the track so they slide super smooth now..

I have washed my hands with Dawn dish washing liquid 4 times now and the stuff is still on my fingertips, it slaked in, plus my fingers smell like rust too. Don't mess around with this stuff without being outside with lots of ventilation and heavy rubber gloves!

Re: Rat repair.
 

Dam that's impressive. Looks like new metal. I wonder how this would do on a frame? Did you jist wash it off with water afterwards

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Yes just used the garden hose, i put it on full strength.

I think for a frame there would be way too much vapors and I'd recommend sand or media blasting.

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Amazing stuff, and i thought my vinegar was good stuff....gotta try muriatic acid OUTSIDE:smoke:

Nice work on your build

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No smoking dude.. :)

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You guys are figuring out my secrets and tricks. I buy Muriatic acid by the case at the pool supply store. Its 11 dollars for 6 gallons that way.

Look closely in the background. I use a ton of the stuff....

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...cfca34fee3.jpg

Its hell on rusty gas tanks too. Cleans them right up, inside and out.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...rmtruck052.jpg

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Before i left for work i put some rusty bolts in that coffee cup and poured some Muriatic acid on them to cover, the cup was blowing fumes almost immediately so i took it outside of the garage..

I think if you poured this down the drain you would probably have to call a plumber!

Re: Rat repair.
 

Any luck with the pulling to the side under braking?




Wouldn't discs be better for towing also?

Re: Rat repair.
 

Yea that was a little cheaper than the $7-8 i payed for my gallon jug.. What do they use it for regarding swilling pools?? EDIT: I didn't have a magnifying glass to read the small print.. :)

Ya know i tried a gas tank liner in a motorcycle tank called Kreem on time, its a 3 stage treatment, i said i'd never use the stuff ever again, it discolored and started to flake away at the filler.. Wish i had known about this stuff then, but the trick would have been keeping it off the paint.

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I had to put a hold on the brake issue this week to get my seat frame prepped and painted, tomorrow i have to head off to a truck show and drop off the seat, new foam and cover to an upholstery place, i'm almost done, will be going home here in a few to put the final black paint on the sliders, they are primed already.

I have a plan of attack on the calipers, just got to make the time to get it done, i'm hoping Sunday i can find the time.

Would Disks be better for towing? I don't know if it will matter much ether way, I have the proper Proportioning valve, plus the calipers are the same as the fronts, and normally the front brakes supply about 80% of the braking power, now the Drums have more surface area, but is the slave cylinder any stronger or weaker? I don't know.

Re: Rat repair.
 

I'm no pool guy, but my in laws own a company. You use chlorine and Muriatic acid to keep the water proper. Its way common to see a pool owner pour a gallon of Muriatic acid into the pool to adjust something or the other.

Internet research shows......"Muriatic acid, or hydrochloric acid, is used in swimming pools to lower the pH and total alkalinity of the pool water."

Re: Rat repair.
 

This is good info here I might have to do something with my seat.

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Swamp rat it looks like you went through hell on your suspension but it looks great. And your truck looks nice with the lift. Like the tires and wheels also. Great job nice truck.

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Thanks I appreciate that!! The old stuff was rusted solid, i don't think the front was greased when it was installed, the 40 year old rear was just as bad, worse actually.

When i bought the truck and put the wheels on it back about 1993-4 i was bummed to learn that the aluminum slot mags were discontinued, but these are nice enough. 20 years later I really miss the old wheels that were on it when i got it , they were steel with 4 slots or ovals, painted white, similar to dual wheels but the dish was different, i cant find any pictures of them.

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Primed and painted. I could not have rushed this so fast without this paint, it drys in 8 minutes if not applied too thick, I applied pretty thick but it still drys really fast, I got about 3 coats of primer and 3 coats of paint, all in about 2 hours..

http://www.krylon.com/products/rust-...tative-enamel/

One thing i wanna mention, the Muriatic acid does discolor black plastic, Yea my seat adjust knob took a hit, but i can ether paint it with black plastic paint or maybe try some Back to Black on it.. Or steal the driver side of my other seat later and paint it up.

Re: Rat repair.
 

Nice write up. I really look forward to hearing how well the FOX shocks work out for you. Ive been looking at a set.

Re: Rat repair.
 

The fox drama continues, reference this thread:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...49#post6387249

Now the latest headache's, I had my brakes bleed a few weeks ago, then because another set of shock were ordered, then the order dropped, then reordered i ended up parking my truck back under the portable car cover and let it sit. When i finally got the replacement set of shocks home i pulled the truck out and popped the hood and was greeted to a brake fluid mess allover the master cylinder as well as on my fender well, closer inspection reveled the problem, the new master cylinder had the reservoir surface machined down too low and the lid was not sealing at all, it was bottoming out on thelip of the cap, the clips were nice and tight..

So you guessed it i had to pull the brand new master cylinder off and go exchange it for yet another one., its painted now and ready for reinstall after bench bleeding.

But first i have to take the shocks back to my local store and raise a little hell first.

Re: Rat repair.
 

So while I'm waiting on shocks i hire an upholstery shop to install my new seat cover and foams, This guy is a Chevy truck nut but he's quite a way's up north, i decided to let him do the install instead of trying to do it my self, so i drive up, drop it all off, he calls and said its done so i go back up to get it only to find that the cover was not made properly, the spacing on the inserts is off as well as the insert width from top to bottom and gets progressively worse from driver to passenger side.

I emailed the vender with the pictures and he said he would take care of it, but I'm pretty bummed because I'm out the money for the guy to install it, i would have rather he called and said there is a problem and stopped the install, but he finished it so i payed him, besides, i should have laid the seat cover out and inspected it first.

What can i do??? Keep pressing forward i guess but i'm really tired of setbacks, I need to get over these 3 hurdles pretty soon.

I'm to the point that i may just hire someone to repair my rust problems, the good about that is i know one guy who has a pretty good rep here in my area and this forum, and one of the local vendors also has someone he recommends too so i have a couple possible avenues to try when the time comes.

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Well that sucks about the latest issues. I agree, that the upholstery guy should have notified you about the issues.

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Good luck with the shocks. Mine don't fit well either. I agree, the upholstery guy should have called, that's lame. I did a seatcover install myself- not too hard. If you can rebuild the hubs and install a disc setup on a HO52 you can install a seatcover!

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Sorry to read about your set backs, but your truck still looks great overall. These things always pop up during renovation, just the way it is....

On another note, i was curious how long you have to soak the rusty part in muriatic solution, seems like in your thread you just brushed it on. Any thoughts or advice?

Oh BTW, congrats on working for the same company for 25 years, rare feat in todays economy

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I still haven't figured out the multi reply so doing it manually.



Mjenson
>>>Well that sucks about the latest issues. I agree, that the upholstery guy should have notified you about the issues. <<<


Thanks, still waiting for a reply from the seat cover vendor, I emailed with some pic's, then he asked if i could get some better pic's last weekend so i did and sent them to him.



Vintage Windmills
>>>Good luck with the shocks. Mine don't fit well either. I agree, the upholstery guy should have called, that's lame. I did a seatcover install myself- not too hard. If you can rebuild the hubs and install a disc setup on a HO52 you can install a seat cover! <<<


I originally thought I'd install my own cover but i didn't want to throw away $200 for the cost of the cover by making a mistake, and as it turned out thats what i'm gonna be throwing away when i replace this cover, but this time its the uhpolstery guys labor.. Go figure.

When you say your shocks don't fit well can you elaborate? do you only have 4.5" of travel? can you put a tape measure in them and let me know?



jaros44sr
>>>Sorry to read about your set backs, but your truck still looks great overall. These things always pop up during renovation, just the way it is....

On another note, i was curious how long you have to soak the rusty part in muriatic solution, seems like in your thread you just brushed it on. Any thoughts or advice?

Oh BTW, congrats on working for the same company for 25 years, rare feat in todays economy<<<


Yea i don't get overly stressed by the setbacks, i just step away for a while but i always come back and i won't give up.

Thanks for the comp on the 25 year thing, yes that seems to be the trend, i feel its the constant breakdown of the middle class, NAFTA and all our bought off politicians taking bribes from the rich elitists who want to run the world. But thats another forum altogether :)

Per the Muratic acid, most all the surface rust was gone in about 20 minutes but i had some areas that were a bit thick, i had to scrub the thick places with a wire brush to try and speed up the process (had to get to work) but for the most part the acid did the work by it self, i just kept on brushing it on. JUST STAY DOWN WIND!!! What i did was brush on, then hose it off and dry then asap, then wipe down with some acetone and prime.

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Thanks for the info., ill think ill try it in the future....i agree with your political statements totally

As far as the multable quotes, you just have to click on the two little thingies that look like 99+ and it will turn orange, then click on the same thing on the next persons reply you want to quote, then hit post reply...good to go

Have you tried the one person speed bleeders yet?