"Blanc-Oh!", my distraction

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Tue Jan 31, 2023 8:03 pm

Almost there on the rear axle. Remaining to be finished: T&B zip tying the bundle of tubes, hoses and electrical connecting the rear axle to the chassis (& trimming the zip-ties); lower shock mounts (waiting on the Fox RR's due in end of the week); routing and fastening down the p-brake cables (waiting on the shocks); Bleeding the rear brakes. I do still need to figure out where I'm going to put the pneumatic toggle switch for the OX locker, and route the tubing there.

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Sun Feb 19, 2023 6:25 pm

Can see in this pic why the wheels have to change:

I now have all 5 of the AR "Baja's" and will hopefully be getting them down to the tire guy next week.

Old beams are out.

PO said "it's got some sort of posi up front" When I got the assembly out from under the truck the diff case has "913A592" laser etched on it. That number takes me to this page: https://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/skuPage. ... tions.html A TrueTrac, that's going to make deciding to go ARB up front a lot more difficult.

New DS beam is in, need some Right Stuff and some long shouldered bolts to guide the diff into place. Hope to make that happen this coming week.

I had bought the Autofab pitman arm thinking that it could use less bump-steer than it has. With both beams out that seemed like a good time to make the swap. Found that I didn't have the right size socket for the pitman arm nut. Figured that I had this 15" adjustable right there, that I'd give it a try. Took less than 20 lbs force to loosen that nut. Then I discovered that The arms are the same. wah! So I tightened it back up. Tight this time. I'll put the Autofab arm up FS along with the beams and the '96 4WABS Knuckle Assemblies when I get some pics of them.

The list is still long, but it is slowly getting shorter!

Post by **SteveG** » Wed Mar 08, 2023 10:11 am

ntsqd wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 31, 2023 8:03 pm
Almost there on the rear axle. Remaining to be finished: T&B zip tying the bundle of tubes, hoses and electrical connecting the rear axle to the chassis (& trimming the zip-ties); lower shock mounts (waiting on the Fox RR's due in end of the week); routing and fastening down the p-brake cables (waiting on the shocks); Bleeding the rear brakes. I do still need to figure out where I'm going to put the pneumatic toggle switch for the OX locker, and route the tubing there.

Burly!

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Wed Mar 08, 2023 12:54 pm

Likely burlier than I'll ever need, but at least it will stop!

I still can't get over how relatively easy that rear disc conversion was given that it wasn't a kit and as far as I could tell no one had gone down this path before me.

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Fri Mar 24, 2023 3:59 pm

Tech Question:

I'm putting the axle shafts back in the front and I notice that the inner slip-yoke has NOT been clearanced. Minor set-back amidst a forest of those. So, the question is how much angle to grind for? This truck has stock coil buckets on it and I don't see that changing. As such, the coils limit the droop before the dampers run out of travel. Do I grind for where the springs limit the droop plus a little safety margin, or do I take it to where the dampers limit the travel? Or somewhere in between?
In typing this out it seems to me that I should grind to where the coils limit plus a little, but I'm going to leave this up and see what other's think.

AussieRod · Post by **AussieRod** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 3:50 am

Personally, I'd grind to the limit of the dampers, + a couple of extra thou. That way, even the possibility of it 'might' get there will be covered.

Post by **SteveG** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:29 pm

ntsqd wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 24, 2023 3:59 pm
In typing this out it seems to me that I should grind to where the coils limit plus a little, but I'm going to leave this up and see what other's think.

That’s all I’d do. I never clearanced the yokes on coil-bucket trucks… tough for them to droop far enough to need it.

Post by **SteveG** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:30 pm

Oh, and make sure your axles are properly phased when you install them… I’ve made that mistake and had the front end shake when the hubs were engaged.

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 7:21 am

This slip must have been made on worn tooling because it would have bound up at double full droop (i.e. sky'd the truck). It's curious that they knew to do the chevy valve spring mod and didn't at least look at if the center yokes would bind or not.

I wondered about the phasing and decided to do exactly that, put it together in phase. Thanks for confirming my thinking!

Before that assembly I ran the side w/o a spring in it up to full bump. There's more bad news. Shocks go to zero before the OEM bumps make contact. By well more than an inch. Given that the shocks have ~1.375" of travel left in them with the spring at full droop I'm inclined to move the upper mounts up. So the decision yet to be made is surgery on the coil buckets or Autofab buckets and fab the upper shock mounts. I need to get it driving so that I can get it smog tested, so this will wait until the H-B system comes in. Then I'll tear it down again.

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Mon Mar 27, 2023 7:59 am

Major milestone reached last night, the front brakes are assembled and complete. I just need to modify the radius arms for the side mounting trailing damper lower mounts, fab the reservoir mounts, and I'll be ready to bleed the brakes and go for a test drive. One thing that I noticed yesterday evening is that the steering stops of these 6 hole TTB knuckles do not match up well with the beams. I expect that I will need to grind on the front side cast stops to get back the turning radius that I had previously. The adjustable stops come nowhere close to making contact with the beams. Rotor looks like that because they're brand new and at least 5 years old. They came to me rusty so I blasted and then 80 grit long-boarded them. I don't expect that they'll look like that for very long.

A recap in case my meanderings have lost them: To put 12.5" rotor 3/4t 8 lug front brakes on a D44 TTB you need:

6 hole TTB knuckles (most are 5 hole).

GM 3/4t Outer axles, spindles, wheel hubs, rotors, and caliper brackets from just about any K20 donor that you can find. These will require at least a 16" wheel. The lug studs will be 9/16" I have seen one reference to there being a 1/2 stud that will fit these front rotor/hub assemblies, but I have not looked into them at all. I used a 1979 K20 Suburban (400ci) as my "Application" when ordering parts.

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 6:05 am

Major set-back; the DS front axle seal leaks when at full droop. Fark that's going to be a lot of work to replace, again!

Post by **SteveG** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:55 am

Dang.

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Mon Apr 17, 2023 7:33 pm

That's not quite the word that I used.

AussieRod · Post by **AussieRod** » Tue Apr 18, 2023 1:08 am

I've no doubt it's the same word I use when I'm looking for mail order parts for the F truck and see the postage cost they think I'm gonna pay, usually followed immediately by 'off'.

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Mon May 08, 2023 12:23 pm

Finally got time to take it apart yesterday. It was indeed the LH seal itself that was leaking, could still see the wet line right down from the rubber lip. New seal installed (again). Need to prep the beam and get it stuck back in there. Confirmed that the new axle shaft is the correct OD at that surface. More grease on it this time around.

Anyone got a trick for hoisting that pig of a diff assembly back up into the beam?

biggiek · Post by **biggiek** » Mon May 08, 2023 4:11 pm

I used a jack and then put threaded rod into a couple spots to locate. It worked.

hobbyturnedobsession · Tue May 09, 2023 5:55 am

I second the all thread. It makes it easier. As long as you get it in there good, the threaded rod will hold the diff from coming back out.

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Tue May 09, 2023 6:58 am

Last time around I found some 7" long shouldered bolts which after cutting the heads off worked well for aligning things. No idea if I thot that up my ownself or if I saw it suggested here (maybe even earlier in this thread?). The shape of the diff casting itself doesn't sit on a jack very well. Even with a trans jack it isn't great, but maybe I should track down who has my local 'community' trans jack and try it. At least the pump handle will be a closer reach while steadying the diff on the platform.

Thanks!

hobbyturnedobsession · Tue May 09, 2023 12:23 pm

I just bench press it into place. In my experience, a jack just doesn't work well. It takes more to get the jack to cooperate without it falling off. Once you get it to slide into the holes, it should stay.

ntsqd · Post by **ntsqd** » Sat May 13, 2023 3:35 pm

That was easy. Friend with the trans jack swung it by this morning, looks at what has to happen and says "you got the sealant?" 10 mins later it was in and bolted up.

Occurred to me too late last time that I hadn't taken any pics of assembling the 8 lug GM outer stuff on the 6 stud TTB knuckles. I did this time.
The bare modified knuckle:

The crucial second set of knuckle stud holes In the caliper bracket needed to clock the caliper correctly:

Partly assembled:

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