What I've been wasting my time with lately (Ramcharger rebuild) Pt.1

[pjmjr508]

everything is looking great.

I say black

[The_War_Wagon]

Advance Auto has an on-line promotion that ends today, if you want to take advantage of it. Buy < $100 of stuff on-line (which you can still pick up IN-store, if you like), and save 15% - AND - get a $50 off coupon for your NEXT purchase, which will arrive by e-mail after Jan.1.

I bought a new battery for the R/C yesterday and saved $16 with this promotion. They also carry replacement pistons for the rear liftgate, @ $28 and change each. So a pair would be around $57 and change, but after my coupon arrives, they'll be $7 and change after the first of the year!

[The_War_Wagon]

... when it comes home again, it should be under it's OWN power!

Rollback came up to get it tonight. It rained much of today - most of the snow now has washed away.




Tossed the glasspacks on the passenger side! 8)




I took #1 son with me, to follow it to the shop.









Following it there!

[The_War_Wagon]

Thankfully, the shop is only 1 mile from home! My buddy is the Asst. Mgr. there, and is going to do much of the work himself.






Awww yeahhhhhhhhhh... it's the BIG ONE alright!




We got it there a little after 7pm - the Mgr. was still in, so we pushed it over there after we got it off the truck. #3 son has his Pinewood Derby tomorrow @ 11:30am - I'm gonna swing by around 10:30am and shoot the breeze with my buddy about how to proceed.

I suspect it'll be there for a couple of months even; brake & fuel lines hafta be done first, then the exhaust system needs to be rebuilt. Once that's done, we've gotta drain everything, tune it up, add new brakes and wheel studs, flush and fill the radiator, change the water pump, all the hoses and serpentine belt. At that point, it MIGHT pass inspection. After the tax refund arrives, it's new alternator, starter, ignition, fuel pump, & other miscellany replacement time (replace everything on the engine that ISN'T internal!). New ring & pinion sets, B&M Transpack, and winch go on as well. Then it goes back over to Jimmy's for undercoating, and maybe a few other undercarriage details.

With any LUCK... everything BUT the engine teardown/rebuild will be done by July... and I can catch the engine next spring... HOPEFULLY...

[The_War_Wagon]

Since some shiitebag TRIED to steal a wheel off of it in the lot (they found 2 lug nuts missing off the left front this morning - the thief either got spooked, or gave up. Since the temperature last night was 5, and the windchill -15, I hope he got frostbite, his fingers fell off, & THAT'S why he quit! ), they rolled it into the garage this morning. I've got locking lug nuts for the wheels, so we still have plenty o' nuts to go around. It's going to REMAIN locked in the garage from now on, until it's finished.

Nonetheless, it's my mechanic's day off, but he rolled in early this morning, to give it the cursory once-over, once they got it on the lift. He immediately called me at 8:15am. In a word it's, "not good."

FRAME is fine, but ALL the lines underneath it are shot - including the transmission lines. Not a problem, since I was wanting to install a transmission cooler anyways - it was going to NEED new lines. Driveline angles are good, but we probably need to re-do the rear shocks and how they're mounted. Since the radiator HAS to be pulled for some of the work we're wanting to do, looks like we'll go the new radiator route, too.

True duals are going to be a hootenanny to install, as there's an EGR box on the driver's side that needs to be relocated, so that has to be fabricated - hope there's room enough to make a crossover/H-pipe!

I'm meeting up with him again tomorrow morning and bringing a notebook, as we try and figure out what all needs to be done/replaced. If anyone has a recommendation for BEEFIER rotors for a Dana 44 axle, I'm all ears. Recommendations on a good master cylinder are ALSO appreciated.

Anyone know how difficult putting disc brakes on the rear of this thing would be? Does it help appreciably, especially running 35's/36's? Is it worth the cost?

He's THINKING it can be made road-worthy, and pass inspection, for around $4k, including parts & labor. I remain skeptical - even though he's going to do me some favors on the labor price especially. If I get it done for under $6k, I'll be amazed.

This is going to be a l-o-n-g-t-e-r-m project - if it's rolling before June, that TOO, will be amazing. More pictures and updates to follow in the meantime...

[Sal-XK]

I'd rather have disks on a vehicle especially an off road truck just from a maintenance point. It will help some especially going down steep grades or stopping it while in 4LO or massive wheel spin I've done both types of brake jobs and disks are by far easier. I've never wheeled drum brakes so can't tell ya if mud can pack in there or not.

[Matt]

If you have the cash, i'd definitely do a disk brake conversion. However depending on how often, and what type of wheeling you plan on doing, you may not see a huge difference. You can always add them on later if your number one goal now is to get it roadworthy...

[The_War_Wagon]

MORE shop pics!






Lockout hubs are on!

[The_War_Wagon]

New master cylinder, booster, drums, and brakes lines - incluidng the e-brake - are done!










Box o' fuel line tubing, from In-Line tube (stainless! ) - it's now installed.

[The_War_Wagon]

Tank - with new pump/sender installed - old one laying beside it.




Tank skid. I took it home, scrubbed on it with a steel brush outside in the warm sun and 36 degree temperatures... for about a half-hour. It WASN'T going to be pretty or neat, but I figured scrubbing SOME rust off (about a pound's worth!) and covering it with some Krylon rustoleum, was better than just sticking it back up there rusty and flaking.

Here's the inside of it - freshly/sorta scrubbed (next to my Jerry can, which I'm going to have painted to match the truck paint scheme! )




And here's the INSIDE, covered in one can's worth of FDE tan!




And yes, I DID paint it inside the craft room of the Sunday School building at my church - thanks for asking! The room has more heat than my garage!
I covered the other half in some sort of Krylon burnt orange Primer late this afternoon. Pics to follow when the fumes subside...