Project Little Green Turd

[1996xlt]

http://www.hunter.com/balancer/roadforce/

The gist of it is (poke around in the link above to see what I'm talking about) there is a drum that's supposed to simulate the weight and resistance of the vehicle on the ground; helps catch vibrations and shows exactly where to place the weights.

*Nerd voice* Plus it's gots lasers!

 

[Divh]

it will tell you to rotate tire on rim also

 

[mattpresley]

They all are and they are frequently greased. Same with the wheel bearings. Im trying to fix everything so I can drive this till the wheels fall off. Then do an SAS and V8 swap

I already drove mine til the wheels fell off, than I replaced my wheel bearings LOL!

 

[wizkid00104]

http://www.hunter.com/balancer/roadforce/

The gist of it is (poke around in the link above to see what I'm talking about) there is a drum that's supposed to simulate the weight and resistance of the vehicle on the ground; helps catch vibrations and shows exactly where to place the weights.

*Nerd voice* Plus it's gots lasers!

I can see the value in that and the nerd voice put a smile on my face. Lasers are awesome!

it will tell you to rotate tire on rim also

Even better. That's more valuable than adding weights.

I already drove mine til the wheels fell off, than I replaced my wheel bearings LOL!

I had the drivers side front wheel come off, but that was because of lug nuts. i agree. Parts are so cheap at this point. As long as most of the body holds out, I'll keep fixing it

I got the passengers side reassembled tonight. Here is a shot of the spots I antisiezed on the new calipers:





Some shots of a much better alignment:





After the test drive, there is still a slight negative camber. However, the brakes are far better!!!!!





I had to re-adjust the toe-in again. After the alignment, the toe went from 1/8" in to 2" out. Its properly adjusted again. The test drive revealed that the truck pulls to the ledt now instead of the right, but not as bad. I have also determined that I need the spacer James Duff supplied for the driver's side coil spring. After balancing the alignment, I found the drivers side front ride height to be 1" less than the passengers side. Adding the spacer should slightly reduce the caster and hopefully center the steering. If that doesn't work, then I will crank the passenger's side arm in. Both heim joints were at 3 turns out, but the passenger's side was adjusted to 5 turns out to compensate for the initial pulling right.

Next on the list is the floor pan. After that is the cooling system.

Polish a turd, it's still a turd...

 

[1996xlt]

Nice work!

 

[wizkid00104]

I borrowed some big wrenches from work and had to buy a 38mm socket from Advance (that's getting returned). After sweat and blood and backache, I was able to adjust my radius arms. Arm bolt head was 1 1/2", nut was 1 7/16", and the jam nut was 1 3/4". I found that my passenger's side arm was 1 turn out and my drivers side arm was 3 turns out. I I wound the driver's side in 2 turns so shorten the arm and slightly reduce my driver's side castor. Both arms are now at 1 turn out.

Since I had such a hard time getting the driver's side 1" heim bolt out, I decided to swap in the greasable bolts I made. I will swap the passengers side next chance I get.



The other project was to install the 1/2" spacer under the driver's side coil spring. I hit the spacer with a few coats of Chassis Saver this week to stop the rust before it starts. This added about 1" of space between the center of the front axle and the fender on the drivers side. Also helped the caster situation.





As a result, the truck tracks almost perfectly straight. True test will be too and from work tomorrow. I think both sides need another +0.5 degree camber to get my camber slightly positive. Then I will check the toe-in again and get the new tires mounted and balanced (hopefully Saturday).







Then onto the floor pan... I have to make arrangments for that this weekend.

I discovered today that my temp gauge was rising and rising. I turned the setpoint on the fan down and it helped, but I am after feeling the radiator today, I think the coolant channels through the fins are mostly plugged. I am going to put some coolant flush and distilled water in soon and run that for a couple days and see if that helps. Then I will replace the pump, thermostat, water outlet, upper hose, and lower hose. I guess I will see how that works and replace the radiator if need be.

Any suggestions or tips on a thorough coolant flush? I have heard a small amount of white vinegar in distilled water does wonders for cleaning out the rust in the coolant system.

 

[dsltech83]

Radiators for these trucks are cheap. For $100 you can have a new radiator.

 

[wizkid00104]

$65 at advance with the right coupon, but I've put lots of $$$ into our vehicles this summer and I am trying to refrain from continuing to spend if I don't have to. I have to draw the line somewhere

That being said, I will probably be buying a new radiator.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Anywhere around you rod out radiators? Might be cheaper than a new one

 

[wizkid00104]

Not real sure. I will have to check and see. I know there use to be a radiator shop in West Newton, but I'm not sure if its still open.

Is "rod out" a radiator as simple as it sounds?

 

[merch]

that radiator is aluminum,if it has tap water in it ,it will have corrosion in the veins. id first check the thermostat and fan clutch. go with the cheaper parts first,clean the fins real good also. if its has a ggod clutch fan,then id start thinking radiator.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

I've never done it so I'm not sure how simple it is. All I really know is they pull the tanks off the sides and clean out each tube.

 

[wizkid00104]

that radiator is aluminum,if it has tap water in it ,it will have corrosion in the veins. id first check the thermostat and fan clutch. go with the cheaper parts first,clean the fins real good also. if its has a ggod clutch fan,then id start thinking radiator.

Fan clutch was bad, that's why I replaced it with an electric fan and adjustable thermostat. I will check the fins. I have all the new parts already except for the radiator. They are on the work bench waiting to be installed after I flush the system really well.

I've never done it so I'm not sure how simple it is. All I really know is they pull the tanks off the sides and clean out each tube.

Makes sense. I would be curious to see what that costs.

 

[wizkid00104]

New shoes...





Pretty quiet tire (not that it matters), balanced nice, ride very smooth... No complaints thus far.

 

[wizkid00104]

New driver's side floor pan on its way.

Flushed the coolant out a few days ago. It's definitely helping the engine temp. I have the Peak Super Flush in there now. I am going to flush with the garden hose again one night next week and see where that leaves me. I may run another bottle of Super Flush if I get a lot more crud out of the radiator. Then I will replace all of the old tired parts.