Greg_Canada

LOL i hear you loud and clear, i've got a box full of brake and fuel lines, newish rear axle housing and drums sitting in the garage, waiting for me to get fix the rust holes in my frame before i can throw it all on.
I had to remove the spare tire holder... it was a gone-er...

I want to put new leafs on at the same time and get rid of the extended length shackles on it now (i don't like them... it just gives me more body roll).

I'm at QEW / 427.... you're by the George Brown campus i take it? (i have to go there to write my continuing-ed exams). I'd like to go for a ride in your truck with these springs when you get them installed, as the 40mm lift it enticing (i don't want the ass end sticking up like crazy as i hear OME's do on an IFS truck). Oh, get a torch... just don't hit the gas tank with it!!

truckmike26

Last time I ended up cutting/grinding the front hanger bolts off and then spread the hanger open with a prybar and, presto, the whole thing fell out with what was left of the seized bolt still in the bushing. The hanger's just thin steel.

truckmike26

I'll keep that in mind. It'll be a while from now as more and more, I'm thinking of taking the bed off. Hopefully winter this year won't be too cold.

Yeah, I'm just down the road from George Brown. I do, however, get a lot of parts from Mississauga Toyota because I'm usually out that way on the weekend. It was actually right at 427/Dundas that I blew the A/C compressor a couple of months back. What can I say, I had to get it fixed because that truck's like an oven in the summer.

truckmike26

Brief update:

My Performance Accessories greaseable shackles came a week and a half ago. These are sturdy shackles. I'm stoked.

[IMG][/IMG]

I like that the greaseable bolts are metric. The net shackle lift lift should be 1.5" so with the springs, the truck should be raised a total of 3" in the rear. It looked like I may have to do some butchering to get the uppper shackle bushings out so that's what prompted me to go all the way and just change out the whole thing with something better.

I haven't left out the front: the 1.5" ball-joint spacers, diff/sway drop/shocks have been sitting on the bench for more than a month now. I'm going for a slight factory-style rake so the plan is 3" out back, 2-2.5" in the front, getting the final height with the torsion bars. The plan is to fit 32s or 33s. I still can't decide on that.

(I really should start a build thread but that requires one to build something. As I said, I've been bogged down with night school but that's FINALLY finished. This weekend I've been reinforcing the garage roof for a 2-ton chain block I got as well as other infrastructure improvements to facilitate a build.)

truckmike26

So the bed's off.

[IMG][/IMG]

truckmike26

Spare tire's out:

[IMG][/IMG]

An 18-year-old (can vote and do porn), 0 km Goodyear Wrangler RT/S, load range B. Just four bolts, Flash. But on top. Was impossible from underneath.

truckmike26

It's deadweight anyway. Goin' larger, wouldn't fit.

truckmike26

No spring-installation yet. Been doing stupid PITA repairs like this:

[IMG][/IMG]

Note all the delicious-looking mouse crap
Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone. Have a safe and meaningful new year.

xxxtreme22r

That's funny, I am doing the same thing on an Alero this weekend. haha.

truckmike26

I'm trying to save rust-free tube sections because they're too hard to remove so getting the flares right is one kick at the can. Measure five times, flare once. Good that it's been just above freezing lately. Keeps the beer at a perfect temp!

alltracman78

A little late, but have you ever tried parrafin wax on rusted/frozen bolts?

Rear leaf springs?

truckmike26

More rusted brake pipes to fix. Wrestling out the old springs busted more. Oh joy. At least the old springs are out. And just as well, the pipes were ready to go anyway.

truckmike26

You mean applying it and then heating it with a torch?

john4wd

I don't think that spare was removed or used in 18 years :}LOL
One maintance I do every spring after a full body and under carriage wash is take off spare and hose off spare tire carrier and compressor blow dry and relube with a good quality spray lube.
If you want to re-use your old carrier and you can get some evapo-rust, soak it in there for a while per the instructions and in a sealed container, like I had to on my 84, it was rusted solid and it ate all the rust and worked like new, it was the chain kind...

truckmike26

I know of only one time that spare's been out -- when I last did the rear springs in '98. My bad. I've been soaking the winch in a pan of Rust Check now for three weeks. Who knows, maybe it'll free up. When I took it out, it looked like a Titanic artifact!

john4wd

Yea mine did to, but evapo-rust worked great on my Spare tire carrier on the 84. Good luck on yours :}

Greg_Canada

LOL.
Been a mild winter... i've been lazyish and working on HID projector conversions... your garage heated? (when i get my own house... it will be!!)

truckmike26

Hey Greg, no, it's not heated but the halogen lights do an okay job of keeping it above freezing. It's attatched to the house at the rear plus the door's insulated so it's pretty tolerable.

I don't like using emoticons but I'll use them in this case. More delay. The Performance Accessories extended shackles don't bolt right on.

They're 3/8" too wide side to side at the frame perches and the spring perch holes are too large -- 16mm instead of 14mm. Quality control is a joke. One grease hole in one of the "greasable" spring bolts wasn't drilled and on another spring bolt, the hole was drilled smaller than the others. But it's irrelavent because the spring bolts are too small in diameter.

Buyer beware. The shackles themselves are sturdy but the details fall short. I can make better parts on the lathe. I thought I was saving myself time and hassle.

xxxtreme22r

Haha nope, brake line work. I gave up on attempting to do bubble flares with the flaring tool. Big PITA, I just replaced the entire line front to back. I won't be working on that car anytime soon. lol.


Oh and to stay on topic, sucks about those shackles. Thanks for the heads up on those.

Greg_Canada

Yeah... mine don't fit right either... another reason i want to get rid of them.

You might have got 84-88 shackles, not 89-95 shackles...

Howcome you didn't get the ironman ones?