Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

What reared did you use . Looks good

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Nice 14 bolt swap w disc.
And split rims will split your skull open, way to easily like it did to my boss when I was 16 working in a garage, was chained to, took the top of his skull right off, my coworker put it back on and held it, he lived, got two plates and was never right after that, I never worked on one after that or our shop.
Mudman.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

I've done many a split rim tire repair. The training video is pretty gruesome. Just use the cage and you'll be fine. If it blows, you will need a couple less cups of coffee that day. :mm: And maybe a change of shorts...

Widow Maker Wheels
 

Never again for me ! .

Those things are deadly .

I remember watching one fellow fly through the air when a split rim blew .

Not everyone can afford a safety cage .

Re: Widow Maker Wheels
 

If one doesn't have the equipment, one has no business changing a split rim tire. This goes for a whole pile of automotive operations. I will admit to reaching under a suspended engine to free up some hardware in the past. I also know people who have had parts of their body crushed doing the same thing. I wised up while my luck still held.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

One of my buddys worked at a service station, back when there were still some, working on one and it blew. It threw him across the bay and broke both his arms. He was lucky to have lived. There are many, many horror stories about those rims.
Or I should say many horror truths about those rims.
Original parts be damned. Be smart and leave them alone. They were discontinued for good reasons.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Steve ;

You must be young .

Decades ago when I was a Dealer mechanic no Dealer I ever saw had safety cages, the Mechanics just busted split rims on the shop floor .

Even the factory shop manuals don't mention any special safety precautions, I used chains & padlocks until I stopped doing them .

That's just how it was when split rims were standard equipments .

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

The BLZNCST got some wood grain trim today along with a pair of sport mirrors! man this really gave it the finishing touch.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

I'm 65 years young! :) I never mounted tires when I worked at Chevy dealers on and off from '70 until '72. I worked as a mechanic at a gas station after I got out of the US Navy in '76. We had the equipment to restrain the split ring wheels when inflating there.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Glad one never blew on you then ! .

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Just lucky. But the graphic gruesome training video was enough to make a guy pretty careful. I think I only did 5 or 6, thankfully.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Split rims suck and are dangerous even if a person has done many, still not safe, the copper Blazer though is a super nice truck, beauty.
Mudman.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

On my first week working at a tire shop back in '97, I was informed that we don't work on split rims. I'm glad I didn't see any videos or real incidents of one failing. I would have probably puked.

Our shop had the cage, but we still didn't work on them. But then, one day, one of our guys worked on a tractor tire for some farmer that was on a split rim. And when I was younger, I swept safety aside more times than I can count. The old "jack can hold the car up" routine. Now, I have 2 pairs of jack stands. :lol:

Safety knows no season
 

Oh yeah ~ when you're young and foolish/careless/inexperienced you go underneath vehicles supported by hydraulic trolley jacks because 'I don't have the time' to get the safety stands or what ever .

Then one day a jack fails and you see the result :jdp: .

I have multiple jack stands now, most are 5 ton or more rated .

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Yeah, I had a friend in high school who was working under his car using only the bumper jack. It let off and crushed his skull between the frame and the driveway. Not enough to kill him but his head is narrower now.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

I just finished re&re the steering column. My shifter was getting harder and harder to manipulate. I had the thing out back in 2004 when I did the truck the first time. Over time and dusty roads crap builds up. As I am a grease nut and grease everything even if it doesn't move just in case it decides too, it won't hurt itself, the grease attracts particles. I had the truck in for paint back in the fall and they did a lot of media blasting, above the windshield and all over the engine compartment. When I got it back the stuff was in everything, wasn't too happy but a good job so can't complain eh! The shifter was hard to shift when I took it in and worse when it came back. We got a real cold snap and bingo no ticky no worky. I mean not an inch of movement in the shifter. I thought at first it was in the trany being so hard to shift. I disconnected the linkages and the shifter wouldn't move. It was in the column. I thought by the linkage arms was pretty sick looking with grease and media mixed to a perfect sludge reminding me of valve grinding compound but it turned out to be at the top where the shifter arm enters the column. Yes the media crap got in there as well. Works like a dream now and there was two lessons learned. One is to take the sterring wheele off and do a check at the top of the column, could save one a heck of a lot of work and two is to ease up on the grease gun which is going to be hard to do as I try to build a wall to keep out the salt from the roads. Have a good day eh!

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

placed my new Lectriclimited.com 01513321 temperature sender this evening. temp gauge is "in the middle" now. temp gun always showed good to go but the orielly's sender showed hot at 195

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

I've had the 3 ton stands for a few years, but I can't recall why I bought the 12 ton stands. But, they came in handy when I had to replace my Yukon's fuel pump.

O-U-C-H. I bet he has a jack stand collection now.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Started taking apart the front clip..Got the bumper and outside supports off, loosened the hood bolts (was solo) grille and headlights out..that fender is my goal tomorrow.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Got the door signs re done on Old blue.

Linkage Lubrication
 

This is a common thing, the column shifter gets stiffer to move and then wears rapidly as the driver just yanks ever harder instead of taking it all apart for proper cleaning, lubricating and adjustment .

When I took my 69's column apart I was shocked to see the wear on the detents etc. but after cleaning it Hospital clean I used 'dustless' grease, this is cheap War Surplus as rifle grease, it lubricates really well but some how dust doesn't stick to it readily . great for old sliding sun roofs, door latches and so on .

Best of all, not only does it work as new again, it once again makes that loud GM clacking noise as it goes through each position ~ just like 1969 again ! :chevy: .

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

"Dustless Grease" My world is now complete. I guess it was worth sticking around this long just so this product can enter my space. I better get some quick as the time is fast running out! Have a good one eh!

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Installed new trim rings today.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

PTFE dry lube made by many companies including CRC , WD40 , Blaster , Superlube and works good.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Got the busted up fender off, the lighting on this pic is terrible and it makes it seem like there is rust all over, there is not. The battery area will need some work though.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

I'm going to get out more and shop. When I go into a store, I'm on a mission! I don't shop I buy, only what is on my list.(think it has to be do the fact I'm married and she told me to do it) I don't even eat free samples. Basically if it isn't on my list it doesn't exist. If I am in the place longer than five minutes there would have been a power outage at the till. There is probably a whole "nother" world out there eh! Have a good one, happy shopping.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

The Muffler Shop in Colorado Springs finished my exhaust yesterday. Just needs to be finish welded. 2.5" from ramhorns back with magnaflow mufflers. Dumped the tips right in front of the tires. Tucked up nicely for a subtle look. I guess I didn't really do it to my truck today, but its done. Just had to move a fuel line a little bit, and I am gonna put a heat shield on the fuel line also. Travis at The Muffler Shop is a great dude if anyone's looking for a good shop in Colorado Springs

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Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Just got a 69 long bed. Pulled the bed off today and too it apart(the bed).
Wind started blowing so hard that I had to stop and pit everything away, but will shorten everything tomorrow. Don't know if ill get the frame done though.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Put carburetor back on and mounted the power adder.

"Power Adder"
 

AKA: liquid pistons :lol: .

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Forward progress. Started working on the panhard bar cross member. Ran in to a problem that I knew I was going to have. The girdle cover I have sticks out to far. To get the panhard bar to clear the cover, I have to move the cross member back 3.25". This is not going to work with the Boyd tank I have so I am going to have to ditch the girdle cover for now. I may, down the road, fabricockle a new panhard bar that clears the girdle cover, but for now, I am going to use the stock cover and locate the crossmember were it is supposed to be.

The front edge of the blue tape is where the center of the cross member is supposed to be. I installed the shocks to see where the axle will hang at it's lowest, which also happens to be the worst case scenario. It's a bummer, but I'll make it work at a later date.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

I cleaned up the brake lines at the master - scotch pad followed by 0000 steel wool. Also painted a bracket and replaced some hardware with chrome.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Drove it 357 miles through east Texas Got a whopping 10mpg. Worth every penny !

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

hahaha perfect place to drive!! i love the east side!!!

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

rolling hills...Piney woods...curvey back country roads...a lot of fun

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

And at every gas station was a conversation and people admiring your truck. Kinda at thanks for all your hard work. At least that's the way it is here going to gas station. Maybe will inspire another person to restore one.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

rolling hills that explains the 10 mpg. right? Have a good one.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Any photos? We all like photos!

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

Put a notch in my frame.

Re: What did you do to your truck today? Chapter II
 

I didn't stop to smell the roses on this one ....whirlwind trip