Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Painted the perches

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Very nice welds.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Some of them look better than others, and naturally I chose the nicest one for the photo.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

I can't weld at all. Wish I did.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Nice work cleaning that rearend up. I'm guessing your least aesthetic weld was 1000x better than the booger welds you have ground off that truck.

Love the consistent progress you're making. :metal:

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Thank you. I'm looking forward to having the rear end back in place.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Installed the front carrier and pinion bearings. Thankfully, my wife is entertained when I "cook" car parts.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Cleaned up the rear leaf springs and u-bolts with a wire wheel and then painted them. It appears that there is a GMC logo on the u-bolt saddles.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

U-bolts and retainers

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

3824491 dates back to model year 1963 and was used through 1972.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Interesting. I did a search on the part number, and I saw a thread that says these cast pieces like to break in half. I'll take my chances for now, but I should probably replace them eventually.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Yes, I have broken one. When tightening them, you must tighten slowly and evenly or they will easily break. My donor Blazer supplied another one for the project. 1967-68 trucks did not use these.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Reattached the rear axle to the leaf springs.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Spent some time working on the front axle today. Cleaned some rust out od the inside of the housing. Gave the outside a quick cleaning with a wire wheel and sprayed some paint on it. There was a decent sized dent in the diff cover that I straightened out using the Hydraulic press. That cover is thick.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

More photos

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Also cleaned up and painted the rear brake components with high-temp paint.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Dude, you're an Artist. You sculpt Chevy Trucks out of rusty steel.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Nice work on rebuilding those differentials Patrick !!!
I just completed doing both of mine and it's a lot, but you made it look quick & easy...
Amazing progress !!! Keep it going.
Gary

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

I have this special tool that transfers the rust from the truck to my face.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

The way the shims go behind the bearings on this Dana 44 looks like a real pain compared to a 12-bolt. It would be nice if everything is still in spec using the same shims, but I doubt I'll be that lucky.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

I have a similar relationship with Gear Lube.

Seriously -- wear safety glasses.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

It's chilly outside this evening, so I wasn't very excited to be out there laying on the asphalt, but I went ahead and did it anyway. Got the front differential reassembled. The pinion preload and the carrier backlash are good. The carrier preload is good and tight. The gear pattern could be better, but I can tell that it matches the wear marks on the teeth, so I'm not going to mess with it. It feels smooth when rotated.

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

More photos

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Last photo

Re: 1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy
 

Those shims are a PITA... I honed out a set of bearings & races to a slip fit to mock-up the gear pattern. I was changing the gear ratio so the shims were totally different. It was still a PITA.

Good looking work.
Gary