Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

ok, i just checked and bookmarked that page. awesome.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

You sir have far more patience than I do. The Alcoas are looking fantastic!

Also, Delcity is good stuff. Check out Waytek Wire as well.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Oooo purdy! Good hookup on the wiring stuff. Can't wait for the update!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Mid day break. I've been working hard this morning.

First, I got the rearend as torn down as I'm going to. Its the housing with the gears left in the middle. I don't have any reason to mess with that setup. I still have to do about a day's worth of cleaning to the housing before I can start going back together. I did have to order two speedi-sleeves for the axle housing where the outer hub seals ride. One of mine is junky and had been leaking, and the other is on its way to be junky, so I'm just gonna do both. I have a lot of time and effort, not to mention money tied up in these rear brakes and I'm not gonna let a leaky seal ruin all of that.

Factory locker of some type. I don't know my 14 bolt lockers. Can anyone ID what type of unit this is ?

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps0c718fb1.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...psfae2e92d.jpg

While I'm waiting for Speedi-sleeves and am working on cleaning and painting the rearend, I gathered up all of the hardware and will drop it off to be replated tomorrow. My local shop is so cheap that I do a lot of this. Those Alcoa lug nuts were rusty and streaking rust on the wheels, so I'll have them rezinc'd to stop that crap. In the pile is also the axle bolts, rear cover bolts, rear wheel studs, brake back plate bolts, and emergency brake cable bolts. They will charge me their 25 dollar minimum for this stuff. Well worth it when the new lug nuts are 4 bucks each.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps8a563729.jpg

Do it once, do it right. Nice new restored lug nuts on new restored studs, everything screws together by hand. No rust for years.

Valerie said she'd make my new Alcoa stickers tonight so when the sun goes down, I'll be sitting on blankets in the living room floor finishing up the wheels. Tires are due delivery tomorrow.

I also got the rear hubs all torn down and cleaned. There's a lot going on in 14 bolt hubs if you've never done them before (I haven't). They are completely rear loading. The seal, then inner bearing, inner race, a snap ring, outer race, then finally outer bearing. Anyway, I got it all apart (looks like 1 questionable bearing) and the hubs are in the oven getting burned off now. The heat kills any grease and grime and turns it to powder so I can blast them clean without contaminating my media in my cabinet. Much work left, but I'm giving it hell.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Tex ,I will say it again ,your builds and knowledge amaze me ,I always enjoy your builds and tips ,Thankyou for sharing it with us all.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Thank you for the kind words. This one should be pretty sanitary when I'm done. Not trick though. No expensive trendy parts. But lots of hard work and detail. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna keep this one and my little stepside for the long haul. I've bought and sold a bunch over the years, but I'm getting older, and tired. These two should do me from now on. Might as well do work that I can live with for the rest of my life.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Great build, can't wait for the one on the stepper.

Quick question, when you powdercoated the backing plates did you clean off the areas where the shoes slide before reassembling them?

What are your thoughts on powdercoating the whole axle housing (after gutting it of course)

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I just coated the entire thing. I figured the shoes will rub off whatever coating is there over time. I don't know if its right or wrong but I've done a lot of them that way and never given it a second thought ..

Coating a rear housing is very doable. I've done a few but they're kind of a pain. You get them clean, then when the heat hits them, old traces of oil ooze out of the cracks. You really have to clean them, cook them for a few hours, then blast them before coating.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Quck ID, if there are 3 pinions or ends of cross shafts it is a G80 locker, if there are 4 pinions (each end of 2 cross shafts) it is an open differential.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Thank you for that. I'll look more closely tomorrow when I start working on the rearend housing.

I started today off by dropping all of my hardware off at the plating shop. He said 25 dollars and one week to do it. I use these guys nearly monthly and they've never not been on time.

My two speedi-sleeves for the hub sealing surface of the rearend are on their way from Rockauto. They show delivery Thrusday.

Tomorrow is my big work day, but I wanted to finish up some smaller stuff today before biting off into cleaning and painting the rearend tomorrow.

My wheel cylinders arrived today so I finished putting the brakes all together.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps96c4896a.jpg

I cleaned, straightened, sandblasted, and powdercoated the rearend cover. It's nowhere near nice. The cover was very, very rust pitted. I wound up powdercoating it and being unhappy with the pits so I DA sanded it to metal using the powder like filler primer to fill in the pits, and recoated it. Its much better the second time around, but I probably should have done it one more time to get it nicer. I'm not going to though. My OCD has limits.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...psc3dcbb89.jpg

Cleaned the hubs very thoroughly. Notice the raised areas around the bolt holes from previous overtorquings.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...psddc34bc6.jpg

So I took it to the hillbilly machine shop. That's code speak for I used a nice big file to surface the hubs smoother. This is critical so I don't have to be one of those guys who slathers thick silicone on the to keep it from leaking. Then, clean again and powdercoat.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps43a089f1.jpg

FedEx just came by.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps255bc76c.jpg

Tomorrow should be a big day. The forecast is perfect for working, and I completely mowed my yard today so there's nothing to keep me from working myself into the ground tomorrow. I'm gonna drag the rearend outside and go medieval on cleaning and painting it.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

You are definitely hard core, Kevin. The truck is looking good. I have the opposite of your OCD sometimes, and I just put stuff together, with the hope of coming back to fix it.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Great thinking on those hubs. I know the "gasket" that GM uses is a thin steel shim that rarely seals in my experience, even with a little ultra black. Smoothing them off like that should really help with sealing.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Devin,

First, I wanted to say I spun the gear carrier and counted 3 pins so I guess I have a Gov-Loc. I've heard a lot of unflattering stuff about them, but never really paid attention very closely to the details.

As far as the gaskets, I got these from Rockauto. They were like 2 bucks each. I figure I'll smear them with a real thin layer of number 2 Permatex. I've always done it that way and haven't ever had a leaker. Lets hope it works this time.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...psce43d8a1.jpg

I'm kind of geeking out on this stuff I know. It seems the number of participants on this thread has dwindled. I guess the details are a bit tedious and boring. When I'm done I should have a clean black rearend, black hubs and drums and all new shiny plated hardware to make the details pop.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

We are still here, just waiting on the money shot! Very clean work and attention to detail.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

people say a lot of bad stuff about the G80. i dont think you will ever find cause to complain. they work pretty darn good in a stock truck with a driver that doesn't beat on the truck like a high school idiot.

they will spin just a bit and then lock in, to a fully locked differential. i've had them in in several trucks with the 14bff. nary an issue. in my big, beat it like you stole it offroad jeep, i went with a detroit to avoid any issues that may or may not have arose from the lock in while doing something abusive. and detroits are really simple without the complexity of the G80. good news is that the G80 doesnt require any special additives like a clutch type limited slip

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

That's all very good to hear. I never, ever beat on my trucks. This stuff is too much work and costs too much to risk breaking it unnecessarily.

So just straight 90w type of grease with no special sauce huh ?

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I was just boning up on the details for this phase of the project by reading the "14 bolt bible".

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/14b_bible/

One thing that caught my eye....axle assembly with brake drums weighs 550 pounds.

Damn. I knew it was heavy, but that's a man killer right there.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

By all means, geek the f--- out. This is awesome. Great, good to know felpro makes a gasket, my experience is with the blue and white GM box and it's a steel shim that sucks to seal.

Gear oil, I would use whatever Ma-General specs, I am unfamiliar with your climate, but I know in mine where there is a range of hot and cold a multi-viscosity weight gear oil is necessary.

...also...

I felt it relevant because, technically the G80 is made by the Eaton Axle Corp. for GM. At least, they were before the American Axle & Manufacturing company cropped up...

I notice that GM states 80W-90 and Eaton rep says 75W-90, interesting.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

That is a fantastic document. I have read it many times. You mentioned you were unfamiliar with the G80, here is a decent little video of one of the smaller ones and how they work:

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Still here, enjoying the details! I don't know nuthin' 'bout these big axles, kinda neat to learn!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I'm about to start degreasing, cleaning, and painting the rearend.

I take ghetto to a whole different level.

Wheelchair....

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps28de322e.jpg

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

^ LOL Nice

Very few would give this truck (or any for that matter) the attention to detail that you are. That's why its an awesome thread. I get bored of build threads full of $$$ Porterbuilt, semi wheels, etc...

I'm interested in the re-zinc-ifying. What kind of shop does that kind of work (machine shop?) I'd like to call around to see who does it around here. I've thought about rigging up my own zinc setup but for $25 that saves a lot of hassle.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Kevin, I really enjoy your builds. A highly detailed explanation of why you do certain things and mostly a hard working man's budget. I try to do a bunch of my builds/work the same as you, but without the benifits of having the PC equipment. It's just a spray bomb detail for me most of the time.

I like to come to yours for the education and the details!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Tip,

Several years ago I just google searched "zinc plating Fort Worth Texas" and my place popped up. All they do is plating. They have silver zinc, yellow zinc, black zinc, and several more. They also do mail order work too. I was just talking to him yesterday about that. He says that part of the business is growing.

http://arrowplating.com/processes.html

The minimum charge is 25 dollars. That gets you up to 25 pounds worth done. I've never had it exceed the 25 dollar charge yet.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...t/68f83357.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...bcc590e9f5.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...314fb0f30f.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...e0aa1b2882.jpg

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Wow, that's a good price and the parts look great!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Those parts turned out great and I would never of thought of recycling a wheel chair like that ,pretty cool idea .

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

That's the second time that wheelchair has been repurposed. The first go around it was my welder cart. I'm not a proud man...

Update.

The rearend is cleaned and painted. Its now sitting outside in the sunshine curing the paint. I doubt it will be perfect when I finally get a real close look at it, but its pretty decent.

While I'm waiting for the paint to dry I started working on the wiring for the bed lights. It was horrible and about half of the lights worked.

Here is the wiring for the three little clearance lights in the center of the bed.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps10976364.jpg

I started out by building a wiring harness that plugs into the factory truck plug and separates out to left and right sides of the bed.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...psbdf6a337.jpg

Then, I started on my plan to route the wiring under the bed. The previous job was just strung over and around whatever was close by and zip tied here and there. I have about fifty feet of EMT conduit in my scrap pile so I grabbed a couple of lengths and began work. My plan is to run a conduit down each side of the bed for the wiring to be protected in. Disregard the zip ties holding the conduit up. I still need to buy some of those little clamps to screw it securely in place.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps7cd3fe3e.jpg

At the front (that's the gas tank in the bottom of the picture) I kicked it out along the front bed crossmember. There is a marker light in the corner there and the wiring for the overhead tailights in the headache rack runs down there too. I'll bundle It all together and run it through the conduit to the back of the truck.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps83b128de.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps3c28f50d.jpg

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Very nice!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Great work. I really like the zinc plating idea. I have been using the "remove rust with vinegar and spray with aluminum paint" trick. It works...OK. I will try and find a plating shop closer to me.

Again, great work.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

It'a a wonderful asset if you can find a local shop. I have a little metal bucket that I just fill up with GM specific bolts, shims, Timmerman nuts, screws, etc. When it gets full I drop them off for plating.

Its so nice to have hundreds of the little pointy body bolts with built in washers all ready to go. Heck, I've got a cup full of restored starter bolts and cups of body shim, accelerator return springs, etc.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Durrr... didn't even think to google it. Looks like there's a bunch of places around here, thanks for the heads up.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Do you clean the fasteners/parts beforehand prior to taking them to Arrow? Great looking parts and fasteners, didn't even know it was possible to restore/preserve fasteners and small parts like that, now my gears are turning...why I do I think this just made things more expensive in my future? ;)

Sorry about that gear oil/G80 word vomit earlier, didn't mean to clutter up your thread, was just sharing any knowledge I had stored away.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I just degrease the parts prior. If they're just stupid rusty I will media blast them. But, 99 percent of the stuff I take them I just drop into the bucket when I remove it.

Part of their process is a full degreasing, acid bath to remove rust, then plate. I just don't want to take them greasy stuff as a courtesy. All I do is fill the bucket with Purple Power degreaser and let it sit awhile then rinse it out with a garden hose. I'm sure that's not even necessary but I like to keep my face on their list of "good customers".

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Your detail work is plain insane but you've also figured out the best bang for the buck methods I've seen anywhere.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I am more of a reader than a poster but i have been following your build thread since the beginning. A lot of good information in this thread i never even thought of taking my bolts and miscellaneous stuff to the local plating shop.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

........can't talk...........


............polishing wheels..........

Update later...........

Thank you Billy. I really appreciate the kind words.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Sanded till my fingers bled....

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps3e30eef9.jpg

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Wow, those wheels are gone be nice when your done!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Heh. Gotta say, I have no tattoos, but I do have what I think of as "body art" in the form of all the scars on my arms/hands/knuckles etc - but I've never seen my finger tips bleed from sanding. This outta be good.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Flashback....

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...psc77fa8ac.jpg

They have finger prints and smudges on them but I'm not going to worry about it until the tires are mounted. I'm pretty confident that when I get them outside they will pop.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...a1db939d40.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...f318f54cb0.jpg

Today I ordered two more tires. When they arrive, that will be four. I'm still saving money for the last two.