jimbosprint 1972 C20 - the good, the bad, and the ugly

[jimbosprint]

Originally Posted by Xeen

Have you given any thought to freshening up the paint on all of the various engine compartment pieces, it would go a long ways towards making the engine compartment look nice around that nice looking engine.
The media blaster wouldn't charge you a ton of money to do a lot of small pieces and the inner fenders.
The hood hinge springs are kind of a pain in the butt to do anything with you can replace those with new ones.

The plan is a frame-off for paint and bodywork (later). I like to restore the things I work on, but I'll leave the rest original and just enjoy the truck until then.

Here's some more pics from the AC install:

[jimbosprint]

This morning I replaced the broken ac cowl vent door, cowl-hood gasket, and installed a debris screen. The AC vent vacuum actuator I got from LMC was defective (big surprise), so I will have to replace that later.

[Xeen]

Very nice, the cowl trash guard is the trifecta it's cheap, fast and good all at once.

[jimbosprint]

So my brakes were suddenly gone last night (thankfully before I got too far away from home). I opened the master cylinder to find the rear brakes reservoir completely empty.

A friend from my local car club was nice enough to come over and help me get it working again. We started by just bleeding but it wouldn't pump up any pressure. I'd never heard of it, but he had the kit for bench-bleeding the master cylinder. Tons of air came out for a long time, then we put it back together and bled all 4 wheels.

I'm going to keep an eye on the fluid level, but I hope that it is fixed. Took a quick trip around the block and it felt better and safer than ever before.

[Xeen]

You can find out of the master cylinder is bad by disconnecting it from the booster and see if there is brake fluid in the orifice, if there is then the problem is the master cylinder, if not then the leak is somewhere else in the system.
It is likely that the leak is in the rear brake system somewhere considering the front reservoir was full.
I would check the entire length of the rear brake line and the wheel cylinders at each rear wheel for leaks.

[flashed]

If you dont spot any leaks it may be leaking into the brake booster ,had that happen on my wife's 72 Malibu convertible.Kept losing fluid but no visible leak ,I dont remember how I found it .

[knomadd]

I had a very similar problem recently... I wasn't so lucky. I was pulling into my spot at work and had no pedal... hit the building and caused damage to both the building and the truck. Upon inspection, I had an empty rear reservoir... Figured I'd have something since the front was full, but I must have air in the lines too. First time in almost 3 years since I've owned the truck that this has happened. I'll be replacing most of my brake system now. I was going to anyway, but now's a better time than any.

Keep an eye on your fluid levels and check your rear wheel cylinders and the flex hoses for rot. If they are cracked at all, or damp, replace them. It's better to be safe than sorry. Good luck!

[jimbosprint]

The fluid has to be going somewhere. I've checked along the brake lines and haven't found any leaks. Front calipers looked good when I did the rotors and pads. I need to pull the rear drums off, but that involves taking the axles out. Haven't had time to dig into that yet.

I wanted a project!

[Xeen]

You don't have to pull the axles to remove the rear drums, though depending on how long it has been since the drums have been removed you may have a fight on your hands to get them to come loose.

[knomadd]

I'd agree with Brian, unless you mean to remove the entire assembly to replace them with a disc swap... Then yes, the backing plates are behind the axle.

[jimbosprint]

It's a Dana 60 rear end. I was told the drum and hub are one piece and the axle has to come out.

[knomadd]

Sorry, I've never worked on a Dana 60... I don't know, you might be right. I don't think anyone would engineer something that would require you to drain the axle fluid to change the brake shoes though. Engineers tried to make it easier to work on things back then. Or at least a lot more than now.

[jimbosprint]

I asked on Facebook and still a bunch of people told me I needed to take the axle out.

But others say there are two screws that come out then the drum can be taken off. Might need a tool to back off the shoes, and/or a hammer to break it loose.

[Xeen]

I have never worked on a Dana 60 but yeah I see the screws you are talking about, let's hope that's the way.

[Xeen]

Ok wow this thing is like alien engineering compared to what I'm used to working on, check out this how to video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ceMvgxpZ-o

[jimbosprint]

I watched that. Not sure if it is exactly like mine. Now I need more time to work on it...

[Saclandman]

From what I understand, you don't need to take the axles out on a Dana, but you do on the old Eaton HO52 that's under my 67. But I'm a moron, so don't trust me too much. Good luck.

[jimbosprint]

Haven't worked on the brakes at all. Not too much driving it either. But this morning I hoisted the original engine block that has been sitting in my driveway for a year into the bed. A friend offered an engine stand in his garage as a much better place to store and work on it. I need to check it out and see if it is worth saving after sitting outside in a crate under a tarp.

In other good truck news: I'm widening my driveway and putting in a carport so my vehicles don't have to be cooked by the extreme heat of Northern California summers!

[Xeen]

What size car port are you going with and what construction materials?

[jimbosprint]

Originally Posted by Xeen

What size car port are you going with and what construction materials?

18'x21'x7' steel A-frame is what I'm thinking

[Xeen]

Oh man that will be a nice one, you gotta love a double car port, are you gonna get it with side skirts?

[jimbosprint]

No, just a standard double carport.

[jimbosprint]

I like putting my truck to work. Towed 4000lbs of concrete home to make my driveway a little wider for the carport.

[Saclandman]

Now that's what a C20 is meant to do.

[Xeen]

Heck yeah, I know I would be very excited to get a double car port so I can imagine that you are seriously motivated to get it done.
I know nothing about concrete, it took 4k pounds of concrete to fill that 2'x30' strip?