1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy

[pjmoreland]

Refilled the radiator and burped the system.

Hooked a vacuum pump to the A/C lines and then left the gauges attached for a few hours to check for leaks. The gauge did not budge.

Ran the vacuum pump for 45 minutes to fully evacuate the system. Charged it with the recommended amount of refrigerant. The air coming out of the vents is getting down to just under 40°.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Nice.
I spent Six Bills getting the A/C done on my '03 Tahoe. They said covid face mask got sucked into the system and burned something out. Spendy, but it's cold now. I knew nothing about that series of vehicles, so I had to pay.

I need to get A/C back in the Jimmy. Whem I first bought it 31 years ago, I pulled out all the OEM A/C parts to make it lighter. The parts I put in a silver bucket. That bucket disappeared. So I'll be starting from scratch.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Nice.
I spent Six Bills getting the A/C done on my '03 Tahoe. They said covid face mask got sucked into the system and burned something out. Spendy, but it's cold now. I knew nothing about that series of vehicles, so I had to pay.

I need to get A/C back in the Jimmy. Whem I first bought it 31 years ago, I pulled out all the OEM A/C parts to make it lighter. The parts I put in a silver bucket. That bucket disappeared. So I'll be starting from scratch.

Seems like a good deal considering how much things cost these days.

[pjmoreland]

Finished up the Vintage Air system by installing the seat and the glovebox.

[pjmoreland]

Did a forty mile round trip this evening to the next town over, and the truck did just fine

[pjmoreland]

Replaced the ball joints today. Started on the driver side. The ball joints popped loose from the axle with some heat and pounding with a sledge on the top of the upper ball joint. Left the steering arm attached. My ball joint press kit has a cup that already has a notch in it to clear the steering arm. Had to widen the notch about 1/4".

[pjmoreland]

The old ball joints pressed out of the knuckle fairly easily, and the new ball joints pressed in smoothly.

[pjmoreland]

I used Spicer brand ball joints. They're made in Canada. There are lots of negative reviews online for the Moog ball joints. Apparently, they loosen up quickly. Reassembly went smoothly, although I forgot to tighten the 1/4" screw at the front of the dust shield, so I had to take the wheel back off so I could sneak a wrench in there to tighten it.

[pjmoreland]

As usual, the second side took less time than the first side--four hours for the driver side and three hours for the passenger side. Having no steering arm to contend with made it slightly easier.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Nice to see my junkyard Horseshoe working.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Nice to see my junkyard Horseshoe working.

Yep! I think about it every time I hit a bump in the road and it doesn't swerve wildly.