Restoring Rusty

[Gregski]

ok, enuff about tailgates, lets talk about this weekend, big job coming up, job and a half I tell ya

what's this? you're showing us a pic of your driveway? nice?

well it may seem like ordinary stains but I bet guys like Rich are looking at it going, hmmm I bet the kid is thinking about doing the rear main oil seal (and if I could smell and taste them stains I would recon it's the two piece veriety)

yup, time to take care of GM's PLS

what? PLS?

General Motors Pavement Lubrication System

[Gregski]

now I know we kicked around the idea of me driving around for a month or so, especially after that big intake manifold upgrade, but this is not an upgrade, this is an honest to goodness repair that just needs a doin'

figure nothing says Happy Valentine's Day honey like baby I'm gonna need you to park outside for a couple a days

[Gregski]

to be honest with you I've removed a drive shaft before, and I removed a few trannys but I never installed a clutch so this will be a learning experience

first we need to remove the drive shaft, so let's see what we are up against

we unbolt it from the third member / diff, then remove the center bearing support, then since I do not have a car TV show my main shaft would not slide out of the trans so I had to undue the universal joint or yoke there what ever it is called maybe someone can learn me

[Gregski]

I am not kidding when I tell you it took me two hours to remove the two rusty bolts that hold that middle drive shaft support bracket, I thought great I am averaging 1 bolt per hour... but then things picked up a bit

[Gregski]

yeah it's pretty much like that, three yards and a cloud of dust

seems like every half hour I found myself rolling around in a pile of dirt and had to stop and use the shop vac for a bit

[Gregski]

the cross member was up next, it is held on by 300 nuts and bolts on each side, or so it seemed

[Gregski]

at this point I had some spaghetti and called it a night

[68post]

No "pre-treat" with PB Blaster on any of those rusty bolts ??

Look for your 1/2" drive breaker bar and a cheater pipe too, the last one of these I did half of the bolts finally broke off (that did save time tho').

[Chaplain]

Nice read sir. Very entertaining. Can't wait to see some green turf around here.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 68post

No "pre-treat" with PB Blaster on any of those rusty bolts ??

Oh, yes sir P.B. always shows up now that WD got fired! Usually soak the bolts the night prior to the B.I.G. job, then again during the big job in between profanities, LOL. I get so high on this stuff my joints feel lubricated. He's right there peaking from behind the drive shaft in one of em pics

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Chaplain

Nice read sir. Very entertaining.

Thank you I appreciate that, keeps me going.

Originally Posted by Chaplain

Can't wait to see some green turf around here.

It's gonna be 70* F here in February for the next four days then it drops down to 69* hee hee (I could be painting, LOL) Mother Nature sure has a funny sense of humor!

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 68post

Look for your 1/2" drive breaker bar and a cheater pipe too, the last one of these I did half of the bolts finally broke off (that did save time tho').

Good advice, and no kidding. At one point I think I even used the top tube from my floor jack as an extension on my big 1/2 inch LOL (my cheater pipe is custom made for the 3/8th drive you know)

[68post]

Originally Posted by Gregski

Oh, yes sir P.B. always shows up now that WD got fired! Usually soak the bolts the night prior to the B.I.G. job, then again during the big job in between profanities, LOL. I get so high on this stuff my joints feel lubricated. He's right there peaking from behind the drive shaft in one of em pics

You can always smell where he's been..lol. He may work better with a weeks notice.

We did a repair on a garage door in the back of a thrift store and returned in a couple days w/parts - and they asked me to please not use any more of that oil ! HA

Hey...you are keeping up the good work at a pace that makes me jealous - way to "git 'r done" !!

[68Timber]

Very nice work!

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by BRUISER

Very nice work!

Thank you B!

[Gregski]

went back to Pick N Pull today (had a day off) and pulled a few things

first the thick 12 gauge pink wire all you '75 owners and newer take for granted that our points guys crave once we convert to HEI

actually found a truck that the distributor cap wasn't uninstalled with a hedge trimmer

(it's not the top red wire in the picture, its the one still plugged in to the base of the distributor with the white connector)

[Gregski]

and pulled the wrong spring for my driver side door hinge (shown in pics) I do not have a pic of the correct one

(yes I later realized there was actually a difference, a notch in the top part is on opposite sides, and pulled the one from the other side)

I like learning / finding out things like this, do you?

[y5mgisi]

Do you have a good grasp on how to do the rear main seal?

[Chaplain]

Originally Posted by y5mgisi

Do you have a good grasp on how to do the rear main seal?

Good question because I'll be watching for tips to help when I do mine.

Make sure you get it right.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by y5mgisi

Do you have a good grasp on how to do the rear main seal?

Drop oil pan, remove rear main, replace oil seal.

If what you are getting at, is what in the heck am I doing? Then I am trying to inspect the clutch plate for contamination as I have oil all up in there, plus the whole drive train is so filthy that I wont be able to tell whats a new leak and whats old

[greg64]

Hey Greg. Look, I've been there and done that. Let me pass along some of what I learned... Removing the transmission seems like the "easy" (that's a bunch of BS) way to do this job. But let me tell you, having an sm465 myself, they weight 180 lbs with no fluid. Taking it out is hard enough, but putting it back is a real bear. And that assumes you have a way to support the transmission on your floor jack. Just the cup end on the jack isn't going to cut it, and lifting that transmission in dangerous. I almost crushed my arm one time.

Next, even after you get the tranny out, doing the rear main seal is still a b1tch! Ya, it can be done, but it's an awkward job lying on your back.

I found, counterintuitive as this sounds, it's easier to block up the transmission in place, then disconnect the bell housing bolts at the engine, and pull the whole engine. This makes the seal job, and removing the pan way easier, as is realigning the clutch disc. Of course this assumes you have an engine hoist.

The other benefit is you don't have to fight with the driveshaft (those centre carrier bolts are pleasant). And you don't have to remove the tranny crossmember. Man, I spent hours getting one of those out on a parts truck I had. The lower bolts are easy, it's the upper ones under the cab.

[greg64]

Also, now that you have the driveshaft out anyway, check the u-joint condition, and grease them up.

And (you knew there had to be more) is your engine an original 74, or is it possibly newer? If you can see the crank flange, if its bolt circle is 3.58" it's pre-86 and uses the two piece seal (easier to change). If its bolt circle is 3", then it's the later engine and a one piece seal.

[Slonaker]

I have never replaced one, but this looks like it might help.

http://www.73-87.com/7387garage/drivetrain/rearseal.htm

Slonaker

[Gregski]

so where were we, ah yes I was telling you what I got at the junk yard today, and there was one more thing

I got the tailgate door handle and linkage and learned whats the difference between 1st Design (uses stud for the hold ups to hook on to, '76 white tailgate below) 2nd Design (uses bolt, but that just means the stud is still there just welded to the bracket that use bolt on, '79 blueish tailgate below) I needed the ladder

[Gregski]

GM did a lot of things right on these ol' truck, using philips head screws to hold the handle to the tailgate, not one of em

also I demonstrate my super human strength whilst destroying a Harbor Freight special screw driver (surprise)

and then use vice grips to git 'er done