Restoring Rusty

[1970HalfTon]

Originally Posted by Gregski

Ditto, one thing I noticed is that NAPA's parts aint what they used to be, it seems every retailer is under some self imposed mandate to built it cheaper and faster, and you know what they say: “Fast, Cheap or Good? Pick Two.”

Very clever (and true) picture. I bounced around on the radiator issue for a couple of weeks looking for one for my '56. I spent a few more $$ and went with an American made (Griffin) mostly because we plan on using this car for the HRPT in the near future. OK, a bunch more $$.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by 1970HalfTon

I bounced around on the radiator issue for a couple of weeks looking for one for my '56. I spent a few more $$ and went with an American made (Griffin) mostly because we plan on using this car for the HRPT in the near future. OK, a bunch more $$.

I ran a used Griffin in a 55 Chevy car for more than 10 years. Not sure how long it had been used by the previous owner. It never gave me any problems, even down here in the Texas heat. However, you may hear some people bad-mouth it because epoxy is used in the construction.

Found this on Griffin's website:

At Griffin, epoxy is a secondary process applied to some radiators to increase durability. All Griffin Radiators are vacuum brazed with a magnesium based cladding. The purpose of the epoxy is to relieve the shear stress on the tube-to-header braze joint to ensure a long leak free life for radiators used in extreme conditions. The common misconception is that epoxy is used to “glue” radiators together. Some manufacturer's may do this, but Griffin does not. And remember, we make so many different types, not all use epoxy.

[Gregski]

Rusty is getting on my nerves!

I just done did the front brakes three months ago in February (for the first time on this truck ever) and the driver side is running really hot all of a sudden! 216°F

[Gregski]

as opposed to the passenger side, which is a cool 130° F

[MikeB]

Wheel bearings/races? I would have said the pads are not retracting enough, but I've never experienced that, and I assume it would make noise. But I've been known to be wrong, like that time I thought I was mistaken.

[Palf70Step]

Did you change the hoses on the front wheels. I had one that the hose would collapse right after I did a caliper and brake change.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by MikeB

Wheel bearings/races? I would have said the pads are not retracting enough, but I've never experienced that, and I assume it would make noise. But I've been known to be wrong, like that time I thought I was mistaken.

Thanks, I hope it's not the bearings, I am still not good on determining how much to tighten those darn things with the castle nut and cotter pin and all, so I hope it's a jammed pad. fingers crossed

[MikeB]

Got the info below off the Interweb. And you might want to start by over-tightening while spinning the wheel to make sure everything is seated.

The following procedure is one method for adjusting the end play in a wheel bearing set.

Tighten the adjusting nut while turning the rotor. When the effort to turn the rotor increases, a preload is placed on bearing assembly and all raceway surfaces are in contact, providing no end play. Back off the nut one flat to allow insertion of the cotter key. The end play can be checked with a dial indicator. Mount the indicator with a magnetic or mechanical base as close to the center of the hub as possible. The indicator tip is set on a smooth surface at the end of the spindle. Push the rotor back and set the indicator to zero. Then pull the rotor or drum out and read the dial indicator.

Allow 0.004-inch (0.100 mm) ± 0.003-inch (0.076 mm) of end play, then lock the nut with a new cotter pin. Whether you are checking a conventional wheel bearing or hub bearing, the best tool for checking adjustment is a dial indicator. Many four-wheel-drive vehicles and most trucks with a load rating of one ton and higher use a full floating axle. The axle has a bearing set, spindle and hub. The same adjustment procedure can be used for these applications.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by MikeB

Got the info below off the Interweb. And you might want to start by over-tightening while spinning the wheel to make sure everything is seated.

The following procedure is one method for adjusting the end play in a wheel bearing set.

Tighten the adjusting nut while turning the rotor. When the effort to turn the rotor increases, a preload is placed on bearing assembly and all raceway surfaces are in contact, providing no end play. Back off the nut one flat to allow insertion of the cotter key. The end play can be checked with a dial indicator. Mount the indicator with a magnetic or mechanical base as close to the center of the hub as possible. The indicator tip is set on a smooth surface at the end of the spindle. Push the rotor back and set the indicator to zero. Then pull the rotor or drum out and read the dial indicator.

Allow 0.004-inch (0.100 mm) ± 0.003-inch (0.076 mm) of end play, then lock the nut with a new cotter pin. Whether you are checking a conventional wheel bearing or hub bearing, the best tool for checking adjustment is a dial indicator. Many four-wheel-drive vehicles and most trucks with a load rating of one ton and higher use a full floating axle. The axle has a bearing set, spindle and hub. The same adjustment procedure can be used for these applications.

Awesome, Mike this is so great and helpful, thank you so much.

[SCOTI]

If the hoses are originals, that would be my bet. Reasoning being if you did the brake-work of both sides the same & are only having an issue on one side, it would be reasonable to assume you did it right unless you were questioning yourself about the technical aspect @ that time.

I would inspect the caliper pins as well since these can get 'sticky' (thus not allowing the caliper to properly float). My money would be on the hoses though.

It sucks.... When this happened to me & because @ the >200° temps, I had to replace the wheel bearings again to feel everything was no longer suspect.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Did you change the hoses on the front wheels. I had one that the hose would collapse right after I did a caliper and brake change.

I did not Bill, sorry I meant to answer your post right away but forgot.

[Gregski]

did a bit of troubleshooting of the brakes today, let me walk you through what I did and my thinking process

since one side (passenger) appears to be fine we have something to compare the bad side (driver) to

so I lifted the front end with the wheels still on off the ground
(secured by jackstands behind the front wheels, not visible in the pics) and:

1. simply spun each wheel by hand to see if one wheel had more drag than the other - not really

2. I did the hands on 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM wiggle the wheel back and forth to see if there's excessive play - not really

3. I did the hands on 12:00 AM and 6:00 PM wiggle the wheel back and forth to see if there's excessive play - not really

with the wheels off

4. I inspected the pads for even wear and how much meat they still had on them, and all four showed equal wear and plenty of meat, look brand new(ish) as they should

5. I tried to spin the rotors by hand and the driver side seems a bit harder to spin, but both sides had some drag that they wouldn't just spin freely

6. with a large flat screw driver I gently pushed the piston back into the caliper on each side and spun the rotors by hand, with the pistons retracted both spun easily the same, no strange noises

7. had the wife start the truck and apply the brakes, I watched the piston emerge ever so slightly but enough to stop the rotors, then I would manually push it back with the screw driver and have her do it again

8. I inspected the rubber hoses

9. we bled the front brakes, 10 pumps and hold it, three times

10. I priced some brand new calipers on AutoZone and NAPA they are cheap $22 bucks a piece

so I will take the truck for a test drive tomorrow and check the external wheel temps again, maybe miraculously the driver side wiggled itself loose, if not it's new caliper and rubber hose time

[blazer2007]

I hate this, stay tuned next week when we will find out the mystery. LOL

[MikeB]

Gregski -- What was the symptom that caused you to measure the temperatures?

Also, did you physically look at inner and outer wheel bearings and races?

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by MikeB

Gregski -- What was the symptom that caused you to measure the temperatures?

1. truck just not coasting true as straight as a 45 year old aerodynamic brick normally does, ha ha

2. very slight smell of something burning (I thought it was a wire conduit gently touching the exhaust manifold at first)

this may sound stupid, but I sorta developed The Truck Whisper, not bragging just I can honestly feel when something aint right, I may not always know what is wrong, but something just bugs me and I have to investigate, I'm sure why you all drive your trucks you develop the same thing over time

Originally Posted by MikeB

Also, did you physically look at inner and outer wheel bearings and races?

Not after my brake job, but before yes and they were fine. I actually installed the wheel bearings carefully in a process similar to the one described above, where I tightened the castle nut then loosened it to find the hole for the cotter pin.

[Gregski]

so back in December of 2018 I gave my truck a proper gauge overhaul by completely abandoning the factory OEM circuit board based cluster and it's accompanying analog gauges in favor of the Intellitronix (pronounced: cheapest) digital ones, and for the most part I have been happy with them.

The most part is comprised of me being 100% happy with the Volt, Fuel, Oil, and Temp quartet (other than should have gone with white instead of the green display) these little guys have been completely headache free. However I can't say the same thing for the larger Speedo and Tach. First they arrived not properly assembled right off the bat, then I sent them back for free repairs and one came back glued back on crooked, and I spent a year trying to get them to work reliably (would wig out with the blinkers and or headlights on) , which I finally managed to do by running completely separate ground leads for each these two gauges absolutely did not like to share their grounds no matter what, although ultimately the leads go to the same ground bolt under the dash, go figure.

In addition to the gauges I also built my own warning lights, simple stuff a red brake light (that never works) a yellow Check Engine Light, a blue high beams light, and two green turn signal lights. These lights is what we are going to focus on today, as they have their own story.

[Gregski]

so I am on the home stretch with this truck and this is simply about tying up loose ends, so let me list the electrical issues as of this [ahem] ... morning, ha ha

1. the original green turn signal LEDs glow white not green

2. the red brake warning light, which I assume ought to light up on first key on then dissipate, never ever turns on, so I doubt it will glow as I am heading off a cliff

3. there must be a short somewhere in the turn signal circuit as the left turn signal works, ie flashes, but the right one just stays on I think (I may have this backwards)

4. the left (driver) turn signal bulb the one in the fender just faintly lights up and may flicker

5. I forget, but I'm sure there's more problems, so this is a place holder

so I ordered a second set of these LEDs from All Electronics and am ready to do some touch ups

couple observations since I first installed them, they are plastic, so they are pretty flimzy especially the threads on the barrel as you try and screw on the backing o ring type of thing, second, their male blade connectors are so tiny that I think I finally found the proper female ends to go on them, I think they are the 3 mil ones and not the 1/4" etc

Note: I solder all my connections to ensure proper connectivity so these being plastic sucks, as they tend to heat up and melt a bit just enough for the male blade connector to sink back into the plastic housing, cry me a river, right?!

[Wide Open]

Originally Posted by Gregski

so I am on the home stretch with this truck and this is simply about tying up loose ends, so let me list the electrical issues as of this [ahem] ... morning, ha ha

1. the original green turn signal LEDs glow white not green

2. the red brake warning light, which I assume ought to light up on first key on then dissipate, never ever turns on, so I doubt it will glow as I am heading off a cliff

3. there must be a short somewhere in the turn signal circuit as the left turn signal works, ie flashes, but the right one just stays on I think (I may have this backwards)

4. the left (driver) turn signal bulb the one in the fender just faintly lights up and may flicker

5. I forget, but I'm sure there's more problems, so this is a place holder

so I ordered a second set of these LEDs from All Electronics and am ready to do some touch ups

couple observations since I first installed them, they are plastic, so they are pretty flimzy especially the threads on the barrel as you try and screw on the backing o ring type of thing, second, their male blade connectors are so tiny that I think I finally found the proper female ends to go on them, I think they are the 3 mil ones and not the 1/4" etc

Note: I solder all my connections to ensure proper connectivity so these being plastic sucks, as they tend to heat up and melt a bit just enough for the male blade connector to sink back into the plastic housing, cry me a river, right?!

I’m glad you’ve come to your senses and “appropriated” your kids stimulus money and invested it properly (Rusty) instead of buying them a different car😆

I think the turn signal light staying solid and not flashing means an open in the circuit. Such as a bulb being burnt out. Or if it’s the left aide that dim fender bulb Could be the culprit.
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[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Wide Open

I’m glad you’ve come to your senses and “appropriated” your kids stimulus money and invested it properly (Rusty) instead of buying them a different car��

love it, I mean can you imagine me going down to only two trucks, I would be the laughing stock of this forum, ha ha

[Wide Open]

Originally Posted by Gregski

love it, I mean can you imagine me going down to only two trucks, I would be the laughing stock of this forum, ha ha

Hahahahaha!

I have three also. I’m not allowed to sell any of them. My kids have claimed and named my trucks. Not as eloquently as your naming scheme mind you but named nonetheless.
There’s the “off road truck” 72 K10, “the new truck” 86 K30 crew and “the new new truck” 88 crew.
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[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Wide Open

Hahahahaha!

I have three also. I’m not allowed to sell any of them. My kids have claimed and named my trucks. Not as eloquently as your naming scheme mind you but named nonetheless.
There’s the “off road truck” 72 K10, “the new truck” 86 K30 crew and “the new new truck” 88 crew.
Posted via Mobile Device

are you kidding me those are great names, the ORT, the NT, and my favorite the Double New Double Eight (well, that's all I got)

[Wide Open]

Originally Posted by Gregski

are you kidding me those are great names, the ORT, the NT, and my favorite the Double New Double Eight (well, that's all I got)

😂

I have a couple more.
The Nukon. Because when I sold our Yukon and bought an Escalade... Escalade wasn’t nearly as catchy as the New Yukon which eventually was abbreviated to simply The Nukon.
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[Gregski]

so got the ol' gauge cluster on the AW-WB (Absent Wife - Work Bench) and I like to use stainless pots as a soldering aid but you do you, if teflon is your thing, use teflon, I really don't care

[Gregski]

Public Service Announcement: these hard plastic shielded butt connectors are the worst, do NOT use them, ever !!!

[Gregski]

well found one problem with the Red brake light, it was bad plug in that short pig tail between the harness and the proportioning valve, this is the last piece I would have guessed would have failed, there are absolutely no moving pieces in this thing, yet it did

I honestly do not get the purpose of this 9" pig tail, why not just run the harness directly to the switch on the valve itself, which is what I did

of course my fix worked in testing but stopped as soon as I put the dash all back together, LOL

Lesson Learned: when it works it does NOT turn on with the key ON, it does however come on momentarily as you crank the engine over in the START position, then goes out again, makes sense I guess, not sure the juice is worth the squeeze on this one, if I were to re wire / re gauge another truck I would not bother with the red brake light I would not install one, not worth the headache