Working Man's Burbon

[HO455]

Today I started the new bench seat project. That broken spring hasn't mended itself so I guess action must be taken. Several pages back I posted a picture I found in one of the seat threads (It might be Already Gone's truck but I'm not sure.) So after more research I found out that the seat was used in 92 to 96 Ford pickups. After a lot of looking (It's the top option bench seat so not real common) I did on located one on Craigslist and it ended up being only $40!
Under a 1/4" of dog hair was a fairly decent seat. Thank goodness for car wash vacuum cleaners. The first thing I did was tear it apart. It came with working lumbar support air pump and bags. After a quick check with a tape measure I tossed it in front of the back of the current seat in the truck and amazingly it seemed like it would be fairly easy to swap the seat backs and be done. For reasons I will explain I decided not to go that route.
Once the seat back was completely disassembled (That was super easy! The upholstery fabric is secured with the white plastic extruded hooks you can see in the last photo.) the Ford: Job One Quality started to show. The seat foam metal supports were broken in several places and they are so lightweight I don't think welding them would be a long term cure.

[HO455]

Besides the broken pieces the big deciding factor was the shape of the Ford seat back. It is the same width across the bottom but it narrows up markedly. I decided I didn't care for that look (Photo #1 Ford seat frame on top of 71 frame) and came to the decision to transfer all the pieces i wanted from the Ford seat to a 67-72 seat. This included the head rests, arm rest, and possibly the lumbar supports.
The current seat in the WMB is the most comfortable and pain free seat I have in the fleet. So changing it out is being done with some trepidation. I bought a 71 seat off of Craigslist for $25 dollars a while back with the plan being I could duct tape it in to submission and use it as a temporary seat while the current seat was being reupholstered. What I discovered is that 71/72 seats have a taller seat back than earlier trucks but shorter seat mounts. One of my dislikes with the current seat is the back is too short for me. So by swapping the 71 seat back on to the 69/70 seat that is currently in the WMB I get a taller seat back and get to keep the taller seat mounts without a bunch of modifications to the seat mounts or the bottom frame.
It took 30 minutes with a pneumatic cutoff wheel to strip the pieces from the Ford seat. Then it took another 30 minutes to remove the 2 screws that held the arm rest to the frame. More quality work. Both screws were cross threaded (Photo #2) and one of them had the Philips head completely blown out. Great more unobtainium to obtain.
Another possible problem area is the guides for the head rests. All 4 of them are broken. The top is supposed to have a disk about 1 inch in diameter and a button that releases the detent on the head rest to allow adjustment. The button and detents are gone and the disks were captured by the head rest posts but otherwise disconnected. (Photo #3 shows what is left of the guides.
Once I had everything I wanted stripped from the Ford seat, it was time to start laying things out. First thing I did was measure the current seat in the WMB as to how far it is from the edge of the seat to the center of the steering wheel. I want to have the head rest centered with the steering wheel. That came to 12 1/2".
Using a tape and a big square I was able to lay out the head rest center line. (Photo #4) If you look close I have the center line marked in silver on the top of the frame.
Up next was to modify the bracket that holds the head rest guides. The Ford seat was flattened across the top and our seats are round. Fortunately the guide brackets had lots of material and it was a matter of removing material on each side and then notching the lower edge to allow it to fit over the 71's wire foam supports. (Photo 5)

[HO455]

The first picture shows an unmodified and a modified guide bracket. To get one side to fit up properly I needed to reposition one of the vertical wires in the foam supports (Photo #2 blue arrow.) There will be more on repositioning the wires later.
Once the guides fit in place I scribed a line to mark the center of the top of the bar where the head rest guide brackets mount. Then I held the guide brackets in position and scribed the holes the plastic guides fit into. With a limit of measuring I figured out where the center of each guide hole needed to be. After center punching and pilot drilling I used a 5/8" hole saw for the basic opening. (Photo #3) The guides are an odd shape that required me to use a die grinder to get the correct shape. (Photo #4) The holes in the Ford seat frame have at least 1/16" of play so need for much accuracy here.
When everything is done it looks like the last photo.
Sorry for the poor quality of some of the photos I just can't seem to get the camera on my new notebook to work as perfectly as my old one.

[HO455]

The arm rest was next. As the 71 seat back and the Ford seat back are virtually the same height there was not a lot of work to make it work. The bottom of the 2 straps had to be notched (Photo #1 near red half circles) to clear the wires. The top of the straps had been formed in half circles. (Photo #2 red arrow) I only had to flatten them out for now. (Photo #3) I will leave it this way until I have a chance to discuss its final location with the upholstery shop. There is about 1 inch of vertical movement to play with and I don't want to tack it down and have it be wrong in relation to the seat bottom. I don't know whether the upholstery shop will want to use the 71 foam or the Ford foam. Both will require a fair bit of modification to work.
The mock up before welding and test fitting in the truck. Pay no mind to the vise grips holding it all together.

[LockDoc]

-
Good progress! Can't wait to see it finished.....

LockDoc

[HO455]

Thanks Doc! I can't wait either.

[HO455]

"If it was easy to drive a old vehicle then everyone would be doing it!"
I've been saying that for years and living it all this month.
Once the driveline was installed I checked the U-joint angles. The one piece set up definitely changed the angles. The transmission angle didn't change, but the number I read did since I did the readings up on the jack stands this time.
The new number for the transmission is 2 degrees down.
The drive shaft was at zero degrees.
The pinon angle was at zero also.
Not the best arrangement. So I ordered a pair of 2 degree shims (Last photo) from Speedway Motors as there was nothing available locally.

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Rear-...SABEgIe6PD_BwE

A couple days later I had them installed and once I had reset the bags to ride height and had double checked that the transmission number hadn't changed I checked the other angles.
Transmission angle 2 degrees down
Driveshaft angle 5 degrees up.
Pinion angle 2 degrees up.
I was surprised that the drive shaft angle changed so much with only 2 degrees of pinion change.
All this means the U-joint angles are now both 3 degrees. Just about perfect in my book. And all this leads to the "It's not easy" part of the project.
When I was originally installing the drive line during the GV installation I had noticed the yoke was damaged. One of the centering tabs for the U-joint bearing caps is shaved off. (Photos 1 & 2). Photo 3 shows the undamaged side. I used a C-clamp to install the U-joint caps. I put one end on the yoke and the a socket on the opposite cap and slowly closed the clamp until I felt the cap on the damaged side was where it should be. Then I torqued the cap bolts. Not the perfect solution but I felt it was good enough to drive for a short time and see how the drive line worked.
I drove it to across town and picked up a pair of free RUSTY Pontiac blocks. The truck now drives super smooth. Better than it has ever been for me. Next step was to go by the rear end shop and see about getting the yoke replaced. They ran out and measured the yoke and got me a new one (Photo 4) and explained how to install it with a pneumatic impact wrench. I was leery that it would work. We talked about for several minutes and went over it a couple of times. The idea is to push the yoke on and put some loctite on the threads then rattle the nut down and stop the moment the nut quits turning when it contacts the yoke. It is supposed to not change the crush of the sleeve that way. Well I should have listened to my inner discomfort about the procedure. I was worried my hot rodded impact would be too quick to stop in time so I turned it down a notch and turned the air down to 90 psi.
Needless to say I didn't get it right and after I had it buttoned up I backed it down the alley 30 feet and the rear end began squalling. Damm!
So this morning out the door at 7:15 and at 8:45 rear end was in the back of the Blazer and off to the shop.

[crakarjax]

Yep that's a bummer, and also why I decided on my truck to tear everything down 100% and replace anything suspect with new parts. I really want to be able to drive my truck without worrying about issues cropping up mid-drive like my other classic car.

[FLYNAVY30]

I think when it comes time to rebuild my junk in a few years, I'm going to go CV joints and a carbon driveshaft from The Driveshaft Shop....super spendy, but all the pro touring guys swear by them and with the CV joints, you dont have to worry about pinion angle.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

Yep that's a bummer, and also why I decided on my truck to tear everything down 100% and replace anything suspect with new parts. I really want to be able to drive my truck without worrying about issues cropping up mid-drive like my other classic car.

I thought that's what I had done with the rear end 2 years ago. I had it gone through from end to to end. One new axle new ring and pinion, all new bearings, but they apparently missed the bad spot on the yoke when they bolted it all back together.
As I said "If it was easy..."

[HO455]

Originally Posted by FLYNAVY30

I think when it comes time to rebuild my junk in a few years, I'm going to go CV joints and a carbon driveshaft from The Driveshaft Shop....super spendy, but all the pro touring guys swear by them and with the CV joints, you dont have to worry about pinion angle.

My only encounters with CV joints has been with a 74 Dodge power wagon 440 w200. That truck would eat the CV joint every 20-30 k miles. Ended up replacing it with a regular drive shaft with U-joints. It didn't last any longer but it was only $30 to fix instead of $175.
The drive angles aren't hard to measure and usually they aren't too tough to bring in to line, unless you have veered way off the factory playbook.

[FLYNAVY30]

Originally Posted by HO455

My only encounters with CV joints has been with a 74 Dodge power wagon 440 w200. That truck would eat the CV joint every 20-30 k miles. Ended up replacing it with a regular drive shaft with U-joints. It didn't last any longer but it was only $30 to fix instead of $175.
The drive angles aren't hard to measure and usually they aren't too tough to bring in to line, unless you have veered way off the factory playbook.

Fair enough...I also suspect it largely depends on how much power you're putting down, and the weight of the vehicle you're moving. All the guys having success with CV joints are running big horse power in highly modified cars (hence the angle issue), but all are well under 4K lbs....so gross weight may play a role in that.

When I eventually convert my truck to 4wd, I may run a divorced NP205 transfer case with a single piece CV driveshaft going both forward and aft....a lot of that plan is TBD however.

[crakarjax]

By the way, I used a solid crush sleeve replacement with shims when I did my rear axle, in part so that I wouldn't have to take it apart when I inevitably went to far with the preload. So I have a few crush sleeves here that I didn't use and I'm happy to send them to you if you want to try replacing it yourself!

[HO455]

Thank you for the offer. I delivered the rear end to the shop last Friday and hope to have it back any day now.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by FLYNAVY30

Fair enough...I also suspect it largely depends on how much power you're putting down, and the weight of the vehicle you're moving. All the guys having success with CV joints are running big horse power in highly modified cars (hence the angle issue), but all are well under 4K lbs....so gross weight may play a role in that.

When I eventually convert my truck to 4wd, I may run a divorced NP205 transfer case with a single piece CV driveshaft going both forward and aft....a lot of that plan is TBD however.

That Dodge was the exact opposite of a pro touring car. With 150 gallon diesel fuel tank, oxy-cetylene torch set, service boxes full of tools and stuff, 4 or 5 chainsaws, and 3 or 4 grumpy loggers on their 30 to 50 mile drive up into the woods. I'm sure we were running at or above the GVW. We also converted from the full time four wheel drive to locking wheel hubs to keep the transfer case the alive.
The frustrating part was the 70 K20 with the 292 the Dodge replaced never gave us any problems.

[HO455]

The seat project has not progressed as nicely as I would have liked. I reinstalled the foam and put a cover on the back and bolted it back together with the base before installing it in the truck. Now that it is in the truck I find I do not like it. The back is straight up vertical and the seat will not slide back nearly as far as the old one. The end result is I feel like I'm up against the wheel and there is no support for my lumbar.
On the plus side the seat is higher on my back than the old one was by about 2 inches.
I will try to figure out a way to measure and compare the seat bases better. They are quite different so it's not as easy as it would seem to compare them. Apples vs Oranges if you will.
On a different note the rear end has been repaired and reinstalled without problems. There is however a more noticeable clunk when going from forward to reverse than there used to be. It could just be me being paranoid. Lots of changes of late with not many miles driven.
Just a quick tip. When it came time to reinstall the Unbolts on the axle the bolts had taken a set and the ends were too wide to go into the axle mount holes as well as the rest of the brackets and trailing as arms. I had to use a woodworking clamp to squeeze the bolt ends narrower to get them to drop in. I don't have a large enough vice at the house to squeeze them together so I had to make do. The clamp was just able to get the 1/8" or so needed to get them to drop in without damaging the threads.

[Average Joe]

I’m happy to hear the driveline saga is all but over. That really sucks that companies think that behavior is acceptable. It also make me REALLY appreciate my local driveshaft shop!

[HO455]

Originally Posted by Average Joe

I’m happy to hear the driveline saga is all but over. That really sucks that companies think that behavior is acceptable. It also make me REALLY appreciate my local driveshaft shop!

I may drive down your way for my next one!

[HO455]

First off big Hurrah for djeCST and his thread on turn signal switches!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=711090

Yesterday I noticed the turn signal lever seemed kinda floppy and vague. Well today it was loose enough to start randomly honking the horn. I had to pull over and unplug the horn relay just to get home safely. With all the disgruntlement in Portland these days one doesn't want your horn honking randomly.
My first thought was the screw had backed off, which was partially true. It had gotten loose but, it was because the threads had pulled out. (Photo #1)
I have to apologize for not getting photos from start to finish on this little repair. But I have harvested some from djeCST's thread and others. Hopefully they don't mind?

I used djeCST's thread to figure out how to disassemble the switch from the housing.

So the turn signal cam pivots on a pot metal pin. (Photo #2 & 3 blue circles) The end of that pin is threaded and the screw that secures the signal lever in place goes there. To repair this I cleaned the hole out and filled it with JB Weld (Did you know a farmer in Iowa fixed a tractor block with JB Weld?) Once it had hardened I filled it smooth (Photo #4) and drilled and tapped it for an 8-32 screw.
The screw that was in mine was the black self tapping one. (Photo #5) I have no idea if it is the correct screw. Although it look like the one in the photo I found. I replaced it with a regular screw with a square end and used a bottom tap to get more threads to the bottom of the hole. All this was iin hopes that with more threads it won't pull out again, or won't pull out before I find a bad switch with a good pin. I also considered drilling oversize and tapping it for a 10-32 screw but the wall thickness would not be very much and I would also have to oversize the hole in the cam and the lever too.
While I had the wheel off I greased the upper bearing and cleaned and lined the switch. It is amazing how much dirt and debris gets inside of the housing.
Once back together the switch works so much smoother than before and it doesn't honk either.

[Average Joe]

Originally Posted by HO455

I may drive down your way for my next one!

Do that!
Walker Driveline in Talent, OR. Great guy that always keeps my budget in mind. I have to stop myself from calling it “Walker Texas Driveline” lol

[HO455]

I rolled out this morning to do more tuning of the front suspension. Earlier I had trimmed the cups to get more air pressure at ride height to make the ride better. It helped but it wasn't enough. After I pulled the driver's side cup out I marked the centering ring height and how deep the cup was on a piece of metal. (Photos #1&2) Then I measured the difference to be removed. (Photo #3) The ring I had welded in the control arm to keep the bag centered was just under 7/8", so I made the cup depth 15/16".

In addition to this I wanted to cut the bump stops down a bit. Currently when you hit a deep pot hole the wheel drops and then before the shock can catch the weight the bump stop slams into the crossmember and the whole truck is jarred. Photo #4 shows the bump stop bottomed out. (Ignore the green circle) As you can see there is not much room and that short bumper doesn't have much in the way of cushioning. I should have engineered it better from the beginning.

Once the driver's side cup was reinstalled I removed the bump stop and the jacked the truck up on the control arm to see how much of the metal base I could remove and still have the bumper stop the arms before the airbag became the bump stop. Something all the air bag manufacturers say is to be avoided. I used a drill bit to determine that the gap was now 7/64" (Photo # 5)

Once numerous measurements were taken I decided that I could safely remove 1/4" of the bumper mount. I am hoping that this 1/4" and a higher psi at ride height will reduce the tendency to bottom out on everything but the worst bumps.

During all of the up and down with the bags the driver's side front valve started not shutting and allowing the bag to keep inflating. I have had this happen before and I had to tear down the valve and replace the O-rings. It will take about 2 to 3 hours to replace the bad O-ring and get everything back on line. Well that's going to be a job for another day as it now is working correctly and I need to get the rest of this done.

[HO455]

Now I had a developed plan it was time to do the passenger side. This time I removed the shocks to get easier access to the cup. When I went to remove the shock from the I discovered this! (Photo # 1.) The bag has been torn up in 2 places. I had been maneuvering around in a friend's back lot a week or so ago and must have gotten something jammed up in there.

Sorry to say but this is the last straw. These damm bags are coming out. The problems never seem to end, and I really do not like whipping the truck into a turn a 55 mph and it not handling as expected as one of the bags has lost 5 psi.
I didn't see any need to finish the bump stop modification or to cut down the passenger side cup. I buttoned it back up and will hopefully I can drive it until I get the springs.

Time to figure out what springs I need.

[Average Joe]

That’s too bad about the front bags. I totally get it though. I’ve always been reluctant to bag the front of mine for fear of the same.

[HO455]

Time to move on. I picked these control arms up a few years back at the Portland Swap Meet. They were part of a bunch of stuff in a package deal. I'm probably in to them 50 or 60 bucks. One is set up for some kind of air bag. Time for the blue wrench! 45 minutes later it's ready to have the ball joint pressed out.
I'm willing to bet the ball joints and the bushings are generic offshore units. I will reuse the Moog pieces from the old arms. That will also save me from having to re-index the control arm shafts. And with a little over 20k miles on them the Moogs should still outlast the other ones.
Now just waiting for the springs to arrive.

As a side note the shortening of the cups that I did in the previous posting did in fact stiffen up the front suspension feel. It is more of a change than I expected. The truck now has more of a 70's Trans Am feel when entering a turn. I believe that it is possible that with the bags being stiffer at a lower height is keeping the suspension in a sweeter spot for the alignment.

[crakarjax]

It's a moot point now, but Slam Specialties bags have an internal bump stop so you can totally ditch the OEM one. I haven't put any serious miles on mine but I'm banking on the internal stop being sufficient!