Working Man's Burbon

[Ol Blue K20]

Oh that sucks! I'm no help on a body shop though.

[FLYNAVY30]

Oh man, I feel for you! I'm no help as far as shop recommendations go, but Ill be following along for updates.

[CG]

Dang! Huge bummer. Sometimes a guy cant catch a break!!!

[pwdcougar]

Damn that stinks! Good luck finding a shop.

[HO455]

Thanks everyone! I have a feeling getting the WMB back to normal is going to be a tough row to hoe. And I'm quite certain the insurance companies will be disappointing to say at the least with their follow through.

[kev2809]

wow...sorry to hear about your paint buddy, and the truck.

the damage does not look too bad but I hope you find a shop that deals with these old things so they can fix it right

[HO455]

Thanks. Having it as insurance claim is making it harder to find a shop who is willing to do the work. I've had 5 shops tell me they would do it for cash but not for an insurance company. Too many hassles.

[FLYNAVY30]

Originally Posted by HO455

Thanks. Having it as insurance claim is making it harder to find a shop who is willing to do the work. I've had 5 shops tell me they would do it for cash but not for an insurance company. Too many hassles.

Hmmmmm.... so my wife got cut off a few months back in her brand new BMW 440i and stuffed it into the side of the car that ran the light. Fortunately, she saw it coming early enough that she jumped on the brakes in enough time to get the car slowed below 15 MPH on impact, so the damage was relatively minor and the airbags didn't go off.

The point of my story is that when I went to have it fixed, I had to take the car to a USAA adjuster. They did the estimate for the repair, cut me a check, and told me to take it wherever I wanted. When the actual repair total was over twice the initial estimate, USAA just sent the additional payment directly to the shop although they did give me the option of paying out of pocket and then sending me a check.

What I'm getting at is, isn't there a way for you to "pay cash" to have the work done, then just have the insurance company cut you a check once you provide a receipt? If not, I'd look into a new insurance company.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by FLYNAVY30

Hmmmmm.... so my wife got cut off a few months back in her brand new BMW 440i and stuffed it into the side of the car that ran the light. Fortunately, she saw it coming early enough that she jumped on the brakes in enough time to get the car slowed below 15 MPH on impact, so the damage was relatively minor and the airbags didn't go off.

The point of my story is that when I went to have it fixed, I had to take the car to a USAA adjuster. They did the estimate for the repair, cut me a check, and told me to take it wherever I wanted. When the actual repair total was over twice the initial estimate, USAA just sent the additional payment directly to the shop although they did give me the option of paying out of pocket and then sending me a check.

What I'm getting at is, isn't there a way for you to "pay cash" to have the work done, then just have the insurance company cut you a check once you provide a receipt? If not, I'd look into a new insurance company.

Unfortunately I don't know. This is my first insurance claim.

[Dieselwrencher]

Man, that really stinks. Sorry to hear your friend passed away. Luckily the damage to the burb wasn't worse. Hopefully you can locate a good body shop and get it fixed up soon.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Man, that really stinks. Sorry to hear your friend passed away. Luckily the damage to the burb wasn't worse. Hopefully you can locate a good body shop and get it fixed up soon.

Thanks. Replacing the quarter panel will get done, it's a matter if how much of a hassle it is going to be.
Driving past my buddy's old shop everyday was tough before I needed a good bodyshop. Now it is even sadder.

[HO455]

Is been a while since the last time I posted. I have done a lot of running around and there is no end in sight. I have decided on a body shop for the work. The owner has already agreed to allow me in on Saturdays when his workers are gone to work on the WMB. Big plus! Now just waiting for my slot.
I other related news I was grumbling about my turn signal switch cams going bad as it has become difficult to get the signal to operate smoothly and stay on. I finally realized the problem was because the steering wheel was no longer straight up when the truck was driving straight. I took it to my friends at Trackside Motorsports (A-N-T tire) to get the alignment checked. And the results showed the rear end is no longer straight. With the driver's side is toed out and the passenger side is toed in. So I'm crab walking down the road these days. (Photo #1 is from the alignment last November and photo #2 is the latest one) Not the best numbers for tire life and fuel efficiency.
While on the rack we noticed what appears to be oil seeping from where the axle tube goes into the carrier housing and from one of the axle tube plug welds on the left side.
I have not had any luck finding any place who wants to or can repair the axle. But some shops have by yet to return my call.
The truck was converted to 5 lugs when I bought it but I wasn't sure how it was done. I called Mel at ClassicBowtie about a replacement rear end. He told me he has an early rear end but not a 71/72 rear. So armed with the axle width dimensions he gave me, I jacked the truck up and measured hoping to find an early axle. But alas I'm not that lucky. The axle flange face to face measured 63 3/8". Close enough to 63 1/2" to ID the housing as a 71/72. ( Photo #3 & 4) (An early axle would have measured 62")
I clamped some straight square stock to the flanges and measured inside edge to inside edge to determine the length. The 1/8" difference may be due to the aftermarket axle on the left side.
The real rub on this is how the insurance company is going to respond. I don't doubt they will accept replacing the axle, but will I have to pay for rebuilding it? I had the current rear end completely gone through several years back. Fortunately I have an aftermarket long track bar so I could use a later axle and have the mounting pads changed.
So the negotiations to began. Fortunately I have good documentation with receipts and this forum.

[Ol Blue K20]

Is the rear-end hidden accident damage?

[HO455]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Is the rear-end hidden accident damage?

Yes it is.
I did some additional inspecting when I measured the axle width. First was a quick check of the left axle shaft by jacking the wheel up and spinning it but there was no noticeable wobble. I then clamped a straight edge to the axle flange and measured to the back of the backing plate on the front, rear, top, and bottom to see if the backing plate might be bent, but it all seemed okay. The last 2 photos show the largest difference I found. The front to rear difference is .004. The top to bottom was less than .001. Not bad after 50 years under at least 2 trucks and involved in 2 accidents (That I know of).
If I had stock wheels and tires I might not have bent the axle as the tires may have slid sideways instead. But I love me some big meats on the rear.

[HO455]

Finally some tangible progress! After several weeks of searching I found a 71/72 rear end.
Even luckier (For me anyway. Someone else's misery has made my life better) it came out of running 71 that was recently wrecked. So no worries about the internals being rusted solid.
Axle code says THC which should be a non- posi 3:73. At present I'm sure about the lack of a LSD but the ratio is a mystery. Not that it matters as the plan is to swap my newer internals into this housing..
The cover is all goobered up with silicone so someone has been inside it. The center housing had a good 3/16 or more of greasy dirt on it which I'm pretty sure is from the top part of the cover. I flipped the axle vertical on the jack stands oil dripped out. A clue even I can pickup on. The oil even looked nice and clean.
So after several hours of cleaning it is just about ready for some paint.

[pwdcougar]

Originally Posted by HO455

Finally some tangible progress! After several weeks of searching I found a 71/72 rear end.
Even luckier (For me anyway. Someone else's misery has made my life better) it came out of running 71 that was recently wrecked. So no worries about the internals being rusted solid.
Axle code says THC which should be a non- posi 3:73. At present I'm sure about the lack of a LSD but the ratio is a mystery. Not that it matters as the plan is to swap my newer internals into this housing..
The cover is all goobered up with silicone so someone has been inside it. The center housing had a good 3/16 or more of greasy dirt on it which I'm pretty sure is from the top part of the cover. I flipped the axle vertical on the jack stands oil dripped out. A clue even I can pickup on. The oil even looked nice and clean.
So after several hours of cleaning it is just about ready for some paint.

Looks like a good score!

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by HO455

Finally some tangible progress! After several weeks of searching I found a 71/72 rear end.
Even luckier (For me anyway. Someone else's misery has made my life better) it came out of running 71 that was recently wrecked. So no worries about the internals being rusted solid.
Axle code says THC which should be a non- posi 3:73. At present I'm sure about the lack of a LSD but the ratio is a mystery. Not that it matters as the plan is to swap my newer internals into this housing..
The cover is all goobered up with silicone so someone has been inside it. The center housing had a good 3/16 or more of greasy dirt on it which I'm pretty sure is from the top part of the cover. I flipped the axle vertical on the jack stands oil dripped out. A clue even I can pickup on. The oil even looked nice and clean.
So after several hours of cleaning it is just about ready for some paint.

Yes, stock would have been a 3.73 ratio open . Looks good.

LockDoc

[Ol Blue K20]

Nice find.

[HO455]

Thanks! Life has been in the way as of late so progress has been slow. At least the first photo seems like progress. I'm not so sure the other photos are. 😕
The bent axle and the new axle are at the shop to be combined along with some new seals and fresh lubricant. Now it's wait for the phone to ring.

[HO455]

And thank you everyone who has dropped in to look in on this thread!
I noticed that there now has been over 100k visits. I am humbled to think that my ramblings on about the WMB have generated that much interest.
Once again thank you all. It certainly has motivated me to keep moving forward.

[kev2809]

rear axle looks great, thanks for adding something to my to do list....

[HO455]

Thank you. We'll see how it holds up. A friend told me his undercarriage painting process that he swears by.
Scrape the heavy crud off. Degrease everything. Lightly sandblast to remove rust scale but not to white metal. Wipe everything down with mineral spirts Let dry 1 hour. Put 2 coats of POR15 on 2 to 3 hours apart. The POR15 can't be sticky but needs to have drag when you pull your finger across it between coats. When the second coat has dried to the "drag on the finger" state apply the top coat. He says he has had good results with Rustoleum enamel so I that's what I used. It looks better than just rattle canning it.
I didnt do the backing plates yet as I am planning to swap the ones from the bent axle. They have all new (Well 30k miles new) brake parts.

[kev2809]

im actually going to try mastercoat seems legit and not as messy as por 15. when i get it on ill update my build thread

[HO455]

Originally Posted by kev2809

im actually going to try mastercoat seems legit and not as messy as por 15. when i get it on ill update my build thread

I check back to see, but I'm guessing it will have to wait until your oil water crisis is past.

[HO455]

Back on the straight and narrow again. I got the new axle back and installed, no more crabbing down the road!
I will pass on how I dealt with the U-bolts. After the U-bolts get torqued down to the recommended 250 ft-lb's they distort slightly, meaning that the two threaded sections have spread and are no longer parallel. (See photo #1. The green arrow side is in the hole and the red arrow side is about 3/8" too wide.)
I took a clamp and compressed the legs to get them to slide back into the trailing arms. See the other photos. After taking the photos I cleaned up the U-bolts and gave them some paint and brand new anti-seize before installing them.
I sacrificed a Jorgensen knock off years ago for automotive use. That style of wooden clamp doesn't damage the threads but, they are bulky.

Between the axle shop and having to reinstall the axle single handedly the nice paint on the axle took some damage. Hopefully I can touch it up while in the body shop. The owner said I could work on non-oily projects on Saturdays when his regular crew is off.
Progress! Next up is a trip to the body shop. Tentatively scheduled for 10/25!