Spent Sunday putting the front rotors and rear drums together. The fronts went relatively easy. Let me tell you, bearing grease smells like crap. I don’t mean it smells bad, it smells like crap! After I figured out that the rotors had their own races I managed to pop things together pretty quickly. I also got the tie-rod lock nuts loose! Finally! Good news is I don’t have to buy a new steering rack. Bad news is I can’t buy a new steering rack. Looks like I’ll be slogging through the donor rack for a while. Some extra upper arm strength never hurt anyone.
The drums didn’t go together quite so easily. I replaced the shoes and the springs. The left side drum slid on with a little bit of encouragement. The right side however, won’t go on. I must have something lined up wrong or the drum itself is too crapped up on the inside. Either way, it ain’t going on. Been asking the club guys for suggestions. I think Bob Lennon has the best suggestion so far. Check the adjuster and make certain it’s actually in the slots on the shoes. I think it is but that will have to wait until I get home.
I also started putting together the steering shaft. The lower is in and I’ve trying to remove the upper that Travis gave me, from the lower that was still attached. It doesn’t want to slide out but a little time and PB Blaster should fix that. Might be able to sit in it and grab the steering wheel soon.
For the prospective builders out there…the toughest part of this whole thing has been anything related to the donor. The kit goes together pretty easily. There are parts of the instructions that are a little vague but with some noodling can be figured out. The donor parts are different. Maybe it’s just because my donor was dirty beyond belief. I’m just hoping it runs well at this point.