1970 Dart Swinger FINALLY UNDERWAY
Well since I moved most of my tools into the shop I'm a little bit short handed here at home, I'll have to replenish my stock. Can't do much with the axle without my sockets and wrenches so I went at the leaf springs, a long overdue project of getting the old metal outer rings out from the old bushings since the new urethane bushings do not use them. Took a friends suggestion and carefully cut through them from the inside with a sawzall before using a number of cheap harbor freight screwdrivers to hammer in and collapse the sleeve. Took a bit of time but I got one of them completely done with new bushings and attached the shackle. Taking a break for dinner then I'll finish up the passenger side spring.
In periodical axle news, I discovered the pinion bearings are bad, like 1/8 of free play in all directions bad and spinning it feels like spinning a chainsaw. Something I probably should have checked before but at least this is just a minor delay and not a serious screw up like the usual axle updates. I'm going to do the carrier bearings while I'm at it since the only way to get the head bearing and tail bearing for the pinion was to buy them in a kit with the carrier bearings. Can't hurt anyway. I will have to wait until I can bring some of my tools home from work, or buy more, before I can attack that though.
Well since I moved most of my tools into the shop I'm a little bit short handed here at home, I'll have to replenish my stock. Can't do much with the axle without my sockets and wrenches so I went at the leaf springs, a long overdue project of getting the old metal outer rings out from the old bushings since the new urethane bushings do not use them. Took a friends suggestion and carefully cut through them from the inside with a sawzall before using a number of cheap harbor freight screwdrivers to hammer in and collapse the sleeve. Took a bit of time but I got one of them completely done with new bushings and attached the shackle. Taking a break for dinner then I'll finish up the passenger side spring.
In periodical axle news, I discovered the pinion bearings are bad, like 1/8 of free play in all directions bad and spinning it feels like spinning a chainsaw. Something I probably should have checked before but at least this is just a minor delay and not a serious screw up like the usual axle updates. I'm going to do the carrier bearings while I'm at it since the only way to get the head bearing and tail bearing for the pinion was to buy them in a kit with the carrier bearings. Can't hurt anyway. I will have to wait until I can bring some of my tools home from work, or buy more, before I can attack that though.
