Captainkirk's Duster project
- Thread starter Captainkirk
- Start date
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abdywgn
dismantler
axles still in the housing? bolt a wheel/tire combo on the spring-less side. if nothing else, it'll help it ro;; on down the highway.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Yes sir, axles and pumpkin still on board. Not sure if it would roll under from the rear with wheels on but worth a try. Thanks for the tip.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Spring is right around the corner.
No, not THAT spring...the one that attaches to the axle housing. I still haven't managed to get the bushings and shackles out of the spring eyes yet, but I was tired at looking at dirty, rusty springs taunting me from the corner of the garage, so I set a couple of saw horses and went to town with the drill and wire wheel while the sun was still above the horizon. Didn't take long to get the spring down to smooth rust and took even less time to slap a coat of Rust Reformer on it.
There, now...that wasn't so hard, was it?
No, not THAT spring...the one that attaches to the axle housing. I still haven't managed to get the bushings and shackles out of the spring eyes yet, but I was tired at looking at dirty, rusty springs taunting me from the corner of the garage, so I set a couple of saw horses and went to town with the drill and wire wheel while the sun was still above the horizon. Didn't take long to get the spring down to smooth rust and took even less time to slap a coat of Rust Reformer on it.
There, now...that wasn't so hard, was it?
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
A little more "stuff" on the Duke:
Since I kinda hit a speed bump on the rear axle until I get my son to help remove the other leaf spring, and have cleaned up and Reformed most of the bits & pieces in Ziploc Land, I turned my attention to the front end parts. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:
The Good- everything is pretty much how I took it off. The upper and lower control arms seem to be in decent condition wear-wise, with the exception of the ball joint boots and bushing rubbers, which are cracked and dry-rotted, but still intact. In fact, if I slapped the K-frame on I could probably bolt up the front suspension as-is and have it mobile.
The Bad- as I mentioned, there are parts that need replacing after 53 years. But until I find another job, I won't be spending money on project car parts. So I'll have to make do with a wire wheel and paint for the time being.
The Ugly- while the front susp parts are wear-wise in really good condition, they have a lot of heavy, flaky rust on them and are gonna need some work. Also, the right spindle has some pitting on it that Scotch Brite didn't get off. Thinking maybe some emery cloth with oil might help, otherwise I might be looking at replacing at least one spindle. I'm kicking myself for not slathering the spindles with grease after removing the discs. Not sure about the left one yet.
I've not yet heard a peep out of The Duke Hissownself. And I'm not sure if I go out to the House that Duke Built to work on the Duster while having a few beers and listening to music, or to have something to do while I listen to music and drink beer? There are two things that make me forget the whole job thing temporarily; one is losing myself in the House That Duke built, and the other is writing. Hence me here, now, and heading out to THTDB* shortly, beer in hand.
I saw this morning that "Victor" made a new friend. As Queen said; "Another one bites the dust". Good Riddance. I have discovered I no longer have to tie them into used Walmart bags and toss 'em in the garbage to stink for a week; all I need to do is chuck 'em in the corner of the yard and they disappear like magic! Not sure if it's raccoons or squirrels or what, but it doesn't take long for them to vanish; sometimes in under an hour. At any rate, they are 'disappeared' by morning.
Well, off to THTDB*, beer in hand. Stay tuned.
*THTDB (the house that Duke Built)
Since I kinda hit a speed bump on the rear axle until I get my son to help remove the other leaf spring, and have cleaned up and Reformed most of the bits & pieces in Ziploc Land, I turned my attention to the front end parts. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:
The Good- everything is pretty much how I took it off. The upper and lower control arms seem to be in decent condition wear-wise, with the exception of the ball joint boots and bushing rubbers, which are cracked and dry-rotted, but still intact. In fact, if I slapped the K-frame on I could probably bolt up the front suspension as-is and have it mobile.
The Bad- as I mentioned, there are parts that need replacing after 53 years. But until I find another job, I won't be spending money on project car parts. So I'll have to make do with a wire wheel and paint for the time being.
The Ugly- while the front susp parts are wear-wise in really good condition, they have a lot of heavy, flaky rust on them and are gonna need some work. Also, the right spindle has some pitting on it that Scotch Brite didn't get off. Thinking maybe some emery cloth with oil might help, otherwise I might be looking at replacing at least one spindle. I'm kicking myself for not slathering the spindles with grease after removing the discs. Not sure about the left one yet.
I've not yet heard a peep out of The Duke Hissownself. And I'm not sure if I go out to the House that Duke Built to work on the Duster while having a few beers and listening to music, or to have something to do while I listen to music and drink beer? There are two things that make me forget the whole job thing temporarily; one is losing myself in the House That Duke built, and the other is writing. Hence me here, now, and heading out to THTDB* shortly, beer in hand.
I saw this morning that "Victor" made a new friend. As Queen said; "Another one bites the dust". Good Riddance. I have discovered I no longer have to tie them into used Walmart bags and toss 'em in the garbage to stink for a week; all I need to do is chuck 'em in the corner of the yard and they disappear like magic! Not sure if it's raccoons or squirrels or what, but it doesn't take long for them to vanish; sometimes in under an hour. At any rate, they are 'disappeared' by morning.
Well, off to THTDB*, beer in hand. Stay tuned.
*THTDB (the house that Duke Built)
mygasser
Well-Known Member
re the 'bad'.... as long as the seal surface on the spindle is pretty good any slight pitting elsewhere won't be a problem.
neil.
neil.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Good to know!
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
So, tonight's progress...
First, I attacked the right front brake caliper with relish (no, not the kind you put on a hot dog, ya goof!) and my trusty ol' wire wheel. It took some doing and a little elbow grease, but I got most of the rust off. I'll need a seal kit before going any further, but the difference is night-and-day (see pic below). I was able to get the bleeder out and clean it spotless without snapping it off (a little Aero Kroil and heat helped) and remove the two bolts that hold to two halves together. These are the Kelsey-Hayes 4 piston calipers...the "good ones". As luck would have it, I found a nearly full can of ultra-high temp satin black brake caliper paint on my work bench that I had bought for a motorcycle project several years back. Let's hope it still sprays. I'll check it out tomorrow.
I was also able to save the right front spindle using a wire wheel, Scotch Brite and a little bit of Flitz polish. I'm quite happy about that. Now to start cleaning up the control arms, etc. It's really pretty slow going, but to see components slowly but surely getting reconditioned is a hell of a morale booster!
The meeses have seemingly gone into hiding with me out there on a daily and nightly basis. Maybe they don't like my choice of music, I dunno...but as long as they stay gone I don't care where they go. All 6 traps are still cocked and locked and full of peanut-buttery goodness if they wanna try their luck...
Kelsey-Hayes 4 piston caliper, cleaned up
Spindle after clean-up
First, I attacked the right front brake caliper with relish (no, not the kind you put on a hot dog, ya goof!) and my trusty ol' wire wheel. It took some doing and a little elbow grease, but I got most of the rust off. I'll need a seal kit before going any further, but the difference is night-and-day (see pic below). I was able to get the bleeder out and clean it spotless without snapping it off (a little Aero Kroil and heat helped) and remove the two bolts that hold to two halves together. These are the Kelsey-Hayes 4 piston calipers...the "good ones". As luck would have it, I found a nearly full can of ultra-high temp satin black brake caliper paint on my work bench that I had bought for a motorcycle project several years back. Let's hope it still sprays. I'll check it out tomorrow.
I was also able to save the right front spindle using a wire wheel, Scotch Brite and a little bit of Flitz polish. I'm quite happy about that. Now to start cleaning up the control arms, etc. It's really pretty slow going, but to see components slowly but surely getting reconditioned is a hell of a morale booster!
The meeses have seemingly gone into hiding with me out there on a daily and nightly basis. Maybe they don't like my choice of music, I dunno...but as long as they stay gone I don't care where they go. All 6 traps are still cocked and locked and full of peanut-buttery goodness if they wanna try their luck...
Kelsey-Hayes 4 piston caliper, cleaned up
Spindle after clean-up
All the work is a boost , looks good
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Yesterday was somewhat an exercise in frustration.
The day started out decent enough, with me getting fed up with a couple things; first, the fluorescent light over my work bench has been DOA for some time now. It has one of those pull-chain light switches and it decided a while ago it would be more fun to be non-cooperative than not. For the most part it's been a minor annoyance until lately when I started working on the Duke again, as wire-wheeling rusty parts is far better and safer when not employing the Stevie Wonder method...and couple that with a stupid LED light bulb on the bench grinder itself that seemed to have it's own auto-dim feature built in, and...well, you get the picture. Having adequate lighting while working in front of spinning orbs rotating at 40,000 rpm could damn near be called a necessity.
Back to getting fed up; to change the pull switch on the light would mean pulling the end cap off the light, and that wasn't happening hanging over my head, so I pulled the light down and dragged it into the sunlight where I could actually see what I was doing. There were no screws holding the end cap in place, but sliding a putty knife between the seams revealed little plastic tabs that popped free. Then I had to find the little plastic tabs that held the PCB (printed circuit board) in place. Once that was out of the way I had access to the switch, so I clipped the wires and headed up to Ace Hardware for a new chain switch, a pack of butt splices, and a real light bulb. 15 minutes later the bench was now lit up like Caesar's Palace and I was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Yesterday evening, now armed with the gift of Adequate Lighting I marched out looking to pick a fight with something rusty. I quickly settled on the opposite side (left) brake caliper and started with the brake pad retainers and bolts. Got thru the first one lickety-split, the started in wire-wheeling the second retainer bolt. I got it squeaky-clean and was going after that last speck of rust when the wire wheel snatched it from my hand and flung it to who-knows-where; I heard it smack something hard so I shut off the bench grinder and started looking for it. Now, there are only two places it could go; straight back against the pegboard wall, or straight down to the floor. I spent the next hour checking both and came up empty-handed. I finally gave up, realizing I will most certainly find it just as soon as I buy a replacement bolt, but certainly not before. Just you wait and see, and I will tell you "I told you so".
Moving on, I got as much of the surface rust as I could stomach removed, then decided to try my luck breaking loose the B-nuts on the right side caliper crossover line loose. I had to drag it in the house and down to the basement shop to use my large bench vise to hold the caliper lugs while I went at it with a line wrench. Fully expecting the fittings to round off, I was prepared for the worst but pleasantly surprised when they cracked loose. Dodged a bullet there, friends! I'm not gonna separate the two caliper halves until I get my seal kits, but knowing the bolts and fittings are free on at least one caliper is a big relief!
These aren't big battles I'm winning; more like small skirmishes. But the forward momentum is what keeps me going along with the anticipation of getting closer to the finish line; even if one step at a time. Time now to shut off the computer and go fight some more.
Left side caliper prior to starting clean-up; YUCK!
The day started out decent enough, with me getting fed up with a couple things; first, the fluorescent light over my work bench has been DOA for some time now. It has one of those pull-chain light switches and it decided a while ago it would be more fun to be non-cooperative than not. For the most part it's been a minor annoyance until lately when I started working on the Duke again, as wire-wheeling rusty parts is far better and safer when not employing the Stevie Wonder method...and couple that with a stupid LED light bulb on the bench grinder itself that seemed to have it's own auto-dim feature built in, and...well, you get the picture. Having adequate lighting while working in front of spinning orbs rotating at 40,000 rpm could damn near be called a necessity.
Back to getting fed up; to change the pull switch on the light would mean pulling the end cap off the light, and that wasn't happening hanging over my head, so I pulled the light down and dragged it into the sunlight where I could actually see what I was doing. There were no screws holding the end cap in place, but sliding a putty knife between the seams revealed little plastic tabs that popped free. Then I had to find the little plastic tabs that held the PCB (printed circuit board) in place. Once that was out of the way I had access to the switch, so I clipped the wires and headed up to Ace Hardware for a new chain switch, a pack of butt splices, and a real light bulb. 15 minutes later the bench was now lit up like Caesar's Palace and I was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Yesterday evening, now armed with the gift of Adequate Lighting I marched out looking to pick a fight with something rusty. I quickly settled on the opposite side (left) brake caliper and started with the brake pad retainers and bolts. Got thru the first one lickety-split, the started in wire-wheeling the second retainer bolt. I got it squeaky-clean and was going after that last speck of rust when the wire wheel snatched it from my hand and flung it to who-knows-where; I heard it smack something hard so I shut off the bench grinder and started looking for it. Now, there are only two places it could go; straight back against the pegboard wall, or straight down to the floor. I spent the next hour checking both and came up empty-handed. I finally gave up, realizing I will most certainly find it just as soon as I buy a replacement bolt, but certainly not before. Just you wait and see, and I will tell you "I told you so".
Moving on, I got as much of the surface rust as I could stomach removed, then decided to try my luck breaking loose the B-nuts on the right side caliper crossover line loose. I had to drag it in the house and down to the basement shop to use my large bench vise to hold the caliper lugs while I went at it with a line wrench. Fully expecting the fittings to round off, I was prepared for the worst but pleasantly surprised when they cracked loose. Dodged a bullet there, friends! I'm not gonna separate the two caliper halves until I get my seal kits, but knowing the bolts and fittings are free on at least one caliper is a big relief!
These aren't big battles I'm winning; more like small skirmishes. But the forward momentum is what keeps me going along with the anticipation of getting closer to the finish line; even if one step at a time. Time now to shut off the computer and go fight some more.
Left side caliper prior to starting clean-up; YUCK!
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
"And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done."
Sounds like a plan, so I followed suit...the resting part, that is. Besides, I'm about to go bat-**** from standing over that wire wheel inhaling rust every damn night and it's raining out.
Last night I did manage to get a bunch done on the left caliper, including removing the crossover line and inlet line, again having to tote the caliper down to the big-*** bench vise downstairs to crack the flare nuts loose. One of the crossover fittings is stuck to the line (so trying to loosen the nut is twisting the line), but I was able to remove the line by un-threading the fitting on the other end and then rotating the whole line until it came un-threaded. That line fitting is soaking in Kroil as we speak.
That done, I spun out the two half attaching bolts, removed the pads, then separated the two halves. As I feared would be the case, the pistons are firmly stuck in the bores and the usual trick of 120 psi from the compressor didn't even budge them a smidge.
Now, I have heard some say if you can find a NPT zerk fitting that will thread into the bleeder hole, you can pump enough grease into the cylinders to pop the pistons out, but I never tried it. Sounds like a hell of a mess to me and a waste of good grease. I guess a pressure pot full of DOT-3 will do the same thing but alas, I don't have a pressure pot. As Mr. T would say, "I pity the foo'"
The other option would be to clamp the cylinder in the Big Mamoo vise downstairs and go at it with a Very Large Channelock pliers, which I DO have, but we all know how that story generally ends. And I'm not sure if anyone even stocks the Kelsey-Hayes pistons any more? I reckon I'll have to cogitate on this one before jumping in to the deep end. Haste makes waste, as the saying goes.
Seems as if the Duke is gonna fight me tooth and nail every chance it gets.
Sounds like a plan, so I followed suit...the resting part, that is. Besides, I'm about to go bat-**** from standing over that wire wheel inhaling rust every damn night and it's raining out.
Last night I did manage to get a bunch done on the left caliper, including removing the crossover line and inlet line, again having to tote the caliper down to the big-*** bench vise downstairs to crack the flare nuts loose. One of the crossover fittings is stuck to the line (so trying to loosen the nut is twisting the line), but I was able to remove the line by un-threading the fitting on the other end and then rotating the whole line until it came un-threaded. That line fitting is soaking in Kroil as we speak.
That done, I spun out the two half attaching bolts, removed the pads, then separated the two halves. As I feared would be the case, the pistons are firmly stuck in the bores and the usual trick of 120 psi from the compressor didn't even budge them a smidge.
Now, I have heard some say if you can find a NPT zerk fitting that will thread into the bleeder hole, you can pump enough grease into the cylinders to pop the pistons out, but I never tried it. Sounds like a hell of a mess to me and a waste of good grease. I guess a pressure pot full of DOT-3 will do the same thing but alas, I don't have a pressure pot. As Mr. T would say, "I pity the foo'"
The other option would be to clamp the cylinder in the Big Mamoo vise downstairs and go at it with a Very Large Channelock pliers, which I DO have, but we all know how that story generally ends. And I'm not sure if anyone even stocks the Kelsey-Hayes pistons any more? I reckon I'll have to cogitate on this one before jumping in to the deep end. Haste makes waste, as the saying goes.
Seems as if the Duke is gonna fight me tooth and nail every chance it gets.
mygasser
Well-Known Member
have you got access to a 'hot spanner/gas axe' to heat the casting which should free up the pistons? if you're rebuilding them anyway burning the seals won't matter so....
neil.
neil.
They can still be bought , but there not cheap , $150 or more apiece
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
"Sounds like a hell of a mess to me and a waste of good grease."
Well, I hate to come on all prophetic and such, but...yeah. Pretty much that.
A few things here. First, the grease trick does work. But for the record, the Kelsey-Hayes calipers hold a cavernous amount of grease. It took nearly a whole tube to get the pistons popped on one caliper. At $8.99 a tube I sure hope there's enough to do the other side. I had to cut the dust seals off with a razor knife, as they appeared to be locked in by rust. The four pistons all have a ring of corrosion around them, and one is way worse than the others. Unfortunately they appear to be plated, and the plating is actually peeling off. I won't know the full effect of the condition until I get all the grease out of the calipers, remove the traces of O-rings and dust seals, and get a good look at things.
I came in the house with grease all over my shirt, face, hands and forearms and it didn't make me a happy camper. I didn't sign up for this ****. Makes me wonder if they would've worked just fine if I just put them back on as-is, but I wouldn't be able to sleep nights thinking about 50 year-old o-rings being the only barrier between me and an accident. I did a search, and Auto Zone has exchange units for $176.00 apiece (see below) No, they're not OEM but neither is a Wilwood setup that most guys are installing these days...I guess I'll have to see once I get everything cleaned up and inspected. Do I care if I'm not using the original brake calipers and discs, etc? Yes, but not as much as I care that the car will stop safely and reliably.
Duralast Disc Brake Caliper C175
I also went and got 4 new 3" C-clamps today in anticipation of doing the right caliper. The hodge-podge of clamps I used yesterday worked...eventually...but not easily. You have to slowly back the clamps off evenly or one of the pistons will pop first, blowing grease all over and leaving the other 3 discs still installed. So far this "cheap brake overhaul" seems to be costing more every day.
For what it's worth, Classic Industries shows a piston and seal kit (2 required per vehicle) for $151.99 "in stock" which many here have recently claimed to be about a 50% chance of being true, but here it is:
https://www.classicindustries.com/product/all-years/plymouth/all-models/parts/mp500818.html
Four pistons from the left caliper
The Blob...more grease than a New York Pizzeria!
Moral of the story; for those of you with brake overhauls on the menu; I think you would be way ahead of the game buying the AutoZone calipers, ready to install, and call it a day. And I may end up taking my own advice some day. Who knows?
Well, I hate to come on all prophetic and such, but...yeah. Pretty much that.
A few things here. First, the grease trick does work. But for the record, the Kelsey-Hayes calipers hold a cavernous amount of grease. It took nearly a whole tube to get the pistons popped on one caliper. At $8.99 a tube I sure hope there's enough to do the other side. I had to cut the dust seals off with a razor knife, as they appeared to be locked in by rust. The four pistons all have a ring of corrosion around them, and one is way worse than the others. Unfortunately they appear to be plated, and the plating is actually peeling off. I won't know the full effect of the condition until I get all the grease out of the calipers, remove the traces of O-rings and dust seals, and get a good look at things.
I came in the house with grease all over my shirt, face, hands and forearms and it didn't make me a happy camper. I didn't sign up for this ****. Makes me wonder if they would've worked just fine if I just put them back on as-is, but I wouldn't be able to sleep nights thinking about 50 year-old o-rings being the only barrier between me and an accident. I did a search, and Auto Zone has exchange units for $176.00 apiece (see below) No, they're not OEM but neither is a Wilwood setup that most guys are installing these days...I guess I'll have to see once I get everything cleaned up and inspected. Do I care if I'm not using the original brake calipers and discs, etc? Yes, but not as much as I care that the car will stop safely and reliably.
Duralast Disc Brake Caliper C175
I also went and got 4 new 3" C-clamps today in anticipation of doing the right caliper. The hodge-podge of clamps I used yesterday worked...eventually...but not easily. You have to slowly back the clamps off evenly or one of the pistons will pop first, blowing grease all over and leaving the other 3 discs still installed. So far this "cheap brake overhaul" seems to be costing more every day.
For what it's worth, Classic Industries shows a piston and seal kit (2 required per vehicle) for $151.99 "in stock" which many here have recently claimed to be about a 50% chance of being true, but here it is:
https://www.classicindustries.com/product/all-years/plymouth/all-models/parts/mp500818.html
Four pistons from the left caliper
The Blob...more grease than a New York Pizzeria!
Moral of the story; for those of you with brake overhauls on the menu; I think you would be way ahead of the game buying the AutoZone calipers, ready to install, and call it a day. And I may end up taking my own advice some day. Who knows?
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Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Welp, things are going slow as molasses in January, but they're going. I managed to get the left brake caliper cleaned up and all 4 pistons removed, then went at it with my brake cylinder hone. Sad to say there is some pitting in areas, but I don't know if it's enough to cause leakage. Pretty sure the pistons are toast though, leaving me on the razor's edge of do I buy new calipers or buy a rebuild kit and hope for the best? Money is a BIG issue right now, obviously (still out of work). So I've pushed the "PAUSE" button on the brake project momentarily and turned my attention to the right front suspension.
I dragged that out into the sunlight and turned my wrath against it today. I removed the two bolts and used the pickle fork to separate the spindle from the UCA ball joint and went to town on it, managing to get it all degreased, wire wheeled, and a coat of Rust Reformer on it (see pic). Also got the sway bar attach bolt cleaned up and RR'd as well. I'm getting quite an education on suspension but it's nice knowing each individual part and how they function together. On a somewhat humorous note, I had to remove a pile of stuff off the top of the parts washer to get into it, and when I pulled the rags off the top of it, I found where the mouse restrooms appear to have been...tons of disgusting little mouse turds all over everything including my old Torker manifold and interior seat belts. Gross.
Speaking of mice, the traps remain baited and untouched. Now, I'm certainly not cocky or stupid enough to think I got 'em all, or scared 'em away permanent-like...it's likely simply due to all the noise, activity and funky chemical smells out in their "cabin in the woods" every night. No doubt they will return as Ol' Man Winter makes his way south, but we will be waiting, "Victor" and I. Not on my manifold you don't!
The progress is frustratingly, maddeningly slow. But it is, after all, progress. And I guess I can't ***** too much about that. Things are getting done. Not in the order I had planned on but I'm out there 'most every night doing something. Which is more than I can say for the past five years. Stick around. The best is yet to come.
Sway bar link bolt drying in front of the fan
Right spindle all dressed up for a night on the town
"Reformed" hardware
I dragged that out into the sunlight and turned my wrath against it today. I removed the two bolts and used the pickle fork to separate the spindle from the UCA ball joint and went to town on it, managing to get it all degreased, wire wheeled, and a coat of Rust Reformer on it (see pic). Also got the sway bar attach bolt cleaned up and RR'd as well. I'm getting quite an education on suspension but it's nice knowing each individual part and how they function together. On a somewhat humorous note, I had to remove a pile of stuff off the top of the parts washer to get into it, and when I pulled the rags off the top of it, I found where the mouse restrooms appear to have been...tons of disgusting little mouse turds all over everything including my old Torker manifold and interior seat belts. Gross.
Speaking of mice, the traps remain baited and untouched. Now, I'm certainly not cocky or stupid enough to think I got 'em all, or scared 'em away permanent-like...it's likely simply due to all the noise, activity and funky chemical smells out in their "cabin in the woods" every night. No doubt they will return as Ol' Man Winter makes his way south, but we will be waiting, "Victor" and I. Not on my manifold you don't!
The progress is frustratingly, maddeningly slow. But it is, after all, progress. And I guess I can't ***** too much about that. Things are getting done. Not in the order I had planned on but I'm out there 'most every night doing something. Which is more than I can say for the past five years. Stick around. The best is yet to come.
Sway bar link bolt drying in front of the fan
Right spindle all dressed up for a night on the town
"Reformed" hardware
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Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Jeepers creepers...I reckon I was right. On several accounts.
First off, using grease to drive those brake pistons out made the biggest pig mess you can imagine. In fact, WORSE than I imagined! There is grease and greasy rags everywhere. But I did manage to get all 8 pistons out of the bores, after a fashion. It took a bunch of wrangling but they all came out. The right caliper pistons weren't quite as bad as the other side's, so with the four pistons Rusty Rat Rod is sending my way, I think we can find eight good ones.
Second, I had wondered if one tube of grease would be enough. Well, the fourth and final piston squeaked out just as the grease gun breathed it's last gasp and went flat...right down to the wire, boys. Still don't know if this caliper's bores are gonna clean up. We'll find out.
Third, after buying a couple of rebuild kits, a tube of grease, a new grease gun hose to replaced the kinked one I had, and a zerk fitting assortment, I'll be spending a bunch. Not to mention the fact that I don't know what the hell thread the calipers are tapped for, but it's sure not NPT. I had to grind a taper on the zerks and sorta let the caliper threads act as a die to get the damn things to take grease. I guess all's well that ends well, but would I do it again? Hell no. I'd just go buy rebuilt calipers and call it a day. My work bench looks like Hiroshima after the blast and is gonna take some major cleaning sooner or later. But hey, any progress is good progress in my book. So if the bores clean up and don't leak, we might save this thing yet. Stay tuned.
First off, using grease to drive those brake pistons out made the biggest pig mess you can imagine. In fact, WORSE than I imagined! There is grease and greasy rags everywhere. But I did manage to get all 8 pistons out of the bores, after a fashion. It took a bunch of wrangling but they all came out. The right caliper pistons weren't quite as bad as the other side's, so with the four pistons Rusty Rat Rod is sending my way, I think we can find eight good ones.
Second, I had wondered if one tube of grease would be enough. Well, the fourth and final piston squeaked out just as the grease gun breathed it's last gasp and went flat...right down to the wire, boys. Still don't know if this caliper's bores are gonna clean up. We'll find out.
Third, after buying a couple of rebuild kits, a tube of grease, a new grease gun hose to replaced the kinked one I had, and a zerk fitting assortment, I'll be spending a bunch. Not to mention the fact that I don't know what the hell thread the calipers are tapped for, but it's sure not NPT. I had to grind a taper on the zerks and sorta let the caliper threads act as a die to get the damn things to take grease. I guess all's well that ends well, but would I do it again? Hell no. I'd just go buy rebuilt calipers and call it a day. My work bench looks like Hiroshima after the blast and is gonna take some major cleaning sooner or later. But hey, any progress is good progress in my book. So if the bores clean up and don't leak, we might save this thing yet. Stay tuned.
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