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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Engine/Drivetrain => Topic started by: frotosride on December 22, 2011, 08:45:46 pm

Title: I envite you to come and laugh...at me!
Post by: frotosride on December 22, 2011, 08:45:46 pm
So.. as we have all been there tackeling that new job that we have never done, however we know that mechanical knowledge can take you far when coupled with a photographic memory. And so I set out yesterday on the on-truck rebuild of the front knuckels, shocks, u-joints, poly bushings, and new beanings and seal all the way around...oh and all new steering components (corporate 10 bolt 8.5 ring). So I started to take this pathetic excuse for a locking hub(auto) apart. Surprisingly, i was able to disassemble most of the locker while it was still in the hub. For the life of me i couldn't figure out how in the world to get the rest of this thing apart so i could take the rest of the axle assembly apart. Finally I started messing with what seemed like a metal spring on the side...imagine my supprise when i squeezed it together and the whole hub fell apart in my lap. Wowo a locking riing...whoi would have thought.
  Plus side... I now know that in order to put an auto hub together you have to completely disassemble it.
  2nd major plus side....I have always blown off most hard coe guys who said that these things suck...sorry my ignorance. Now that i have seen what is inside them (plastic) and that they are engaged by inertia, its no wonder they don't work. I got this truck for free and my father in-law said that he had them rebuilt several times..i'm not sure if i should tell him that he was just ripped off each time because theres no doubt that the mechanic knew they were fine the first time.

Well lesson learned and manual hubs on their way....soooooon! :o
Title: Re: I envite you to come and laugh...at me!
Post by: bake74 on December 22, 2011, 09:03:05 pm
     It's impressive that you have a photographic memory.  All I can say is sometimes you just have to do it yourself to learn something.  Darn those lizards with their built in genetic memories at birth.   ;D
Title: Re: I envite you to come and laugh...at me!
Post by: frotosride on December 22, 2011, 09:55:26 pm
Yeah, my wife always wonders where my memory goes when she tells me something...maybe she doesn't give me enough details to remember.
Title: Re: I envite you to come and laugh...at me!
Post by: bake74 on December 22, 2011, 10:09:37 pm
Yeah, my wife always wonders where my memory goes when she tells me something...maybe she doesn't give me enough details to remember.

     Anything to do with wife's is called "selective", at least that is what my wife is always telling me.
Title: Re: I envite you to come and laugh...at me!
Post by: 1979C20 on December 22, 2011, 11:51:13 pm
Tell your wife to give you pictures instead of words!
Title: Re: I envite you to come and laugh...at me!
Post by: Blazin on December 26, 2011, 08:06:01 am
Tell her a picture is worth a thousand words!!!
Title: Re: I envite you to come and laugh...at me!
Post by: frotosride on December 26, 2011, 08:55:02 pm
Tell her a picture is worth a thousand words!!!

Amen Amen... Well inlight of my new knowledge of the unfortunate conception of auto locking hubs, I decided to take the drivers side apart as well.. Initially I realized that this locker had been "rebuilt" and I almost just said 'its good" and put it back outside with the rest of the front diff that is no longer under the truck.  Well, I'm glad I did because there were only two things in the whole assembly had had grease on them. Atleast one of them was the bearings that were just inside the cap.
Now they are both cleaned up and awaiting some Mystic lube...until I get the manual lockers...

Any suggestions on getting the spindat off of the knuckle. Is it just in need of some persuasion or do I need to add a little hyd-power?