Topic: 81 Rehab-an on ongoing saga
in Forum: C3 General Discussion
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In for the long haul is right! I think I mentioned in the welcome new users post that I have been longing for this car since I was 16 years old. That is when I rode in a C3 for the first time and it was a silver one. I have every reason to say this car will be mine till I am no more.
1st time a new/rebuilt engine is started!
That first drive around the block after major repair!
The end of that first "long trip" rumbling back into the driveway!
It is impossible to adequately describe the bond we have to the vehicle we put our time, aspirations, blood and sweat into. Not to mention more money and time than most people in our lives feel we should!!
The feeling of accomplishment, and pride when YOU drive somthing YOU have such a personal investment in just cannot be equalled by many other things in life, and cannot be conveyed by words, it must be experienced.
The feeling of accomplishment, and pride when YOU drive somthing YOU have such a personal investment in just cannot be equalled by many other things in life, and cannot be conveyed by words, it must be experienced. 1st time a new/rebuilt engine is started! That first drive around the block after major repair! The end of that first "long trip" rumbling back into the driveway!These events can be described and documented but for anyone who has experienced them-you know I am talking about!
I will be taking pictures of my progress starting tonight and posting when I can.
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yostusota said: I forgot to ask but what brand of bearings and seals did you get?? I highly recommend getting Timken brand..not hard to come by and cheaper if bought locally..auto zone or advance sells them..can look online as to which one carries them..they are still stamped made in usa..I will be heading your way alot over the next few months..mom is getting a knee replacement done and you are on my way..she lives in Unionville.. Rich
Rich,They have been all Timken so far. All have been purchased through either Zip or Wilcox. Sorry to hear aboout your mom but givve me a shout if ya got a few minutes and have a few pointers or if your just thirsty and need a place to stop recharge and talk Vettes! Jeff
Lifetime Member
Well the drivers side trailing arm proved to be a real beotch to get out! Two Milwaukee "Torch" blades bit the dust before I was even 1/2 way through the bushing/bolt mess. Another blade purchase and two days later within 10 minutes it was out and ready to be disassembled. I am pretty sure I ran those first two blades too fast and was my own worst enemy. I ran the third one very slow and it ate right through the rest of the way and diddn't really even show any wear. Oh yeah when I bought the second package of blades that I grabbed 18 tpi rather than 14tpi. it has been my experience that finer teeth perform better on hard material.
I have been blasting the parts I remove with a pressure washer and a good deal of "Gunk" degreaser and have had really good results. The diff and support member was just nasty and covered with black road grime/lube. That assembly looks brand new now. Ready for rebuild once the parts get here.
I will be spending the time I have this week getting the trailing arms tuned up and prepping the rear frame area for the re-installation of functioning parts.
Cleaning and painting with Eastwood Rust Encapsulator.
Will post more soon
Finally got the driver side trailing arm disassembled tonight. I am glad I did. The e-brake assembly was trashed with loose parts floating aroound and none of the springs intact. Both bearings look cooked but all the major components look like they faired pretty well.
Gonna take the whole mess to the sandblaster tommorow.
I am going to be assembling the trailing arms this weekend. Also, I purchased an Entropy radiator with dual fans $700.00 to my door. First thought looks like a very well made product. I will post pics when I can.
AARRRRRRGGGGG!!!!!
Rear wheel bearing shimming procedure.
Someone posted a very detailed procedure that includes the use of a press, surface grinder, and a number of special tools. If you want the kind of results that he got-IMHO you need that kind of equipment.
At least you need access to a surface grinder or someone who does.
I ordered a kit that includes new spacers and a set of shims.
I am aiming for that magical .0015 to .003" end play. However, the kit comes with shims that are .006" spaced. As it ends up I need a .125" shim and a .124" shim to hit my target numbers. My choices are .121" and .127". Now if I want to simply live to the .001 to .008 as outlined in the shop manual- hey I am there with both side hitting the .006-.007" range pretty reliably.
If I shim the hubs to .001", without truing up the spacers and shims, there is a tight spot.
I am gonna find a shop with a surface grinder.
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I did mine...................many...........too many times to get my results. I got .002 on one and.003 for the other......... I figured that's as far as I'm going. I didn't grind any of the shims down. Oh and make sure when you're doing this to get the backing plates on and the shoes for the parking brake, or at least the pins. I had both sides done when I discovered that I couldn't get the retaining pin through the backside. I had to take them back apart......................I said words that I didn't even knew existed in my vocabulary. It's a fun job...........not.
corvette440hp
Thanks for the information-Spent some more time and got the .001-.003" I was looking for. The parts came in for my differential rebuild. Got the unit disassembled and -crap!!!! Boxing the whole thing up and sending it to Bairs. What the hell another 1000 dollars or so- kinda gettin used to this.
By the way-clutch packs are tight, center pin worn badly, .100" + end play on side yokes-looks like the housing has cracks in it. Bearing spun on one of the carrier bearings, journal is worn.
Never seems to be enough time to work on her. Wa Wa Wa Wa.
You'll get it! It's just that EVERYTHING you do on these cars take longer than you think! It WILL be worth it in the end, though!
Barry
in Forum: C3 General Discussion
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