'70 Sport Custom Rebuild- She's been adopted!

[sargentrs]

Now to pull it back up in the garage and put it back on the jack stands for reassembly. Got a whole lot of parts to clean and new one's to buy. Next vacation is scheduled for October. The goal is to have the rolling chassis completed by then and start on the engine and transmission. I'll continue to post updates as they occur. I owe ALL you guys for being able to do this. I've always wanted to do a resto/rebuild on classic iron but was intimidated by the project scope and my general lack of knowledge and confidence. But thanks to Fordification and it's great family of members, my dream has become a reality. Thanks guys, couldn't do it without you!

[terry1167]

Randy, this is an awesome project thread. I'm drooling over your project. Like Flyboy say's, you are really going to town. I wish I had the same time, $$, and confidence to take on such a comprehensive project. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to following your thread and progress!

[forrestbump]

Randy, it works both ways as you're inspiring and teaching us!

Great job and Thank YOU for posting your progress.

[sargentrs]

Thanks guys! I've got a lot more pics of every part so if anybody needs a pic of something, I probably snapped it. Gotta make sure I can put it back together As I removed the various sections I bagged and tagged all the bolts from each specific region and took pics before I took it apart. Forrest, your sig is one my inspirations...

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do" - Henry Ford

Henry was a wise man and an inspiration to us all.

[67mann]

great job Randy..stay right with it,because life isn't bump friendly and its easy to let the time get away from ya

[sargentrs]

Front I-beams are in the machine shop for king pin replacement and putting front disc spindles on. Began disassembly of rear springs. Started by removing spring pack retaining brackets. In the pics you'll see the other one apart. Remembered to take pics on the second one

[sargentrs]

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Now we get to the other end. Both brackets are riveted on and, as I found out later, have countersunk heads on the inside of the leaf. After asking around I determined you have to spread that bracket to get the bottom leaf separated from the top leaf. I started by removing the bolt that holds the spring pack together through the center.

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That came apart pretty easy too. Discovered a Teflon pad between the bottom two.

[sargentrs]

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Then slid the other leaves out of the spring pack so all I had left was the top and bottom leaf.

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Now to tackle this beast.

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[sargentrs]

This bracket is 1/4 x 1 flat bar and, apparently, has been tempered and hardened. I know this because after an hour of grunting, groaning, beating, banging and using a pipe wrench, pickle fork, etc it didn't budge! I borrowed a port-a-power set from work and felt really proud of myself for working smarter instead of harder. Put the "jaws of life" on it and started pumping.

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After about 3 pumps....POW!

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I knew things were going too easy. Ground the head off of the rivet.

[sargentrs]

After taking a hammer and tapping the bracket so it pivoted back and forth a few times, and with a couple of SMACK's from the hammer, it popped right off.

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Went ahead and cut/ground off the rest of the rivet shaft flush with the bottom of the leaf. A few smacks with a punch and the rivet drove out.

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Now I'll have to fab another bracket. After looking at parts stores and internet surfing I think I'll just make one like the bolted on bracket on the other end so it'll look like it's supposed to be that way. Now to tackle the spring bushings. I tried using the threaded rod, nut and washer, impact wrench method but didn't have much luck. Took on of the flex-o-matic brackets to a friend to make a tool and try to press them out but after waiting two weeks, I got frustrated so tackled it the hard way. Using techniques from our illustrious leader (Thanks Keith!) and other Fordification threads, I started by soaking the bushing in PB blaster and grabbed the hand drill with a 5/32" drill bit. I drilled through the rubber about every 1/8" between the inner and outer sleeve, both sides.

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[sargentrs]

Then dropped a 1/2" flanged head bolt in and gave it a solid whack.

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The inner sleeve drove through and stuck out the other side.

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Put a pipe wrench on it and after working it back and forth a few times, it twisted right on out. The rubber came out easily. That tube is made out of some really hard stuff so I had to nick it with a cut off wheel for the pipe wrench to get a grip.

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[sargentrs]

I had been really dreading trying to get the out sleeves out but thanks to Keith's thread in the '67 rebuild project, it wasn't bad at all. Using an air hammer and chisel bit, I started by driving the edge of the bushing in all the way around and soaking it down with PB Blaster.

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Then took the air chisel and started working down the through the bushing trying to cut a slice out of the inside. After I got a slice in it, the vibration and pressure of the air chisel slid it right out. Didn't take 10 mins each one.

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Cleaned up the spring eye with a wire brush on my hand drill and it's done.

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Now only 7 more to go

[forrestbump]

Your pictures are worth a thousand words! The spring clamps that required the jaws of life for removal are not like the clamps on my springs ...so now I better understand what you were describing in your other posts about the difficulty of their removal.

The "bolted" spring clamp you show is what I was thinking you were describing and is what I was attempting to explain that I had fabricated for my truck. Whew...what a P.I.T.A. to accomplish all of this, but what a good job you've done and your ingenuity is to be admired in how you ended up with their ultimate removal.

Hard work YES, but just think how long those components have worked and lasted! So after you're done, you'll have another 40+ years of service to look forward to from all of your labor.

Thank You for sharing your inspiring work!

[sargentrs]

Thanks Larry! I've got to get a better camera. I first tried to drive the rivet through from the spring side. That's before I found out they were countersunk. Busted a good punch with that one. Fortunately, I work in a metal fab shop so the bolted brackets going to be an easy one to make. Press brake supervisor, laser operator, machining supervisor and welding supervisor are all good friends of mine

[sargentrs]

Got some brackets made at work and picked up some countersunk allen head bolts, 3/8-16x1-1/4", with nylon insert lock nuts. Wanted the obround steel type but they were out....

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Only problem was the countersink was too deep so it stuck up too high...

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Bolted the bracket in place, tightened up the nut on the bracket and shaved the top of the countersink flush with the spring with my grinder and a cutoff wheel. Just barely left enough allen head to catch for tightening.

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