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

[sargentrs]

Take it back apart and get ready for painting. Started sand blasting the springs but it started raining so had to put it all back up. Not to be deterred, I broke out the grinder and wire cup brush and brushed 'em down real good. Then washed them with Purple Power and let dry. Nailed a board up between a couple of trees in the back yard, drove some nails in it and got some wire. Hung the springs up and got ready for spraying POR-15. My “redneck paint booth”…

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Got 'em sprayed and let dry....

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After they were dry brought it all back in the basement and began reassembly. Bolted my new spring clamp brackets in place first. I bought some Delrin from Enco and center bolts from Husky Spring (thanks Stephen!) Cut the Delrin to size (2-1/4 x 4-1/2) and took a drill bill and just twisted it by hand until I got a hole through it the center bolt would slide through.

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[sargentrs]

Cut Delrin spacers..

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Drill the holes..

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and Husky center bolts..

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[sargentrs]

Slid the center bolt in and the Delrin spacer in place on the overload spring

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and stacked up the rest of the springs.

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Tightened down the center bolt nut...

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[sargentrs]

Then shaved off the excess bolt with the cutoff wheel. Couple of smacks on the top to “peen” it locked down.

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Since I made new spring clamp brackets, I needed spacers too. As it turns out, 1/4 galvanized pipe is almost the right ID so I bought a 12" pipe nipple and cut them to length, about 2-5/16". Then run a 25/64" drill bit through them and TADAH! spring clamp spacers.

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[sargentrs]

A quick test fit

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and then coat 'em with POR-15. Finish putting the springs clamps on and tighten everything down real good and we're ready for paint. Eastwood gloss chassis black is in the mail!

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[forrestbump]

Nice Work

[67mann]

Thought ya had some "Redneck windchimes" going there Nice work randy good attention to detail

[stephen44]

good job !

[marvin2]

Good work man. I am trying to decide if I want to take my leaf springs all the way apart like you did...

[sargentrs]

Wasn't a big deal really, marvin. Just have something ready in case you have to cut a bolt off. Oh yeah, and it's a good idea to mark 'em left or right. Not that it matters, I don't think, but if there's any wear on the sides, from the spring clamps, it's easier to match 'em back up. I didn't mark mine and spent an extra 15 mins trying to figure that out. That makes the 3rd time I've pulled something off and didn't mark which was which. You'd think I'd learn by now

[sargentrs]

Got the springs, shackles and flex-o-matic brackets painted high gloss black this week....

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Now it's on to the rear end!

[sargentrs]

I decided I'd take the assembled brakes and backing plate off all together so I could take them into the basement and work on them at the bench in comfort.

[sargentrs]

If you're lucky, the brake line fitting isn't stripped and you can use a "line wrench". I wasn't so lucky so out came the vise grips. I was going to replace all the lines anyway.

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Once that's off you can remove the axle mounting nuts. There are (4) 11/16" nuts holding the axle on. I used a deep wall socket with an extension. Go through the hole in the axle flange and rotate the axle around to remove all 4 nuts. You should go cross corner as you break them loose and you'll need to prop your differential yoke up so it can turn freely. The bolts have flanges, instead of hex heads, so you won't need a back up wrench.

[sargentrs]

As far as I know my axle bearing had never been changed so they were gunked up in there pretty good. The axle just slides out at that point but in my case I had to stick a punch through from the back side and against the back of the axle flange and rap it a few times, through all 4 holes, to break it loose so it would siide out. See that thin spacer looking thing in the picture? That's the only thing keeping you from lifting your backing plate off now. That's supposed to just slide off of the bearing. It's a good fit and since I had so much rusty gunk on my bearing I had to work it carefully off with a screwdriver.

[sargentrs]

I had already loosened the differential nuts a while back and drained most of the gear oil out of it. I removed the rest of the nuts and the copper washers behind them. I think not all differentials have those copper washers? They're a tight fit so you just about have to unscrew them off of the studs. The differential is a close fit, all the way around, on the mounting studs so you have to work it carefully with a screwdriver or something. I use 2 or 3 flat blade screwdrivers and my pickle fork and work it carefully up. You don't want to damage the threads! I cut some wood covers to go over the differential opening and ends of the housing and then it's back to the "redneck paint booth" for pressure washing, POR-15 and gloss black paint!