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Post by PICTUP on Jul 26, 2022 19:15:45 GMT -8
Four years have elapsed and what have I done? Turns out not a helluva lot, to this vehicle anyway! After doing Russ' (now Brian's) red Dorper Bus' seats I saved the cast-offs in hopes I that I could get some more use out of them. You see my SC's driver's seat was starting to fall apart. Over the next number of years the seat did exactly that. Funnily enough it never became all that uncomfortable. But it looked like hell. I did have a spare driver's seat that I was keeping for this experiment of reusing a seat cover from a passenger seat. The seat had a cover that hadn't been taken off since leaving the factory because I literally had to use scissors to remove the cover. I think it must have been an early(1968 or so) seat because my 1970 seatback isn't nearly as form fitting(even before the stitching let go and the vinyl wore thru). Since the replacement seat covers Russ bought had no wire, I had to pull the wire out of the rotten seat covers and work it into the "hems" of the used replacements. That turned out to be quite the task, but I made it work. It was mostly because I had to make a cut in the seat bottom where it has to go around the mechanism to adjust the seatback. If these seats came apart at the hinge, this whole process would have been a lot easier, but it turned out pretty well. Here is the "new" sitting next to the original driver's seat I think it has a few years left now Now I have to figure out how to rescue my 2/3 seat's corner...
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Post by PICTUP on Jul 26, 2022 19:23:29 GMT -8
For a while now I have been running a canopy framework on my SC but I hadn't got to putting a cover over it. Since I will be losing any roof to put my truck under I figured it was time to put some sort of cover on it. Kind of an experiment, but the frigging stainless screws and finish washers cost fifty bucks! It ain't pretty but I hope it kinda works...
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Post by PICTUP on Jul 26, 2022 19:35:40 GMT -8
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Post by PICTUP on Jul 6, 2023 18:00:03 GMT -8
After a regrettable year under a tarp awaiting the shop to be workable, my truck emerged. Turns out the roof rack must be galvanized, accounting for the paint not adhering well and it not rusting over winter with a tarp next to it. So that's cool! When I started driving the Single, I immediately got a flat. Some might say it was because of my very old tires, but not this time(or any other time up until that point anyway). Turns out it was the valve stem as it had been two times in the past. Well, I took both rear tires off and had both valve stems replaced because the last one was starting to go. I dunno, are they starting to put ethanol in the air(?), lol!! Then after patting myself on the back for being proactive, I had another flat. Crap. Okay, it was actually time to upgrade the tires rather than be frowned upon by Dave any further...for that anyway, lol! A lot of guys on the samba have been running 27" General Grabbers and I have seen them on a few Vanagons. So unbelievably, employing FB Marketplace I found some date stamped 2021 and snapped them up. They had been there for quite some time, so I am lucky 14" wheels are not common these days, other than for JDM imports(the guy had totaled his). I have a bit of a concern of whether my little single port can produce enough power to drive them, but that will be for another day... Kind of hard contrast pics, but you get the idea
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Post by PICTUP on Jul 6, 2023 18:23:05 GMT -8
So tires are one thing, running gear is another. Namely brakes! The Single Cab had been pulling to the left for all of last year(at least), but I just hadn't had the time to look into it. I finally have and what I found was rather bothersome. A friend who has a lift offered it to me because he wasn't busy. I have given him a few things on trade, so I wasn't expecting it for free. Turns out after getting the drum off on the right, BOTH wheel cylinders were frozen by RUST!! When I changed all this out some time ago, I was diligent to paint everything and lube the cylinder boots and never-seize the rub spots and stars. I was NOT impressed!! So we replaced the right cylinders with ones that I had mistakenly bought when I first did them years ago, but kept for a rainy day, or for my other Bus. Turns out it wasn't raining and this truck needed them, now!! So fixed, right? NOPE! The truck still pulled terribly to the left. So up on the hoist again and we readjusted the brakes after coming back from me going home for lunch. That seemed a bit bit better. But what the hell!?, now my left front wheel was practically unmovable! So back the stars off and check the wheel cylinders and what should we find, MORE RUSTED SEIZED CYLINDERS!! This time I only had a used one from my truck that seemed in good shape and we could get one currently on the truck moving enough to try to rehabilitate. So after a bunch of money business, ie taking everything apart, Brian finding his not-oft-used cylinder hone, and making these workable, they now seem to be doing a passable job of braking. I dunno, maybe I have to reconsider that disc brake kit.....
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Post by Volktales on Jul 6, 2023 19:00:14 GMT -8
That much rust is odd. Don't know how moisture could sneak in past the dust boots, unless they seal very poorly. Weird...
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Post by PICTUP on Jul 7, 2023 7:24:20 GMT -8
That much rust is odd. Don't know how moisture could sneak in past the dust boots, unless they seal very poorly. Weird... I do recall putting brake grease on the boots too. I can't imagine that backfiring on me, but if it somehow did, I wouldn't be surprised. This time everything went in dry....
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Post by owdlvr on Jul 7, 2023 8:41:15 GMT -8
Love that you are no longer risking death with bad tires. I kinda like the offroad look too.
That wheel cylinder rust is very odd, never seen that on new wheel cylinders in such a short amount of time. Did you do the install under water?!
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Post by PICTUP on Jul 7, 2023 19:50:16 GMT -8
Did you do the install under water?! Nobody could ever mistake me for Jason Momoa, so, um, no.
.........
My concerns now are that my rear cylinders may look the same(my hubcaps are getting hotter than I'd like after even short drives) . It is weird because the truck has rarely been driven in the wet and up until last winter it has been under cover.
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Post by 1hotvw on Jul 7, 2023 21:28:32 GMT -8
How old is your brake fluid? most brake fluids are hydroscopic, meaning they suckup water, cylinder and caliper killers if you don't change out your fluid. some say every four years, but who does , brake shops love it. if our cars are parked outside under cover over grass its not good. i think Dot 5 is silicone based, it has its own issues thou.
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Post by PICTUP on Jul 8, 2023 10:37:01 GMT -8
How old is your brake fluid? most brake fluids are hydroscopic, meaning they suckup water, cylinder and caliper killers if you don't change out your fluid. some say every four years, but who does , brake shops love it. if our cars are parked outside under cover over grass its not good. i think Dot 5 is silicone based, it has its own issues thou. Considering the Master cylinder was replaced not more than 4 years ago, and when I did the brakes before, I totally flushed the system, I wouldn't consider the brake fluid to be "old". Yes, being hygroscopic it does suck in H 2O but being parked mostly undercover on cement/asphalt/gravel one would think not much humid air would be around...or at least not enough for that kind of rust to form!
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