Wheel Bearing Packing Party

[Rzeppa]

I am making this a new thread because, if you're like me your eyes glaze over stickies and go to what's actually new.

I have contacted all participants by phone except Hants and Lief. After numerous phone messages left plus emails, I will assume you guys aren't coming. I am placing the parts order tomorrow. I originally planned to place it Tuesday but still hadn't heard back from a number of participants at that time. Later Tuesday evening I did, and have a list made out and it is checked twice. I have been in phone contact with most of you since then. All members (or anyone else for that matter) are welcome to come out and give encouraging or sarcastic words. It's all good.

Here's the deal. Christo is cool with us doing our normal front axle service. We will go in and clean and repack knuckles, birfields, replace seals as we normally do. We have 4 of us who aren't working on our own rigs who will help mentor. Bring your own tools, rags and jack stands. With only 2 lifts and only room for 4 rigs inside, some will be working outside (pray for good weather) and we will all help out. We WILL leave his shop as clean or cleaner than when we came in!

The club will buy pizza and sodas, if you want adult beverages, bring them yourself. Be sure to bring plenty of rags, pans for your fluids, tools (Christo has air but bring your own air tools), gloves, manuals. I will bring manuals, gloves and tools.

We will meet at 8:00AM and start work no later than nine. We will shoot for wrap-up by one, and be out of there by two. Anyone who will be cleaning parts in Christo's parts sink will be expected to make a donation to replenish his solvent, it costs him $180 for replacement of solvent. It also costs him $1 per gallon of fluids to recycle it, so whoever is doing fluids, please plan on making that donation. I will order in new gaskets for drain plugs for all of you who are replacing diff/tranny/t-case fluids.

I will probably pick up the parts order on Wednesday or Thursday and put it on my own CC. As always, I will itemize it for participants and expect reimbursement at the event when the parts are delivered.

Happy cruisin'!

 

[Romer]

Thanks for doing this Jeff

 

[Hants]

Thanks for working on this, Jeff!

I've been out of town for two weeks. Just returned about 30 minutes ago.

I am planning on being at the event, but I will NOT be packing my bearings. No need to order any parts for me.

See y'all Saturday!

 

[Inukshuk]

Thanks again Jeff for doing all the organizing!

I'm going to buy a Slee headlight and auxilliary light harness and time permitting I'll install it (Christo - I'll call the shop this week). Tonight I put new pigtails onto the lights I bought from Jon last week. Tomorrow I'l drill and mount em.

 

[MDH33]

I was planning on attending. Kim's B-Day, but we only have evening plans so it shouldn't conflict.

I wanted to replace a pinion seal and nut on my front axle and get some help with a valve adjust if possible. The only parts I can think of needing is maybe new plugs if I do a tune-up. I already have the pinion seal and nut.

 

[Uncle Ben]

I was planning on attending. Kim's B-Day, but we only have evening plans so it shouldn't conflict.

I wanted to replace a pinion seal and nut on my front axle and get some help with a valve adjust if possible. The only parts I can think of needing is maybe new plugs if I do a tune-up. I already have the pinion seal and nut.

And a valve cover gasket and seals? Perfect time for a new PCV valve too!

 

[MDH33]

And a valve cover gasket and seals? Perfect time for a new PCV valve too!

good thought. my 40 is a '73 but it's a '77 2F if that makes a difference for ordering parts.

 

[Rzeppa]

Thanks for working on this, Jeff!

I've been out of town for two weeks. Just returned about 30 minutes ago.

I am planning on being at the event, but I will NOT be packing my bearings. No need to order any parts for me.

See y'all Saturday!

Thanks Hants, I've been trying to reach you by phone all week. You were down for drain/refill fluids, right?

We will ask that everyone who drains fluids to Christo's system make a slight extra donation - reportedly he has to PAY $1 per gallon just to turn in fluids for recycling. There's something wrong with the system! (Not Christo's, just that someone should have to pay to donate something that costs $100/BBL to extract from the ground, prior to refining!)

 

[Rzeppa]

good thought. my 40 is a '73 but it's a '77 2F if that makes a difference for ordering parts.

Parts are already ordered, but I have a spare OEM valve cover gasket and OEM plugs. Let me know if you need them!

 

[Mendocino]

I'm really bummed that I can't make this I'll be thinking of all of you having fun with grease and gear oil to your elbows while I sit miserably in a crappy flight to Moscow (for work)

 

[Hants]

I won't be making it up either... had to extend my trip into next week.

 

[Red_Chili]

Quick question, is there wireless broadband at Christo's?

I have a deployment going on Friday, and if there are issues I may need to fix something remotely.

 

[sleeoffroad]

Yes

 

[Red_Chili]

Sweet, thanks. And THANKS AGAIN for opening your shop to Rising Sun!

 

[Rzeppa]

I plan to pick up parts tomorrow at Stevinson, and buy grease at a local parts store. Each participant will get a 4 pound tub which will be enough for a full front axle service plus some to take home.

It looks like the weather will be excellent (RIGHTON!) so the 4 or so who will be working outdoors will be okay. Big relief! As such, everyone please bring jacks and jackstands, we don't know who will be the lucky two who will get the 2 lifts. Don't forget chocks for your wheels. I strongly suggest disposable gloves, axle work is pretty messy and peeling off gloves is a lot easier than dealing with gojo on your hands.

I suggest an old toothbrush to help clean your parts in the parts sink, I also like those copper scouring pads. Between the nozzle and mechanical methods, we can probably get 2 at a time at the sink. Eye protection is suggested. I normally wear goggles for EVERYTHING when I wrench, but weekend before last when I was draining my radiator I splashed antifreeze in my eye and felt stupid for not taking precautions.

Two things come to mind right now: first, everything takes longer than you think it should. There's always something. Some stupid bolt that won't thread back on, some stupid (fill in the blank) that won't come off the way it's supposed to. The second thing is that the most time consuming thing about this will be cleaning your parts. Trailside repairs seldom involve any more cleaning than necessary, but in this case you want to clean everything well, so plan on a lot of scraping, washing and scrubbing. We want to leave Christo's shop cleaner than we found it so be sure to bring plenty of rags and newspapers/cardboard so we don't mess up his floor and driveway.

Last, on the subject of cleaning, bring a few cans of brake cleaner. Not just for your brakes, but it's also powerful solvent for some quick cleaning in hard to reach nooks and crannies.

 

[Red_Chili]

The Chili will come with all needed parts, supplies, grease, tools, and cleaners, so don't worry 'bout me.

(famous last words)

Thanks Jeff!

 

[(¯`·._.·[xtr3m3]·._.·´¯)]

Jeff and Matt,

Thanks for all the work on putting this together! See you tomorrow.

 

[Crash]

I second the recommendation to bring a couple of good sized pieces of cardboard to put on the ground under the knuckles. Easy to throw away and makes for less floor cleanup.

 

[Rzeppa]

Okay, I picked up all the parts today - one drum front 40, two disk front 40s, an 80 front, and an 80 rear. I bought Toyota locking hub dial gaskets, even though our 40 folks have warn hubs, I know they'll fit, I've used 'em myself. Also picked up the grease - 5 tubs. Looks like we're set for parts. I'll also bring a stash of my spares just in case.

I picked up a set of inner birfield clips for all the front end folks, just in case they want to remove the birf from the half shaft. They often break when the birf is popped off the shaft. If you don't want to pop the birf off for maintenance (I almost never bother, but the manual says you're supposed to) there you have it. If not, keep 'em for the trail. Speaking of which, if I remember to grab it, I have a spare coarse spline birf for Ricardo, I have a whole box of them

Let's see, what else?

We'll get club-purchased pizza and soda delivered around noon to one or so. We'll need cups and ice for the soda too, any volunteers? If you want adult beverages you have to bring them yourself.

Christo has volunteered shop air, so if you have air tools bring your impact, air ratchet, sockets and a hose. He told me on the phone his fittings are "standard" so hopefully that will be the 1/4" we use in our home shops. One year (Choquetts?) they had 3/8" fittings and they didn't fit any of our tools.

We normally share our tools around, but make sure anything you've borrowed gets back to it's owner. Fish scales, hub sockets, seal pullers, seal drivers and torque wrenches come to mind...

Ricardo, you'll need "safety wire" for your front drum backing plate bolt heads. It's a hardware store item.

That's all I can think of right now. I'll make an itemized list with pricing for each participant who's getting parts and grease, then prebag the parts along with the list. I'm stoked! Happy wrenchin'!

 

[MDH33]

I am still planning on attending, although I received any kind of confirmation phone call, email, etc. I'll bring my own parts and tools.