Cpt.Fred Posted May 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 give me some time... once they're in there they'll blend in, i promise jeez i'm a nerd... hehehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 I agree the shocks are the wrong color for you. Send them to me..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Yeh, Fred realises this so he's gunna get both shocks and mounts chromed..........chrome, chrome, chrome...........chrometty, chrome..........oops..wrong thread......lol...........btw Fred you haven't seen my nut castle?...........still can't find them........andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 ...maybe you gave them to the chrome plater's and they never came back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 (edited) still waiting for my brake hoses, so i'm killing time with cleaning the engine bay and planning world domination. my steering box is seriouly leaking and has a bit of play in it. do you think, from the position of the setting screw, i can still do some adjustment, or did the whole thing have it already? another thing i noticed when i took the gravel pan off and saw the box from underneath for the first time since i own the car, was that i could tighten the nut holding the steering arm quite a bit, almost two turns... spooky. Edited May 19, 2015 by Cpt.Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathbound Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 My front end rebuild a few years ago also included a steering rebuild. Huge improvement. On a side note, bummer your 230/OD thread got locked.....and your car looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 well, thanks a lot, deathbound! i hope you remember from the rear-end-lowering-thread how much i like the look of yours. the locked thread was already very useful and is pretty much answered. so i'm not too sad about it. i'll post updates in a new thread when things get real. what did you have to do for the seering box rebuild? do i have to pull the column? i think i remember something like that from the manuals... my plan was to fill the box with some kind of sticky gat grease for the moment and then try to adjust. for now... what do you think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle-Pekka Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 Fred, I recall that my steering was loose when I got the car. I adjusted the steering box as per the shop manual instructions, poor copy in below. If you re-grease the unit, I would expect adjustment will not hurt it. Just do not overtight. Btw., I missed completely the reason why the engine thread was locked? - I look forward it to be unlocked and released for further discussion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 thanks Pekka, and thank you also for your helpful contribution to the other thread, but let's not talk about it here, because this here is supposed to be straight axle talk (although it's about IFS...) i put the tie rods back in this morning and will proceed assembly, then grease up and try to adjust the steering gear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathbound Posted May 20, 2015 Report Share Posted May 20, 2015 Fred, here's a link to my steering box rebuild: http://p15-d24.com/topic/26625-new-front-disc-brakes-front-end-rebuild-steering-rebuild-for-the-38-plymouth/ (Never mind the front end rebuid-since mine is a tube axle & the front disc brake part-which I know you won't like....not traditional, but it's not an open wheel car & I wanted a little more safety with the kiddos in the car.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2015 (edited) thanks Derek! discs to protect the offspring is completely ok with me. plus it's a good read edit: just went through it completely.. GREAT THREAD, good info on the brakes, too... went through most of that myself already, but there are some things i might try, now that i'm at it... i might have to get a dual master like Robert has. Edited May 20, 2015 by Cpt.Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 like i said, i don't like sore thumbs sticking out, so i wasted some time in between today. sanding and flat black coat: coat of Owatrol oil to match the rest: oh yeah, and we did the shock mounts and mounting plates: now i have to find the right position for them to drill the holes into the frame and move the brake hose mounts to clear the way (and build new ones, of course). still no brake hoses in the mail today... boohoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 i test fitted the mounts and decided to use the forward hole of the brake hose frame mount for the upper bolt of the truck mount. i drilled it open to accept the bolt and then looked to find a 90° angle for the mount and marked for the second hole to drill. then came the point of no return... took the angle grinder and removed the old shock mounts form the upper a-arms: drilled the holes and fitted the mounting plates: done and working perfect! i used the car jack to simulate load and let the car sit on the spring, but everything clears nicely and looks like it was meant like this from the start next thing are the new frame mounts for the brake hoses. they were in the mail this morning and are now long enough. yeehaw... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 ...aaaaaand done! i could reuse the old mounts and just gave them a slightly different bend in the bench vise. drilled and tapped new holes in the frame. now i have to dig into my paperwork to get the measurements for track and king pin angles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertKB Posted May 23, 2015 Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 Just wondering if that brake hose is touching the shock or is that camera angle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Robert, that is just the angle. Everything clears nicely and i had them made half an inch longer than stock now that i knew i'd relocate the mount, and there aren't an issues during a-arm movement or steering either. It seems like i could be done soon. Wonder what'll come up next Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertKB Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Good to hear it is only camera angle. Yes, you will be driving it soon and enjoying it! I am in the same situation with my '48 Dodge D25 Club Coupe. It has been on stands since last fall but should be back on the ground and driveable next week. I had a leaky front wheel cylinder so sent off all cylinders, including the master cylinder, to have them sleeved. I have also replaced all steel lines as a safety measure. One was quite badly pitted on the outer surface. Rubber lines had been replaced fairly recently. I have put in brake fluid and have a soft pedal and only need to do a final bleeding of the system. It will be good to have it on the road again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Robert, the brakes are right ahead of me now, too... i've done them 3 times now, and i didn't like any of them. bleeding is a real pain... right now i am digging into axle adjustment and measuring. here's what i have for plymouth passenger cars from '36 to '42: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted May 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted June 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 (edited) finally managed to get the brakes done. the steel flex hoses seems to do pretty good, i haven't had so much pressure on the pedal ever before. hope it works well on the road. then i put all the missing things together, secured all nuts and bolts, lubricated everything. wheels back on and struggling to get a rough alignment helping me survive the 50+ kms to the alignment shop. i'm still worrying about one of the pivot bushings on the lower a-arms, i can't get any grease in there. the grease nipple works, so i'm afraid the preload on the bushing's thread is too high, but i don't know how to solve this nor do i know how i could have done the assembly any other way. so i'll try again after i put a few miles on the car. anyone here ever done the alignment on his own who can give me some advice? camber/caster angle setting seems a little edgy on this construction... i hope i didn't blow this when i assembled things. pretty nervous at the moment. appointment for the full alignment is either this or (most likely) next saturday. until then i have to get the wheels to face foward at least roughly... Edited June 23, 2015 by Cpt.Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertKB Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 When greasing did you have the weight off the front end and supporting the car on the frame? I have found many times that if I grease the car with the weight on the wheels that there are some zerks that will not take grease. Once the weight is off the the suspension parts, the zerks will take grease. Also, I find it much easier to get at all the zerks if I pull the front wheels off. Greasing the car is one of the times I really wish I had a lift!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted June 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 (edited) Robert, i had the car up on chassis stands all the time. maybe you're right, i should try to get grease in there again when the car is down on its wheels and the weight is on the control arms. the culprit is the front lower bar pivot bushing on the driver side, so that should be easily reachable. normally i lift the car up on chassis stands, take all the wheels off and then i do all the greasing and check wheel bearings and brakes all in one turn. thanks for your input! any more thoughts on wheel alignment? Edited June 24, 2015 by Cpt.Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted June 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) i adjusted the steering box until i thought the play would be gone. afterwards i finally dropped the car on it's feet and found the battery had left me during the last 6 month. after some swearing and recharging the car fired right up and i rode around the block carefully to check the new front end and brakes. brakes seem fine, of course i couldn't really slam them with the new linings and all, but they are definitely better then they ever were before. for everyone reading this thread later to do the same things to his or her own P10 that i did here: the front shocks i used are too long for a car that is lowered. or maybe even for stock height too. they bottom out about 1 1/2" before the rubber bump stops on the a-arms do, so the chance of braking a mount might be given. my front end sits about 2 to 2 1/2" lower than stock, Moog Aerostarsprings with 1/2 coil cut off. no chance of using the Gabriel shocks here, nearly zero travel is left. so i put the (5 years) old oem oil shocks back in as a start, and it works fine. these are a little too short, but i think the car won't ever rebound that far, unless... sadly that means no more canyon jumping for me i'll look around for other shocks that have the right lenght, something in the middle between the Gabriels and the oem ones. the car seemed to steer and handle fine, though i had to readjust the steering box a little bit, because i found it was a little too tight now. turned the screw back out a smidge and it's as good as it gets with the worn out leaky old box. already on my list for next winter... i'm looking forward to my ride to the alignment shop! Edited June 25, 2015 by Cpt.Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bones44 Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Good job, nice work area and great looking Harley. Just can not beat old things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted July 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) thanks, bones44! i finally managed to get the car to the alignment shop. the ride there was rather delicate, rain, traffic jams, car ran crappy because it really hates stop-and-go with the 3 carbs, aaaand my rough axle "adjustments" weren't really accurate. i could tell that pretty well from the way it handled. Nantucket sleighride my steering box is shot and i will have to rebuild it very soon, but i think it will do for the rest of the season. it has to. after quite some time we settled for this: that was as good as it going to be. as you can see it's pretty wild. car handles fine, though. maybe i'm too picky. camber/caster angle adjustment is a real pain, let me tell you. next time i'll rework the mounting holes on the pivot bars to allow some adjustment. since i didn't drive the car for more than 6 month now i actually cannot tell how much better things got with the overhaul, but i don't have a choice and it'll do until i get to the steering box. next thing will be piling up parts, i've seen some new threads here dealing with the same issue. good info there, as always. best thing about the whole process is the brakes. they're really great now. finally. the old (new) rubber hoses seem to have been the culprits here, i never had a decent pressure on the pedal until now. no chance of flooring it and no pumping and nothing, and the tires finally scream when i slam the brakes. happiness. feels so much safer now. thanks to everyone following this and contributing parts or info! special thanks to Andy for phone support and parts donation. best, Fred Edited July 9, 2015 by Cpt.Fred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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