Last week we'd known snow was coming on Thursday so every evening after work I had planned to rearrange the garage with three goals in mind. First get the GMC tucked away until spring. Second make room to work on axles and other small projects. Third try to squeeze my car in.
Only trouble was every evening I had other "more important" things to do. Until Thursday I took the whole day off work to help a friend move and figured we'd be done early (he estimated only one u-haul truck load). So I planned to sort the garage when I got home after lunch.
Moving went well but come Thursday night we had totaled 3 truck loads, several car loads, and still one more load at the old house waiting to be loaded and moved. By the time I got home 11 or 12 hours later I was thoroughly worn out, no energy for the garage.
That was OK though, the forecast said the snow wouldn't come until 10 or 11:00 in the morning.... Until I woke up at 7:30 and checked again to find the show was now expected any minute.
So in the snow I unloaded the truck, moved axles and pallets around and packed it all back in the garage.
PICTURE 1 PICTURE 2 Over the 3 day weekend we totaled 13" and stayed home.
I started to disassemble the brakes on a 2007 model GM single wheel AAM 11.5" rear axle.
PICTURE 3 PICTURE 4I'd like to eventually have disc brakes front and rear and faster axle gears yet. So I'll be swapping a 14 bolt rear axle and replacing the drums with these late model disc. (Not using this 2007 axle complete because it is to wide and quite expensive)
There are
companies that sell simple caliper brackets to put 70-80's front 3/4 ton disc brakes on the rear 14 bolt but (to me) they don't really seem suitable/large enough for a working 1 ton truck. They also don't have a good strong parking brake option.
I think these new model disc brakes with parking brake drum inside the rotor address both issues; considering they come from a modern 1 ton with a pretty substantial weight capacity and capable of quite high road speeds.
Next, seat belts? wiring harness? More axle/brake stuff?
Grigg
