Need (physical) help with wheel rebuild...

[Yaivenov]

I'm stuck in a bit of a quandary. A bit of back story, I live in Aurora, CO however I can't keep my truck nearby due to ne'er-do-well neighbors and a city ordnance limiting vehicle weights parked on streets. The short result is I have to store my truck at my VFW post which is located 30 miles away.

I only get out there about once a month unfortunately and this go around I found the brakes dead (peddle drops to the floor with no resistance). A bit of nosing around showed an oil stain on one of the wheels. Conclusion is a possibly faulty wheel cylinder. After reviewing other how-to threads and the TM's I ordered up the parts not only for overhauling the wheel cylinders, master cylinder and airpack but also for redoing the seals, boots, etc. on all the wheels.

After reviewing all my available means, tools, (un)available shop facilities, storage locations and budgetary constraints, I've unfortunately come to the conclusion that I can not accomplish this task alone. So I'm sucking down my pride and putting out the request for help from anyone generous enough to assist.

 

[mhassett]

I would be there today if you were closer.

 

[Yaivenov]

I would be there today if you were closer.

The sentiment is much appreciated all the same.

 

[jimm1009]

As long as you do not have a physical limitation from an injury
or disc problem, etc. you can safely do the work alone.
This may not be what you want to hear but we can steer you through it step by step with pictures too if needed.
The biggest obsticle is taking the tires off and then putting them back by yourself.
The next thing would be compressed air and a parts cleaner for the bearings
and misc. items needing cleaning.
The next thing is weather / shelter from the elements.
I have two herrniated dics from an injury while I was in the Army but I change my tires and remove my brake drums with hubs by myself but using extreme care.
A single person can almost completely disassemble a Deuce with the proper safety and tooling in place.
See what you think and in the mean time perhaps someone close may be able to chime in too.
Share your "plan" when you acquire on.
jimm1009

 

[armytruck63]

I would help if I lived closer.

Maybe you can find a tool rental place that will rent you a dual wheel dolly like this:

Greg Smith Equipment Sales Inc. - The lift professionals with quality automotive equipment at discount prices.

You don't even need to remove the wheels to get at the brakes. Just jack up the axle, pull the axle shaft, remove the outer wheel bearing, and slowly roll the dual wheels away from the truck.

No pain, no strain and you can easily do the job by yourself if you're on flat ground.

 

[stampy]

Amen to the above! Just ask. I was lucky and had a friend show me how. Try to find someone that you can learn from.

 

[Yaivenov]

@armytruck63: Thank you for the clever idea but I no longer have duals on the rear axles.

@jimm1009: First, there is no shelter or weather from the elements available. I've looked. The truck is stored in an open air VFW parking lot. This means I can not afford to leave it disassembled overnight at all and considering it snowed again here in Colorado two days ago the weather is affecting.

I already found and read the articles on this matter some time ago. I found this one particularly helpful and have it bookmarked.

And since you wished mentioned disabilities, I repeatedly injured both knees and permanently damaged my feet. I can no longer stand or walk for more than 30 minutes without extreme pain and it's now impossible to squat or kneel (on either knee). Despite this I still managed to swap out the 9.00x20's for 11.00x20's on my stock locking rims and do other required maintenance, it just took me substantially longer and I can only do a little at a time. As I stated before, in this case my taking longer than usual isn't acceptable since it would mean leaving a partially disassembled vehicle balanced on blocks in a parking lot open to the public.

 

[jimm1009]

I do not have your particular problems but believe me I understand.
Back pain is only one of the dabilitating problems that some are suffering from (me for one).

Now that you have explained more about your situation with the truck (and yourself) I'm sure that someone will chime in soon.
I wish you the very very best of luck in acquiring a seasoned or at least very helpful owner / operator to help.
I'd love to help but I am a two full days away from your area (MSN shows 18 hours but can't make that interstate speed on mountain roads).
I do suspect a wheel cylinder took a dump on you. A hub removal, replacement of the wheel cylinder, and reinstallation will take about 1 hour for the normal able-bodied person providing that they have all tooling lined up.
It is not too bad a job but of course you know yourself better than anyone else and above all stay safe.
You don't want to move it very far without brakes for sure. I know that brakes should work the best of all items on the deuce but I learned to drive an old jeep in the hills on the farm and it had no brakes for 30 years or so.
When I inherited it from my uncle it was very strange to press on the brake pedal and have it actually contribue to the stopping of the jeep (I fixed them of course). I digress...
Is there any possible way to acquire permission to move the truck to your home for temporary parking given your physical limitations? Perhaps if you appeal to the zoning board or which ever party is responsible for the local limitations they may grant a temporary situation. If so would towing it to your house / shop be an option and then driving it away when it is finished?
Please keep us posted.

Sincerely,
Jim aka, jimm1009 here on S.S.
Please e-mail me: jimm1009@yahoo.com

 

[williamh]

i am doing the exact same repair on a friends m35, but i ended up replacing the wheel cylinder and the outer bearing, seals .... the biggest deal will be removing the wheel from the truck ... everything else is easy ... all standard hand tools

good luck !!

 

[Stan Leschert]

If I were just a little closer, the tool truck and my favorite meck-a-nick would be on the way.

 

[jimm1009]

Don't mean to "dampen your spirits" but when I pulled my wheel cylinders, 4 of the 6 could not be rebuilt without boaring oversize and installing sleeves.
I installed all 6 new cylinders.
If it would help, I can send you a brand new cylinder to replace the one that is leaking for sure and then you could possbily have that one to rebuild for a spare or the next wheel that you have in mind for doing. I just remembered that I have 6 cylinder rebuild kits from Saturn that I purchased last year and did not use. You are welcome to any or all of them too unless you already have them.
It sure saves a lot of time when you can simply remove & replace the cylinder
as an assembly. Then you simply repack the bearings, clean backing plate, and go back together.
If you have a spare set of bearings & outer races you can pack them at home, put them in some sort of new plastic bag and then just go for complete replacement of bearings and outer races on that particular wheel.
Take a new lock washer for good g.p. and this can cut your tire off to tire back on time greatly.
You don't have to bleed the brakes the same day that you replace the cylinder and bearings and a pressure bleeder really does make it a one person job. Pump it up and crack the bleeder screw and watch that expensive DOT-5 come out throug a clear tube into a jar (thinking green here).
Are there any self storage units that inside storage for RVs in your area?
Perhaps a 1/2 month rental could be of consideration.
Anyone else in the Denver area have any good ideas here?
jimm1009

 

[tigger]

I asked dispatch if there was any loads going out that way but no luck. Would have gladly taken a day and did the work for ya. sorry

 

[Yaivenov]

@tigger: No worries.

@Jimm1099: I've got the kits from OD Iron for rebuilding the wheel cylinders, master cylinder and air pack and doing the axle seals. Doesn't include new bearings so I'll be pulling those and repacking them when I tear everything down. After looking around the area there really isn't any covered spots I could use/rent.

I'm thinking I can try working this one axle or even just one wheel at a time (with many breaks throughout), but if I have to stop before getting all the bits and pieces back on what is a suitable way to secure the open ends of the axle until the next day? Also thoughts on securing the tires/brake drums so no hoodlums try to pilfer them?

As for brake fluid I picked up some mil-spec silicon (Spruce Mtn Surplus) to replace the old stuff with. I have no clue how long that stuff has been in there. Just want to make sure, alcohol is the correct agent for flushing out a system yes? I'm a bit short on cash at the moment, but how much do you offer wheel cylinders ready to go? And one more question as I'm apparently an idiot when it comes to decyphering these TM's... if I wanted to do a full brake line replacement just how many of each do I need to be ordering? (This is because most of the rubber on this truck is "in less than ideal condition." I already had to replace the high pressure oil line when it sprung a leak after changing out the oil filters. Apparently it couldn't handle the full pressure after removing the resistance of the old crudded up filters)

 

[jimm1009]

Since they can't use salt on the roads in your state I would think that the steel part of the lines should be good but certainly you know your truck better than anyone else does.
There are three rubber lines (hoses) on the front and I believe only one rubber line (hose) on back (x 2 axles) but I'm going to dig up the parts manual with the brake system and look again.
Should be one from the frame to axle and then one on each front wheel to alow for flexing when turning wheels from side to side and then one from the frame to the center rear axles.

If you can, please e-mail me (jimm1009@yahoo.com) or PM me here on S.S. and we can discuss things a little more off this thrread.

Regards,
jimm1009

PS: A thought, since my truck is in the driveway now I'll just go look at the Chinese Blueprint (studpid me!).

 

[docfarmall]

Aint it great to live in a FREE COUNTRY were the neighbors tell you what you can and cannot do the problem is its your land and you cannot do what you need to on it id park her in my driveway and say kissy this .

 

[jimm1009]

I have used a heavy duty 40 gallon or so trashbags. The black ones designed for leaves and other yard waste are a little heavier duty. I just wrapped one around the spindle and backing plate and then secured with a little duct tape.
You can't save the bag this way but is helps in case of rain or snow while you are not there and the truck is still apart.
Securing the wheels could be done with a long bike cable and pad lock by stacking it next to another mounted wheel or perhaps wrapping the cable through the loose tire and the spare tire or other related frame member or perhaps the front bumper. You must have a 6 foot or so long cable but most bike cables are that long so you can lock them to a bike rack while unattended.
I don't have an idea for the brake drum with spindle. Lifting them into the cab is a chore for an 18 year old with muscles so that is probably not going to happen. I would not do it but I don't mind asking my 26 year old son to do this from time to time.
If you could get them in the cab (and out the next day) using a strong young man you can secure the doors by locking one from the inside and then using another bike cable or chain to lock the other door by wrapping the chain / cable throught the handle and going forward to the mirrors and then back in a loop.
This is only for keeping a basically honest person honest as a determined thief will get in through the glass with a rock or brick.
Some more food for thought.

jimm1009

jimm1009@yahoo.com

 

[jimm1009]

Sorry, you asked a question and I forgot to come back and answer it. Went out into the sun for a few hours and played with the truck. Showed the youngest son how to pull poles out of the ground using the Deuce.
He grinned the whole time that he was behind the wheel (26 years old).

The brake lines are in the following pictures. Three on the front axles as I stated in earlier part of the thread and two in back. Hard line down to T on frame and then long really long hose to each rear axle (No laughing at my blue tape. Added two wires to the rear. One for backup lights and a spare for something else down the road).

See attached pics. As loaded, the front axle to frame hose, the left front wheel (right it the same), and the rear axle hoses. The line coming of the frame to the T is a hard line, not a hose. After the T there is a hose to each axle that appears to be about 2 feet or so long.

Spray all your fittings with a good quality penetrant and let them soak at least overnight if you want to start replaceing the brake hoses.
Don't reuse the copper washers on the banjo fittings on the wheel cylinders.
They will leak about 80% of the time when reused (don't ask ME how I know this).

 

[Yaivenov]

So here's a few pics. Shows the trucks current (sad) condition. The location with which I'm relatively restricted to with regards to working on it and the suspected wheel (only one I've seen out of all six with any sort of oil stain on the drum). The snow has since melted thankfully.

One of the other side objectives in this task will be flipping those rear hubs, by the by.

Re: securing dismounted wheels: I have a 6 foot cable and a kryptonite lock I'll take out there for that purpose.

 

[FL_Frank]

Brakes are relatively easy - just read the manual about adjusting them as it's a tad different than a car with the feeler gauges.

If you are worried about the weight of those drums/hub combo (it looked heavy to me as well) you can use a tranny jack as a nice removal tool. Makes it a snap (relatively speaking) to do by yourself. Here's a picture of me doing one of my axles after I too had a wet spot at the bottom of a drum:

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/38829-started-finding-little-leak.html

The hub comes off nicely, and goes right back on - just use the transmission strap and a piece of wood to hold it to the jack. You can get them from Harbor Freight for ~$50 on sale, then take 20% off that with the coupons they have everywhere for 20% off anything.

Oh one more thing - I too thought the wheels were heavy, until I got a set of HEMTTs, 395 Goodyear's and the adapter plates. It is a sad moment when one of those now falls over and I am stuck getting it vertical again by myself.

 

[Yaivenov]

Hallelujah! A minor miracle just happened. Went out to poke at the truck today after adding a bit of fluid to the master cylinder yesterday. After moving the truck to a nice clear area of our lot had a friend walk around the truck while pumping the break pedal. Lo and behold the leak was located and by some miracle it's NOT a wheel cylinder. The culprit in this case is the connection between the hard line and the flexible hose of the front right wheel. You all have no idea how happy I am!


Next step, ordering the appropriate replacement parts. A question to you folks though, I've not seen replacement hard lines at places like OD Iron. Would all I really need to be replacing is the flexible hose or perhaps there's just a washer in that connection that needs replacing? Exactly what should I be ordering here?