Das Boot

[johnny]

No, not the movie - although if you haven't seen it, rent it and watch. I jacked the front of the 26' up to pop off the drivers wheel whose new tire
is losing air and found gobs of nice clean Syntek or something like all over the lower control arm and elsewhere close by. The boot, which looks new,
is dimpled as though it didn't sit correctly for whatever reason. At any rate, after I got all the grease off it - or at least enough to feel the
boot itself, there's a finger sized hole in one of the inner creases. A bit of conversation with Jimmy the K and a bit of advice, and there's a new
boot on the way. I have a can of Syntek I packed the new rear bearings with to use. After discussion of the split boots, I'll go ahead and yank the
axle out and put an OEM on it and replace. The splits do well as long as you don't turn tight too often... but moving around my yard and shop
requires lock - to - lock turns quite often, leading me to the conclusion that a bit of time spentwill pay off six months from now when the OEM is
still sound but the split would have failed. They worked great on the swing axles on my VW bus though.
If it ain't one thing it's another. Jim also advised checking the timing and stepping it out a couple of degrees with the MSD injection system in
hopes of improving fuel mileage. He's adamant that the 3.70 doesn't degrade the mileage so there must be something else going on here.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.

"Sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring when I think about my dirty life and times" --Warren Zevon

 

[charles boyd]

Hi Johnny..
I do not put inner bands on for that reason. They won't leak and it gives the boot room to flex.

> No, not the movie - although if you haven't seen it, rent it and watch. I jacked the front of the 26' up to pop off the drivers wheel whose new
> tire is losing air and found gobs of nice clean Syntek or something like all over the lower control arm and elsewhere close by. The boot, which
> looks new, is dimpled as though it didn't sit correctly for whatever reason. At any rate, after I got all the grease off it - or at least enough to
> feel the boot itself, there's a finger sized hole in one of the inner creases. A bit of conversation with Jimmy the K and a bit of advice, and
> there's a new boot on the way. I have a can of Syntek I packed the new rear bearings with to use. After discussion of the split boots, I'll go
> ahead and yank the axle out and put an OEM on it and replace. The splits do well as long as you don't turn tight too often... but moving around my
> yard and shop requires lock - to - lock turns quite often, leading me to the conclusion that a bit of time spent will pay off six months from now
> when the OEM is still sound but the split would have failed. They worked great on the swing axles on my VW bus though.
> If it ain't one thing it's another. Jim also advised checking the timing and stepping it out a couple of degrees with the MSD injection system in
> hopes of improving fuel mileage. He's adamant that the 3.70 doesn't degrade the mileage so there must be something else going on here.
>
> --johnny

--
C. Boyd
76 Crestmont
East Tennessee

 

[johnny]

This one didn't have inner bands. I've no idea why it pulled in on a couple of the ridges, but it did. You'd expect that if it were twisted at
install, but without the inner band it ought to untwist. We'll see how the new one does and go from there. New front brake pads in the offing... as
you pointed out, these are too soft. Dust everywhere.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.

"Sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring when I think about my dirty life and times" --Warren Zevon

 

[charles boyd]

I have noticed a pattern on boot failure. Seems time is involved. I have done ~ 10 this year and all were replaced within 2-3 years ago. After you
get the outer band on move the joint side to side. The inner part of the boot moves in and out and tugs on the boot if banded.

> This one didn't have inner bands. I've no idea why it pulled in on a couple of the ridges, but it did. You'd expect that if it were twisted at
> install, but without the inner band it ought to untwist. We'll see how the new one does and go from there. New front brake pads in the offing...
> as you pointed out, these are too soft. Dust everywhere.
>
> --johnny

--
C. Boyd
76 Crestmont
East Tennessee

 

[james schulte]

I had the local mechanic replace both all boots and after I got home left front outside boot was sliced open about 3 inches after driving 3 miles.
Close observation revealed in steering linkage a cotter key just above the boot which was bent in such a manner the key could turn and one side was
polished like it had sliced the boot. I am no mechanic and this is just my observation. I also checked the other side and trimmed and bent the
cotter key to preclude this happening.

Jim 23ft 1977 Birchaven in progress

 

[jim kanomata1]

Mechanics are good or bad.
Taken it back and make them do it N/C.

On Sat, Nov 19, 2016 at 6:52 PM, James Schulte
wrote:

> I had the local mechanic replace both all boots and after I got home left
> front outside boot was sliced open about 3 inches after driving 3 miles.
> Close observation revealed in steering linkage a cotter key just above the
> boot which was bent in such a manner the key could turn and one side was
> polished like it had sliced the boot. I am no mechanic and this is just
> my observation. I also checked the other side and trimmed and bent the
> cotter key to preclude this happening.
>
> Jim 23ft 1977 Birchaven in progress
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Fremont,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502

 

[johnny]

So, what I done was, I unbolted the axle from the flange on the differential, and then called two Gurus. Advice: Turn the wheels all the way to the
left lock, jack the control arm up for the best clearance of the axle stub, almost level. That got the stub out of the steering knuckle. Now I got
the axle loose at both ends. It looks like a 3 - D jigsaw puzzle. A bit of measuring shows it ain't coming out without removing something. The
outer tie rod end looked the easiest, so I loosened the castellated nut, whacked the schiess out of the knuckle with a dead blow hammer, and it tapped
out with a soft faced hammer. The axle slipped right out. Fortunately I have a set of snap ring pliers which are reversible so I got the outer CV
assembly right off the axle shaft after removing the boot in a destructive manner (box cutter and dikes for the straps). I got all the grease out of
it, inspection shows it to be either new or close - looks new and unmarked anyway. As soon as the boot gets here, I'll pack it full of Syntek grease
and re - assemble the whole thing using new flange bolts since several of these were finger tight which beat up the threads where they pass through
the inner CV housing. I'll run a thread chaser through the flange threads, and the new bolts will get blue Loc-Tite to keep them in place. Given
their (lack of) tightness, I'm gonna be proactive and replace the other side bolts as well unless they're torqued up yet, which I doubt. I propose to
be finished by Wednesday. Thursday is the middle of the Haollowgivingmassevehashana holiday and our anniversary (47 years) and the remainder of the
weekend is shows in Montgomery.
This means the three Onan boards I have in hand for repair will be a couple of weeks yet. Reportedly, they're all spares, the sets are running, so it
isn't a great problem.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.

"Sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring when I think about my dirty life and times" --Warren Zevon

 

[johnny]

The boot got here from Applied along with packing grease and band clamps. I got bolts. Driver's side axle will appear on my coach tomorrow. Since I
bought sufficient bolts for the passenger side, I figured mights well to look. I'm glad I did, the outer boot is old and cracked, it wasn't redone
when the driver's side was. Sigh. So, after the driver's side goes on, passenger side comes off. Since I have on hand a boot for the inner CV, I'll
repack it and do both ends, now both axles will be redone, new boots, new grease. At least I hadn't ought to have to worry over them any time soon.

Now all that's left is the frickin' Jasper engine. Anybody got a core 455 I can have for cheap? I'll break it down and take the parts down to John
Beavers for a proper rebuild and the coach will be mechanically all new. Failing that, I suspect I can jack the Jasper one up, yank the oil pan, and
fit it with a high volume pump and get back the pressure it oughta have.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.

"Sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring when I think about my dirty life and times" --Warren Zevon

 

[Ken H.]

Johnny,

What parts of a 455 do you need? While at the farm collecting 4 FD's for
Alex Ferrara last week I noticed that I still have a block, with bearing
caps, that's just in the way. If your basic block is bad and other core
parts good, that might help. Should I drag it down to John's for him to
check condition?

Ken H.

On Mon, Nov 21, 2016 at 5:10 PM, Johnny Bridges via Gmclist <

> The boot got here from Applied along with packing grease and band clamps.
> I got bolts. Driver's side axle will appear on my coach tomorrow. Since I
> bought sufficient bolts for the passenger side, I figured mights well to
> look. I'm glad I did, the outer boot is old and cracked, it wasn't redone
> when the driver's side was. Sigh. So, after the driver's side goes on,
> passenger side comes off. Since I have on hand a boot for the inner CV,
> I'll
> repack it and do both ends, now both axles will be redone, new boots, new
> grease. At least I hadn't ought to have to worry over them any time soon.
>
>
> Now all that's left is the frickin' Jasper engine. Anybody got a core 455
> I can have for cheap? I'll break it down and take the parts down to John
> Beavers for a proper rebuild and the coach will be mechanically all new.
> Failing that, I suspect I can jack the Jasper one up, yank the oil pan, and
> fit it with a high volume pump and get back the pressure it oughta have.
>
> --johnny
> --
> '76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and
> add - ons.
> Braselton, Ga.
>
> "Sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring when I think about my
> dirty life and times" --Warren Zevon
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

 

[johnny]

PM sent.

--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.

"Sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring when I think about my dirty life and times" --Warren Zevon

 

[johnny]

And I got another tip from one of the gurus. Swap sides with the axles, so the wear faces are reversed. I'll be doing that.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.

"Sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring when I think about my dirty life and times" --Warren Zevon

 

[johnny]

Welol, damn. As you may know, I am allowed three Johnny's Minor Efup and one major efup per project. I got the axles rebooted and reassembled, ready
to install. I had a Dorman and got an OEM from Applied. It is possible to get the Dorman universal one on and banded, but the OEM is enough easier
to make it worth the few dollars difference in price. Anyway, both axles together, boots banded nicely, flanges and their threads cleaned and ready
for the new bolts. I decided life would be simpler if I relocated the cribbing from the crossmember to the frame rails behind the wheels, giving me
more room to work and less chance of bumping the cribbing. This led to Johnny's Major Efup for this project.
The jack slipped. My safety cribbing caught the coach before anything got crushed under it... and I surely wasn't even close to under it while I'm
jacking on it. However, one of the safety crib beams slipped forward under the radiator frame. This destroyed the radiator. I can straighten the
frame without a lot of trouble, but I need a radiator, this one (aluminum) isn't fixable. Does anyone have an old one they removed in favor of an
aluminum new one? I can get another aluminum one, but I'd really rather have an original and let Sims recore it with the better core.

Help!

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends" --Robert Earl Keen

 

[johnny]

Rob -
Whatever it weighs for scrap aluminum. Let me point out, though, you may not want to use this particular one for oil cooler tests. The oil cooler is
disconnected and the coach has an outboard pair of coolers, one with a fan. This radiator was in it when Neil lunched the first Jasper mill, and is
therefore untrustworthy - it probably has tidbits of that engine in it. That being said, if you want in, come get it. Or I can haul it to Orlando
next month. Or I can haul it to Save The Sun next August. Or whatever.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends" --Robert Earl Keen

 

[johnny]

Off net? What am I missing here?

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends" --Robert Earl Keen

 

[robert mueller]

Johnny,

Done deal, just hang on to it, maybe we can find someone from your neck of the woods that will attend the GMCMI Convention in
Shawnee Oklahoma next spring and will schlep it there for me.

Actually the fact it came out of a GMC that the engine blew up in pleases me! I'll have it cleaned by a shop with one of these:

http://www.hotflusher.com/automotive/Jay-Leno-Hot-Flush.cfm

And tell them to retain the crap they get out of it.

Regards,
Rob


-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of Johnny Bridges via Gmclist
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2016 10:59 AM
To: gmclist
Cc: Johnny Bridges
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Das Boot

Rob -
Whatever it weighs for scrap aluminum. Let me point out, though, you may not want to use this particular one for oil cooler tests.
The oil cooler is disconnected and the coach has an outboard pair of coolers, one with a fan. This radiator was in it when Neil
lunched the first Jasper mill, and is therefore untrustworthy - it probably has tidbits of that engine in it. That being said, if
you want in, come get it. Or I can haul it to Orlando next month. Or I can haul it to Save The Sun next August. Or whatever.

--johnny

 

[johnny]

Fast update -
Due to the generosity of a local GMCer, I have a stock radiator. It will go to Sims with directions to recore with the higher capacity core they put
in my 23' radiator. Thanks to all for offers, and thanks Dave!!!!!

--johnny

--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends" --Robert Earl Keen

 

[johnny]

Raining here like a tall cow whizzin' on a flat rock as we say. Badly needed, too, but it precludes reinstalling the axles and the radiator. Which
radiator I just picked up from Sims - I'm 700 bux lighter and it looks brand new. While everything is out of the front, I'll take some pictures of
the new fan setup which Applied will be stocking. You don't have to remove the radiator to install it, but since it's out I can get better pics of
the installation. Temp operated viscous electric clutch with an override switch. Totally suave.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends" --Robert Earl Keen

 

[robert mueller]

Did / how did Sims clean the engine and transmission coolers or are you going with the externals?

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
USAussie - Downunder
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808


-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of Johnny Bridges via Gmclist
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2016 9:14 AM
To: gmclist
Cc: Johnny Bridges
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Das Boot

Raining here like a tall cow whizzin' on a flat rock as we say. Badly needed, too, but it precludes reinstalling the axles and the
radiator. Which radiator I just picked up from Sims - I'm 700 bux lighter and it looks brand new. While everything is out of the
front, I'll take some pictures of the new fan setup which Applied will be stocking. You don't have to remove the radiator to
install it, but since it's out I can get better pics of the installation. Temp operated viscous electric clutch with an override
switch. Totally suave.

--johnny

 

[johnny]

I can't get the ex passenger side axle in on the driver's side. I suspect because the back cover for the inner joint is sticking out a bit, the depth
of the edge of the inner flange. So it went back on the passenger side. I took a thread chaser through all the holes in the flange, then larded up
my new bolts with blue Permatex and torqued 'em down. My chinese torque wrench only goes to 150, so when it clicked on the outer bolt I took a
look, it was just beginning to cover one of the cotter pin holes. By holding the mirror and the arm for the awning, I eased it up to the next hole.
I figure 200 pounds of my fat ass on a breaker bar was over 180 and under 280. At any rate, it's pinned, dust cover and wheel on, and I will try to
fit the original axle to the driver's side. I got it outa there, I oughta could get it back. If I get skunked I'll call Zhookoff. I have most of
his tools anyway, and he's done this several times before. My axle removal/replacement experience is limited to VW Jettas.

--johnny
--
'76 23' transmode Norris upfit, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends" --Robert Earl Keen

 

[Ken H.]

Johnny,

For the benefit of others: You just didn't find quite the right hole to
push the inner end of the axle into. I've done many axle swaps and never
had any real trouble getting them in or out -- and it's NOT necessary to
remove the oil filter nor the starter. It's been a CRS while, so I can't
tell anyone just how to manipulate the axles, but it CAN be done without
removing the knuckle or loosening it. It IS necessary, in my experience,
to remove the related shock.

Ken H.

On Fri, Dec 2, 2016 at 7:21 PM, Johnny Bridges via Gmclist <

> I can't get the ex passenger side axle in on the driver's side. I suspect
> because the back cover for the inner joint is sticking out a bit, the depth
> of the edge of the inner flange. So it went back on the passenger side.
> I took a thread chaser through all the holes in the flange, then larded up
> my new bolts with blue Permatex and torqued 'em down. My chinese
> torque wrench only goes to 150, so when it clicked on the outer bolt I took
> a
> look, it was just beginning to cover one of the cotter pin holes. By
> holding the mirror and the arm for the awning, I eased it up to the next
> hole.
> I figure 200 pounds of my fat ass on a breaker bar was over 180 and under
> 280. At any rate, it's pinned, dust cover and wheel on, and I will try to
> fit the original axle to the driver's side. I got it outa there, I oughta
> could get it back. If I get skunked I'll call Zhookoff. I have most of
> his tools anyway, and he's done this several times before. My axle
> removal/replacement experience is limited to VW Jettas.
>