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1st Gen. Ram - All TopicsDiscussion for all Dodge Rams prior to 1994. This includes engine, drivetrain and non-drivetrain discussions. Anything prior to 1994 should go in here.
A friend came over and we dropped the tank. He tried to disconnect the factory nylon lines and fought with them. Dropped the tank! Too easy! Pulled the pick up/fuel sender unit out. I bought an assortment box of Viton O-rings from HF. They were metric. Nothing matched. Because the inlet and outlet had plastic fittings we had to go with new quick disconnect fittings. Went to Advanced, couldn't get them 'til Monday. Nothing at Autozone either. Went to O'Reilly's and found what we needed. I also picked up my door pins/bushings that had to be ordered. They look too big. Too busy working in the cold out there. Had my torpedo heater cranking about 8ft behind the truck. It worked out nice. Ground was sort of wet. Had some roofing membrane under there plus some high dollar Karastan carpet cushion to insulate from the cold ground.
Lowe's was a good place to buy some of the brass fittings. In the sending unit there is 2 O-rings. The pickup tube. One was toast, and the other was so-so. Pulled the out with a dental style pick. Luckily my buddy brought some Viton O-rings I had left at his house. We couldn't return them for some oddball reason. Leftovers from a WT-Limo project. Package of 4. 2 different sizes. 2 were perfect. We worked and got it back running at 11pm. New lines. We followed the return line. Where it went from steel to nylon the nylon came out. That got a new quick disconnect inserted into the Gates fuel line. Used fuel injection clamps on the ends.
For the record there was 10 gallons of 7 year old fuel in there. I topped it off with 20 gallons of fresh stuff. Mixed in 20oz of Power Service "Clear Diesel." I only drove it 20mi tops. Pumped the fuel out into jugs. It was dark bluish green in the tank. Got to the bottom of the tank and it was clean! No mud in there! Nothing in the screen. I am guessing there was probably a bunch of crud in there.
Start up seemed smoother and higher. Road test in the morning.
Picked up a second caliper for the drivers side with new hose, new premium AZ pads. Weather permitting first thing is a drive, then brakes.
It only took me about 4 hours over 2 days. An hour or so was spent going to 4 hardware stores to get a 17/32 inch drill bit. I had to use a 1/2 inch instead. Now I have to install the brake controller and the 7 way plug and wire them up. Hopefully we can pick up the trailer this weekend. I also took up the left side self adjuster to see if it improves the pulling to the right when I stop. It was a little loose and I hope the extra slack is what caused it.
Almost there! Are those things just bolted to the bed or is it somehow attached to the frame too? Mine apparently had one at one time judging by the holes in the bed. What size camper is it again?
My technique taught to me back when I was a pup with drums was to tighten to when the wheel won't turn then back off to where they will. Then back the truck up hitting the brakes to work the adjusters.
Did you clean the threads and lube them with neversieze or bearing grease?
There are 4 "L" brackets that are bolted to the frame under the bed. The 4 bolts in the corners go through to the brackets. I still have to install 6 more bolts that just attach to the bed for a total of 10.
I adjusted the self adjuster wheel until the brake dragged substantially. I didn't back it off any from there. I have to drive it to see if it made a difference in the pulling. The adjusters were new and pre-lubed.
Thanks for the concern, but the big snow went a little south of us. We only got 3 inches out of the deal, not even enough to go move the plow truck for the first time in 6 months. One of my Dodge brothers over in Maine got a solid foot out of the storm, even right on the coast.
NJTman said he got only 4 inches of snow, then rain, before a little more snow which then froze up into a mess.
Now it is clear and cold in VT,. They are calling should what should be -6F or so tonight. Nice, starry night out there for loading the outdoor wood boiler. The dogs do their evening business a little faster when the temps. drop.
KRB,
I'll be honest, I was happy to not deal with lots and lots of snow, just yet.
I like lots of snow when my daughter and I are fired up to got to the MT and ski and snowboard, which will wait till after the holiday crowds go back home.
Right now I still have three trucks to move around to get the shop where I want it for the winter, so a foot+ of snow would not help me get those things done. Dan's donor for his 2wd 5 speed swap is sitting just out the front door of the shop as a very rusty, gutted roller. My sheetmetal donor for my '93 club cab 2wd to 4x4 build and another 2nd gen roller are taking up front and center in my shop. They both need to get out of the shop so I have some room to work.
Three inches seems about perfect. It looks pretty, the dogs enjoy it, but if I want go for a walk in the woods, I don't need snowshoes to take the dogs out. Speaking of that, it is almost time to hike out in the woods and cut down a Christmas tree with the family.
She is happy and enjoying her last year of high school. Due to the Covid stuff and how DMV has been this year, she still just has her learners permit for driving... So she is not driving the car alone, which to be honest might be better for dad's nerves. The roads around here can be pretty tricky in the winter.
I am hoping to get back on our projects when the snow really hits here in a bit. I am looking forward to spending some quality wrench time together at that point.
Drove it up to Colton to pick up our new (to us) 5th wheel RV. I spent yesterday doing the wiring for the trailer and brake controller. THEN this morning the brake light came on when we started out. It was stopping OK so we went on. I kept the speed down just in case though. Got the RV back down to Tustin and setup in the park where we will be spending 6 months or so until we make the move to OK.
The problem with the brakes turned out to be air in the rear lines caused by a dry MC.
The RV has a surge brake system, or electric over hydraulic?
It has electric brakes so I had to put in the Tekonsha brake controller. I assume the brakes are the type where the electro magnet drags on the side of the drum for actuation. I think next time I tow I have to spend a bit more time tuning it up. I was running on about an hours sleep when we picked it up. Didn't have any problem but it could have braked a bit sooner for my taste.
Edwin, when you have the time, it can be easily adjusted for the amount of tailer braking force and how fast it comes on.
I adjust mine from when my trailer is empty, to when I have a Dodge truck on it to make it brake harder, otherwise when I am empty the trailer brakes will lock up when braking.
Glad to hear your plan of moving to OK is working out for you.
12-13-2020, 12:44 AM
