Cheap Parts (before factoring in the pain & suffering:)

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jamesdfo
Posts: 1637
Joined: February 15, 2011, 10:32 am
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

Cheap Parts (before factoring in the pain & suffering:)

Post by jamesdfo »

Well, I made a run to a local pull your own parts yard out east of the city, they've had this '78 F150 with a 302 in the yard since last Sept, and I figured if I waited any longer, by the time I get around to it, it would have been squished:)
So, the part(s) I was after are the SBF engine mount pedestals, which I may need for my '66 Crew Cab (I say may, because I have not made a final decision on what front suspension I will end up running, but figured I best grab them while they were available)
Anyways, I loaded up a TON of tools, because the engine/trans are still in the truck, so I knew that even after I got the pedestals & the engine mounts detached from the front crossmember/engine block, I would need to take the weight of the drivetrain off of them to get them out, so I brought my Porta-Power along, as well as some 4x6 blocks.
In between the parking lot & the Front Counter, one of the wheels on the little cart I was hauling all my gear on broke, meaning I had to basically DRAG the cart all the way back into the Northwest corner of the yard where they keep the "vintage" stuff. I know it's more than a 1/4 mile, but a half mile is probably pushing it:)
Anyways, like a dumba$$, I didn't put my gloves on, and by the halfway point, I already had a water blister from the base of my saluting finger to the first knuckle:( (yah, my hands are not as tough as they were back when I was a trades guy :roll:
Anyways, I get all the way back there, and with all the rain we've had in the last week to ten days, it's a quagmire back there. Each Isle in that section has huge ruts from the loaders, and the ruts all have a good amount of water in them AND although the truck is still resting on it's front wheels.....both are flat :(
....and for good measure, despite everything (sheetmetal wise) from the doors forward (excluding the rad support) being raped & pillaged, the lump still has running boards on it, making it next to impossible to get under it.
Well, it gets better, because when I open up my toolbox, I discover that my rail of Imperial shallow sockets is NOT THERE, and when I go into the bottom of the box to dig out Imperial wrenches, all wrenches are accounted for EXCEPT the 9/16", which is what all the bolts on the pedestals are :oops:
So, fake it to make it....14mm will do in a pinch!
Problem is, because I cannot get UNDER the truck, I can't get at the nuts.....so working from above, I back them out until the nut starts to spin, then drive a flatblade screwdriver between the pedestal & the crossmember, get a turn or two more, rinse, repeat......once I got back off far enough, the screwdriver didn't work any more, so I switched to my picklefork, and at some point it slipped when I was hammering, and I ended up with my finger getting jambed between the fork & something else, so now I have one fingernail that is ~40 % purple
Problem is, even from the top, EVERYTHING seemed to be in my way, I ended up removing the fuel pump, Oil filter, steering box, just to improve access to the pedestal bolts. The motor mount bolts, after I used a breaker bar to crack them, came out OK using my Ridgid Impact Drill/Driver, but required a looong extension to reach up from below.
Even after getting the porta-power in there and lifting the engine up off the mounts, then cramming whatever I could find between the oil pan & crossmember to hold it up, I still ended up having to get the hacksaw in the gap & cut part way through the last two bolts (The lower rear pedestal bolt on each side), after which I was able to use the pickle fork & "pop" them.
So, not easy, and not without some pain & suffering, but I guess for a grand total of $21.00 CDN tax in, no one will listen if I complain:):)

This job would have been a whole bunch easier if the vehicle was up on stands, and was somewhere on flat & DRY ground.......

James
shipwrecked
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Joined: December 29, 2012, 10:06 pm
Location: Yorktown VA
Contact:
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Re: Cheap Parts (before factoring in the pain & suffering:)

Post by shipwrecked »

and an adventure.
The months may change, but I am always APRIL
'63 F100 Custom Cab 223inline 6, 3speed manual- mostly stock
https://www.youtube.com/coastiereid
Truck has been home in CA,OR,WA,NJ,VA since it's birth in San Jose Jan63
mercuryv8
Posts: 328
Joined: November 8, 2013, 1:20 am
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

Re: Cheap Parts (before factoring in the pain & suffering:)

Post by mercuryv8 »

I pulled a set of leaf springs from that yard last year. The loader guy took the truck to a stand for me.

:twisted:

Nic
ICEMAN6166
Posts: 11470
Joined: July 11, 2006, 11:28 am
Location: Dove Creek, Co. elevation 6842
Poland

Re: Cheap Parts (before factoring in the pain & suffering:)

Post by ICEMAN6166 »

mercuryv8 wrote:I pulled a set of leaf springs from that yard last year. The loader guy took the truck to a stand for me.

:twisted:

Nic


nice option if available
so is driving back to the target with your tools

always need to be prepared for mehanical combat in a salvage yard and also obstacles in the way if your retrieving big or heavy stuff.
1966 F250 4x4
1964 Rambler Ambassador 990
Rest in peace departed Slick family members
Cam Milam
Lesley Ferguson
Steve Lopes
John Sutton
jamesdfo
Posts: 1637
Joined: February 15, 2011, 10:32 am
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

Re: Cheap Parts (before factoring in the pain & suffering:)

Post by jamesdfo »

ICE: AFAIK, they won't allow you to drive in with your vehicle, but they do have a couple of "yard trucks" patrolling, and I was able to get someone to ask the counter guys to get them to come pick up my tools & parts, but I still had to walk all the way back to the "office" trailer (I'm guessing liability issues??), but was still grateful that I didn't have to drag the whole works all the way back, because after three hours out in the sun, I was pretty much used up.
This incident has me thinking about a better way to haul tools (and parts), and one thing I came across on kijiji classifieds was a "game cart" sold by Cabella's. Looks like it would do the job, and despite being pretty spendy new, I saw one, which had been used ONCE on kijiji for $60.00

http://www.cabelas.ca/product/69344/cab ... -game-cart

Image

The other one that I immediately thought of was the pneumatic tired "garden carts" that Costco used to have, haven't seen them there for ages (and they be spendy), but saw one very close @ Princess Auto the other day (still more than my budget:)

Same as this, but the ones in store ATM are BLUE

http://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/9 ... -p8418360e

Image
shipwrecked
Posts: 1457
Joined: December 29, 2012, 10:06 pm
Location: Yorktown VA
Contact:
United States of America

Re: Cheap Parts (before factoring in the pain & suffering:)

Post by shipwrecked »

I built a cart from some 4x4's and pneumatic caster tires that I bought at ChinaFreight... it has haul all kinds of stuff the last few months. You could build your own cart from some square tubing and china freight casters.
The months may change, but I am always APRIL
'63 F100 Custom Cab 223inline 6, 3speed manual- mostly stock
https://www.youtube.com/coastiereid
Truck has been home in CA,OR,WA,NJ,VA since it's birth in San Jose Jan63
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