The Rusty Dodger

The Steering (rod) Strikes Back

2006-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a while. After successfully removing the ball hitch from the bed (courtesy of my cousin, a sledge hammer and a can of WD40) I had thought things would run smoothly. And it did. Briefly.

Two days ago whilst I was driving home from work I crested a hill and the steering rod seperated from the control arm. D'oh! Fortunately, after a brief sojourn in the rhubarb I landed in some soft mud and tall grass. It could have been *much* worse had the truck decided to go left into oncoming traffic instead of to the right. Let's hear it for crowned roads! ;) Other than a hairy moment when I thought it would roll from the landing I wasn't that scared. A tow truck driver on the way home from work stopped and called in a wrecker to get me out. Poor guy. His tow truck was barely heavy enough to lift the old girl out but a larger truck would not have fit on the road. Two hours later I was out and had the truck at Canadian Tire for repair. Of course, this is a *different* CT than the ones who "repaired" this the first time. I will also move the hydraulic ram steering upgrade from the "nice to have" list to the "necessity of life" list.

Sometimes I think this truck is out to get me.

Shaft II - Shaft in Africa

2006-08-16T08:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I broke down and ordered the replacement steering shaft from Borgeson. While not as easy to install as they made it seem, my Dad and I managed to get it done. We also tightened the mounting bracket bolts and fashioned a re-inforcement for the steering gear that has all but eliminated the wander it caused. It still has a bit of a wander but it is contained in the steering gear itself so outside of replacing it there isn't much I can do about it.

Yeah, I'm talkin' 'bout shaft baby...

2006-07-05T10:42:00.000-04:00

Another brief update: The steering slop worsened after I re-assembled the coupler. The shoes were worn and the spring hadn't responded well to my re-assembly. So now the crap steering shaft will be replaced with a much better unit. As usual, removing the old shaft went swimmingly. Not. The twelve-point bolts became zero-point after a brief introduction to my breaker bar, despite using an Exxon Valdez's worth of oil. Naturally you can't use heat without wrecking the rag joint -- not that my propane torch can get hot enough to do any good. Even grinding the heads off failed to allow the rag joint to separate. After much sweat, swearing and sparks I finally lost my temper and got out the cutting wheel. Thirty seconds later the shaft was out. Next up, grinding out the old roll pins which are seized beyond recovery.

I'm not dead (yet!)

2006-04-12T14:22:00.000-04:00

It has been some time since my last post but never fear... the Rusty Dodger has struck and now I, the Artful Dodger himself, must perform another freakin' repair. Things had been running smoothly for a while, that's why there wasn't much in the way of fresh material. The dreaded steering curse of Dodges' Past have come to haunt me. Straight axles have never been known for their accuracy in steering and with the big tires it only gets worse. As you may remember from my moving Odyssey I had replaced the drag link, which had severed at the clinch nut. Well, as with any old vehicle, as soon as one part is back in spec, everything attached to it suffers. In this case, my steering gear mounting bracket cracked, as many have done in the past. I hope to have pictures as it isn't every day you see a quarter-inch thick plate tear. It certainly explains why my Dodge was steering itself all over the road the past little while. I had thought the steering damper had frozen and was causing the problem, but no such luck. Needless to say, I have yet to discover just how much this baby will cost. I know getting at it will be a bear, not too mention re-inforcing the area to prevent a re-occurence. A hydraulic assist for the steering may be necessary.

Sploosh...

2005-10-24T09:05:00.000-04:00

We'll, I've got the tank back in (or should that be under) the truck. I spent all Saturday last weekend installing brand new fuel lines. I started at the back of the truck and rolled towards the front looking for clean steel to place my patch-in. I was almost underneath the engine when I decided to skip the splice routine and just run new from front to back. I borrowed the necessary flare-tool from a friend at work so it wasn't as hard as it could've been. After 7 hours it was all fresh steel and rubber hose from front to back. I propped the tank into place and turned over the engine. Success! It ran without a hitch so I let it idle to clear out a months dust. As I climbed underneath to bolt the tank into place, something happened.

* Sploosh *

Fuel was still leaking! It was slow, mind you but after careful examination the source appeared to be the plastic fitting. It seeped fuel but I couldn't pinpoint it. This Saturday past (Oct. 22 if you need know) I dropped the tank and ran the truck while staring at the stupid thing to see where the problem lay. I never did find the exact spot, but I wasn't prepared to shell out the $400 bucks for a new sending unit (next year, maybe) so I said "screw it" and slathered liquid gasket all around the area I suspected was leaking. This stuff never sets and is fuel proof so I have high hopes. It's been two days so far and I haven't seen a drop so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

This'n'that

2005-09-18T16:07:00.000-04:00

Not much going on -- just finished tearing up the backyard with the wife. Hot work and hell on my allergies too. Found some time to fix my tachometer -- the ground strap had somehow worked loose when I tore^H^H^H^H gently removed the dashboard when fixing my A/C. Oh well, no harm done. I removed the old spare tire from between the frame rails. I don't know what git of a engineer thought that was a good storage spot. The bolts were so rusty from disuse I had to introduce them to Mr. Hacksaw. Did the trick and I discovered that the tire was bald and the wheel rusty. Apparently my father-in-law never replaced the one that was there! :) Doesn't matter really, it is not the correct size any more. On the downside, there is insufficient space to hang a fuel tank there, at least one with greater capacity than what I currently have. So now I'm looking at a steel replacement in the stock location. Next up, getting the ball for the gooseneck to drop so I can actually have full use of the bed. Judging by the amount of rust on the release (which is seized) it will be a significant project. I've already begun soaking it with liquid wrench so it is only a matter of time. I bought some steel today so hopefully by next weekend I'll have welded in some patches on the drivers side chassis/fender where the rust is running away with the truck.

It ain't easy, bringin' a Dodge back to life.

2005-09-16T10:58:00.000-04:00

I must have crossed a wire when re-installing the dashboard after replacing the broken temperature control linkage because now when I turn on my headlights, the power to my tachometer goes out, unless I dim the dash lights completely and then it turns back on! Grrr! Guess the dash will be pulled ... again.

Oh, more fun, the gas tank that I paid to have fixed is leaking fuel again. Guess I didn't need a 150 dollar seal change eh? Guess it is the @(*$)@ vent tube like I told them, eh!? So screw it, I'm yanking the plastic piece of crap off, ditto for the spare, and mounting a large steel aftermarket tank between the frame rails instead! Won't be cheap, but I'll double my cruising range and be able to repair the stained section of driveway without fear of it being leaked on again. Soon, too, as the stain is oozing towards my neighbours' side of the asphalt.

Holy Bat, sh*t man!

2005-09-14T18:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I said I'd finish that story about the move from hell, but I can't be arsed. Most of the funny stuff has happened anyway. The rest was, drive 3 hrs, wait for a key 1 hr, move move move, eat drink, drive home and go to bed at 3.a.m. The end.

*Ahem*

Anyway, now that is over with, a brief update on the Rusty Dodge in question:

- Repaired the broken temperature cable that snapped ($40 bucks, thanks you Chrysler !@($*&)!*! )
Now the A/C blows cold arctic air, instead of "desert heat". Just in time for winter. Grrr...

- Replaced the old fashioned 8x6 sealed beam headlights which were dark orange at the best of times with a conversion kit giving me 2 sweet H4 (european standard) halogens that roast owls at 30 yards. $80 from CT. Good deal since I am pretty sure this kind of thing is illegal. But hey, at least I can see where I'm going now! :) Sorry about your retinas, everyone else!

- Replaced the air filter.

- Did the oil change. Almost had the frickin' truck fall on me. Apparently CT's 3-Ton jack is using the US ton or
something. Extra bonus -- the oil hit the lip of the drain pan such that the curvature directed it directly into my
face. And my mouth was open. MMMmmm... dead dinosaur is a taste sensation! :(

- Replaced the brakes. Discovered the joys of a Bendix brake system where you have to HAMMER the frickin' metal wedge that holds them on, out, and back in. Yeah, that's user friendly. Good engineering there. Pinheads!

Next repair -- glove box. It suffered a slight latching problem the last time (literally) I tried closing it. Something to do with velocity, that. :)

The move from hell...

2005-07-27T08:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I helped move my friend Adrian to Strathroy on Sunday. Did ya ever have one of those days where karma kicks you in the balls, pushes you down the stairs, and laughs? That was my day. Poor planning resulted in piss poor performance this go round. See, the plan was Adrian and I would load up the BK, hammer down to Strathroy, kick Wayne (Adrian's new roomie) outta bed and unload. Then all three of us would come back and load up the U-Haul and move the rest of the stuff down.

That ain't what happened.

Not by a long shot.

ARGH!

I woke up early on Sunday and went to take a shower. As I twisted the handle to the hot side there was a faint "snap" and the handle started free-wheeling around. Now I couldn't turn the water off! So I raced downstairs into the garage and started grabbing tools left and right. Flying back up I had to disassemble the faucet so I could get at the actual axle that controlled the mix. To this day I'm still using a pair of pliers to turn the water on and off. *sigh* That will at least be fixed tonight, all going well.

My morning shower adventure over I drive down to Adrian's apartment. There was a noticable wobble in the steering but I ignored it. I had accidently knocked the balancing weights off my left wheel when repairing the brakes on Saturday and assumed it was just a wobble. Remember this for later.

I arrived downtown (Adrian lives at Bathurst & Bloor) and parked outside Adrian's apartment. I leaned on the doorbell for about 15 minutes with no answer. I tried calling his cell, but it had been disconnected. It was eight in the morning so I figured he was just sleeping soundly. I went next door to Mel's and had a great breakfast of smoked meat and eggs. Montreal ex-pats will recognize the owners as the kids who were adopted into that huge, 20 person family. You may remember their Excedrin (or Tylenol, can't remember which at the moment) commerical.

Well, it's 8:45am and now I'm outside Adrian's apartment door leaning on the door bell again. Finally I give up on the respectable way and start yelling -- his window is only on the second story and facing front. That worked! He zombies down the stairs and lets me in and we get to work. By 10am the BK is loaded and ready to go. I decide to call U-Hell and find out where my damn truck is since we needed to know whether or not Wayne should come back. First I call the franchise where my truck is supposed to be. They've never heard of me. Then I call the national 800 number. They can't tell me and forward me to a regional office. The regional office then takes bloody forever to find my reservation and gives me the number of the franchise to call. I call them and they are in frickin' Richmond Hill! Adrian noted that this was, at least, better than having to go to Ottawa to pick it up. Way to look on the bright side A!

We drove on up to King Sideroad and Yonge via the DVP & 404. The shaking in the front end was quite noticable now.
Clouds are gathering over the little garage with an even smaller "U-Haul" sign that wasn't visible from the road. We sorted out our paperwork and were ready to head out. Adrian's licence is expired so we decided to drop off the U-Haul at my parents place and drive the BK down to Strathroy per our plan. Then we'd come back for it. I was pulling out of the parking lot when I noticed A wasn't behind me. I backed up and watched in my rearview as he pulls forward, then back, the forward again. I parked the U-Haul and ran back to the BK and politely asked if he's forgotten how a steering wheel worked. With some cursing and swearing we discover that the drag link, which connects the steering box to the tie rods, has sheared right off. This is a 5/8" thick piece of hardened steel. Or it was, at least. I ask the mechanic in the garage, a little old Phillipino gentleman, if he can fix it. He leaned over, looked at it and in heavily accented English pronounced, "You're fucked." Then laughs.

Thanks, guy.

The next hour and a half involved many, many cell phone calls to arrange for a tow truck, my father and my wife to meet all at this little garage. My wife and father followed the truck to Canadian Tire while Adrian and I drove the U-Haul to his place. It was now high-noon in downtown Toronto and you can guess what parking was like. I shoe-horned all seventeen feet of the truck into the little alley behind A's apartment. We had decided to try moving everything out the back. The rear steps are a gated alley and some schmuck has chained his 30' extension ladder in the way. The air turned blue for a while as we comtemplated this new development. Finally, we went inside to see if we could work around it. As we rounded the corner to the front fortune smiled on us -- the car dead in front of A's apartment was leaving! I raced back to the U-haul, backed it out of the alley, down the street and around the corner. Pedestrians dove left and right as I couldn't see them and they seemed to think I could. Adrian risked life and limb standing in the parking pot, shoo-ing potential parkers away. Some fool tried to swing in in front of him as I backed around the corner on to Bloor towards the spot. Apparently parking is so hard to find in Toronto it's worth the risk of being run over by a 10,000 pound moving van. People are STUPID!

* To be continued... *

First major repair...

2005-06-20T09:51:00.000-04:00

Long time no post, so I thought I'd update this a bit...

Tore out the stinky carpet from the Dodge two weeks ago in preperation to spray it with rubberized undercoating. While I was prepping the metal with a wire wheel I ended up going *through* the floor and saw daylight. Grrr. Where the water leaks past the window seal it was acumulating and being held against the floor by the carpet so it was rust city. Fortunately, after performing some exploratory surgery with a RBH (Really Big Hammer) I ended up with only two small holes and some soft spots. I patched in some steel and that was that. Turns out you really need a lot of that rubber stuff as the entire 4L only gave me about 1/8th inch thick coverage, less in some spots. This wasn't enough to provide any sound reduction so I ended up putting the crappy carpet back in for sound proofing until I can afford to replace them. Soon I hope, as they are odorific! I'll give them another (their third) shampooing and see if it helps.

Drove the beast into work today -- no A/C. The compressor works but the temperature control lever is seized. So I can only get hot and OUCH! out of the vents. Guess that will be my next repair.

Bow down to me, wretches! ;)

2005-01-14T16:56:00.000-05:00

I know, I haven't added anything yet, but it's too damn winter-y for working on the truck. It's licenced, certified and on the road. I'll have to take some pictures soon and post since the inner fenderwell on the driver's side is being clearanced by the tire. ;) Anyway, was reading Jeff's LJ and decided to to take one of those endless online survey's. Beat him too! Bow down to your king!

It's...it's...ALIVE!

2004-11-14T14:05:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems that bleeding the high-pressure lines isn't an option after all. After the Halloween debacle, and all subsequent attempts to get ol' BK running failed, it turns out that all I had to do was bleed the high side. After an hour of fiddlin' it started up (sounded like a frieght train or old airplane engine.) I had to leave the injector on #6 open to make it happen and when the engine finally fired it was spitting fuel like nobody's business. I was afraid to turn the engine off so I put on my protective gear and dove under the hood with a wrench to close the line, engine firing all the time. I let it idle for about twenty minutes to make sure everything was stable and then Mandy and I bombed up and down the highway for an hour or so to make sure the battery charged and all the bubbles were out. When I started it Monday (I'm back-dating this post as I typically don't have time to update my blog when events occur) it only took a split-second to fire. Woo hoo! Now I'm going to take it in for certification and if they want to change the lines for the safety then so be it, I'm not going to do it. Too much hassle, too much spillage, too much stress (too damn cold, too.)

Just Plain Fuelish...

2004-10-31T19:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought it would be a cinch. I mean, how hard can it be to fix a tiny fuel leak? What could possibly go wrong?! (You'd think I'd know better than to ask that.) Let's start with my pre-repair part of the day. I didn't start working until 2:30pm because, after coming back from a late breakfast with my parents, the Rusty Dogger escaped from the backyard. An hour of running, wheezing, cursing (not to mention an attemped dog-icide) later I managed to corner her in a backyard half-way across town. Add another 45 minutes of hoofing it home and I'm in a fine temper. So it's 2:30pm and I'm just starting to dig into the truck. The First problem was that the clamps on the fuel supply lines were apparently original equipment. The clamps' latches were face down! (BTW - I'm referring to the short rubber length of hose that ties the hardlines on the framerail to the fuel pump on the tank.) This simply can't be resolved with the tank on the truck! Solution? SNIP SNIP! Buh-bye fuel lines. Now I'm committed as I can't get the *&)$! truck out of the garage and back into the driveway until I'm done. As an added bonus, it's too large to fit completely inside the garage. Grrr... Problem #2: the fuel filler hose/vent line clamps are rusted shut. This took me an hour of hacksawing to resolve as I didn't have the right size to replace either hose (snipping was *not* an option.) GRRR! Problem #3? My siphon couldn't reach the last five gallons of fuel which, at 7.1lbs per gallon) made balancing the tank on the floor jack a fun and exciting process. I was absolutely delighted.... NOT!

I don't know if I managed to set the date right on this post but these events occur on Halloween, the importance of which will become apparent.

I'm in the third hour and I've got the tank down. The sun has dropped and with the darkness has come the pitter-patter of candy-obsessed feet, with whiny children attached. My wife is hiding inside the house with the lights off, but with my garage door up and the 1000-watt owl roasters illuminating my legs, protruding from underneath the truck as though I've been run over, I attract a lot of attention. I can't begin to count the number of times idiot children asked me, as I sit there soaked in diesel and oil, if I had any candy. They have no idea how lucky they were that I had already shut off the garage's water for the winter.

Fortunately, I had the correct ID fuel line and was able to quickly re-install the tank and all but *one* of the bolts that hold it up. Which sounds a lot more successful then it was given that there were only *TWO* bastard bolts holding the whole shebang together (via metal straps.) Screw "witching hour" this was the "BITCHING" hour. Some how, in the process of repair that damn bolt shrank 1/4" as it would not reach for love nor money. Applied brute force, on the other hand, worked wonderfully. Hell, it's only a plastic tank, it compresses. :)

So now, the moment of truth. I turned over the engine and relocated the truck to its resting place. Well pleased with myself on a job well done I began cleaning up, only to hear the tell tale drip-drip-drip of diesel on cardboard.... F**K!!!!!!! *ahem* Well, as it turns out, the old rotten rubber lines weren't the cause after all. I discovered a pinhole leak in the hardline attached to the return side of the pump thanks to all the nice shiny new hardware I put in. For this weekend's repair (part deux) I'll be putting a philosophy of mine into practice --

If at first you don't succeed, cheat!

- AD

Finally...

2004-10-26T07:18:00.000-04:00

Those weasels at the RIV sent me my letter. Now I can get the truck certified and insured. The downside is that I have to get the final repairs (fuel tank, maybe brakes) and the certification completed by Novemeber 25 so the race is on. Hopefully this warm snap continues.

Things Accomplished So Far

2004-10-22T16:02:00.000-04:00

Things accomplished so far:

- Cleaned the interior of the remains of its rodent residents, including their nest in the air vent (#1)
- Replaced old stereo with the one from my wrecked GMC. (Don't ask)
- Replaced old speakers in the doors with functional ones from my wrecked Ford. (*Really* don't ask. Removed mouse nest #2 from RH door.)
- Got the recall clearance letter from Dodge
- Removed the horrible tint from the side windows. Used 87 octane unleaded glue remover.
- Replaced the bald tires with some nice discount mudders
- Removed the steel running boards that almost tore up said mud tires with my cousin's help.
- Replaced the air filter (Removed mouse nest #3 from air-box.)
- Changed oil & filter (No mice? Slackers!)
- Priced daytime running light (DRL) module from Dodge, $100, not bad.
- Discovered I needed additional Canadian wiring harness, $500. ARGH!
- Returned module and installed fog lamps that are always on, priceless (well, free at least.)
- Replaced the 12 interior trim screws that rattled out after 13 years. Interior *much* quieter.
- Replaced old chrome Cobra 19+ CB with the black plastic Cobra 19XIII my cousin gave me. Exact same size/buttons/functions.
- Discovered CB still didn't work.
- Discovered wiring to the overhead console, and thus the CB, was cut. Swore. Soldered. Fixed.
- Discovered wiring to the tachometer had been cut. Swore. Soldered. Fixed. Again.

Getting to Canada

2004-10-22T16:01:00.000-04:00

Getting the truck into Canada was a bit tricky as the relevant information was hard to find. The Minsitry of Revenue and Canada Customs keep
changing their names and areas of responsibility each week (it seems.) Even when you find the information, the legalese is such a pain to
deal with that you want to scream! With the aid of several websites, I was able to put together the package I needed to get The Beast up here.
(From now on, in deference to my CTS, I will refer to it as TB for short. My wife refers to it as the "boob-killer" due to the rather solid
suspension and its unfortunate consequences on the female form so that name may also appear.) For future reference, you need two notarized
copies of the title and the registration and the bill of sale. You will need to fax the US Customs people 3 days in advance of bringing it
across the border and you will have to present it to them along with the confirmation slip from your fax machine on the day. This is important!
I saw several people turned away because they did not do this. On the Canadian side, you have to tell the person in the booth that you
need a Form 1 Vehicle Import. Then you pay $182 for the import process plus 7% GST on the Fair Market Value of the vehicle. Ten days after,
you should receive a letter from the RIV (Registrar of Imported Vehicles) that details what is necessary to bring the vehicle up to Canadian
standards. In the case of pickup trucks, they are taken at face value as long as they met US Federal Safety Standards for their year of
manufacture. Typically, you need to add French stickers for the airbags (doesn't apply to my '91) and daytime running lights. After that, it
the standard road-worthyness test at Canadian Tire and registration at the Ministry of Transportation for plates.

Unfortunately for me those lazy b**tards haven't even sent me my letter so I can't get it registered yet. On the plus side, this gives me time
to get all the repairs done that I think it needs.

The Beginning

2004-10-22T15:59:00.000-04:00

First a little history. This ol' Dodge is a 1991 Power Ram W250 HD. It started life plowing snow in Wisconsin for three years by a man
who likes his trucks. Then he sold it to my father-in-law. The truck then spent the next 13 years hauling a trailer that weighed between
17,000 and 21,000 pounds. After all those years, someone in a blue suit noticed. Turns out that exceeding your vehicles rated tow capacity
by 7,000 pounds is considered illegal. D'oh! So, it was left parked. When my F-I-L decided to get rid of it he remembered me asking him
to pass it my way instead of the dump. My reason? I like off-roading but haven't had the money for a third vehicle and was tired of wrecking
my daily driver. This was my solution. The specs of this ram make it an excellent off-road candidate even if it is a little too large for
Jeep sized trails. It has the Cummins I6 5.9L Intercooled Turbo Diesel engine (160 HP, 400 lb-ft), a Dana 70 full floating rear axle and a
Dana 60 semi-float front. A TorqueFlite 727 OD tranny and NP241 transfer case make up the rest of the drive train. Even if I scrap the truck
later, I will keep those parts and stuff them under a Jeep. For now, follow along and watch as I try to bring the tired beast back to life.
(By my count, 0 of 13 TSB's were resolved on this truck in its lifetime.)

Blog blog blog

2004-10-22T10:28:00.000-04:00

Jus' fiddlin'...