One Piece at a Time: My 1985 Diesel Suburban

[AgDieseler]

Not sure if you have the bolts yet for the caliper but they are H839. I got mine straight from Dodge dealer. The torq bracket isn’t as thick as the stock Ram, so I had to trim the bolt length down a 1/4” or so, as to not hit the rotor.

Thanks man. He provided the hardware, but knowing that it was too short for you, I might just build in a spacer while it's apart.

All that scrap lumber for fixturing makes me feel right at home.

There's a large patterned rug on the way.

David

 

[imiceman44]

I enjoy steady, methodical progress. That’s going to be a continued theme.

I got my fixture table setup as my axle workstation. A quick zip of the 3-3/8 hole saw and some table clamps is all it takes.
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I haven’t taken this axle down since I built it in 2005, so this was a good chance to cleanup and get it ready for the next 15 years.
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The performance and wear check on these bushings was good. Normally, these are dead nylon soldiers. Not today.
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Stripped, cleaned, and ready for some plasma.
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What used to take me hours when I was a dumb kid, now takes about 10 minutes.
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I should have ordered the offset nozzle so I wouldn’t have to grind as much.
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Organized and ready for inspection/reassembly.
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Next up: cleaning the tubes, pressing out the old studs, turning down the hubs, test fitting the link brackets, and sketching a truss.

David

I didn't know there was such a thing as an offset nozzle

 

[beags86]

I didn't know there was such a thing as an offset nozzle

I don't necessarily know what David is talking about but I have a few of these guys in my torch cart.

 

[imiceman44]

I don't necessarily know what David is talking about but I have a few of these guys in my torch cart.

View attachment 344419

I need to look up one for mine.
Mine does get a little closer than this but closer is better

 

[beags86]

I need to look up one for mine.
Mine does get a little closer than this but closer is better

Honestly. I don't use them much. When you get proficient at hand cutting 1&1/2"+ steel and then you are faced with a common 3/16-3/8 sized bracket. It's generally not enough to worry about. Just scarf it close the axle.
Might be worth it if your not super proficient and worried about getting into base metal.

 

[AgDieseler]

Hypertherm has a side eject nozzle that’s designed to remove maybe 1mm off the tube surface. It would have been handy to remember that, but no big deal.

https://www.hypertherm.com/en-US/hy...ld-duramax-and-duramax-lock30--45-a-flushcut/

David

 

[mrk5]

Hypertherm has a side eject nozzle that designed to remove maybe 1mm off the tube surface. It would have been handy to remember that, but no big deal.

https://www.hypertherm.com/en-US/hy...ld-duramax-and-duramax-lock30--45-a-flushcut/

David

That's a neat nozzle!

 

[AgDieseler]

Big brakes underway. This is a quick and simple weeknight prep project.







Ready to turn down


New wheel studs

David

 

[KirsL]

Big brakes underway. This is a quick and simple weeknight prep project.

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Ready to turn down
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New wheel studsView attachment 344467

David

I've excited to see this kit installed. As I've been thinking of doing it on my truck.

 

[AgDieseler]

I snuck out to a buddy’s shop to turn down the hubs.

It’s not much. Just 8.32” to 7.85”. It pretty much just eliminates the extra flange material.


Clearance is 1/8”ish all the way around.


The rotor goes over the hub.




David

 

[dhcomp]

Looking good.

Did the stud picture disappear? Why are the new studs shorter?

 

[AgDieseler]

Looking good.

Did the stud picture disappear? Why are the new studs shorter?

I had this up on the gram.



The studs are different because they don’t have to hold the rotor on to the bearing hub, so the knurling is moved back. There are many lengths of studs available, but this should work with my wheels and hardware.

David

 

[AgDieseler]

I snapped a better photo of the studs. Note the shoulder at the top of the original.




Also, I geared up and sweat it out to grind and smooth the tubes.


Steady. Daily. Progress.

David

 

[AgDieseler]

The coilover mounts are burned in place.

The diff side indexes quickly and with minor clearancing of the bracket itself. Taking a reading from the top of that bracket, the driver side is set to match and tacked in place. From there, it's all about making four different metals weld together.

I preheated the cast center to a bit over 200, welded the bracket to the tube (steel to steel), let that heat spread, heated the cast inner C to about 250 and welded that portion next (cast steel to steel). From there, I got the cast diff to about 250, and set the MIG to kill. The arc is green and spatters, but the weld comes out okay. All the interior welds are MIG, and external are TIG. Those were run at a hot root to create the slightest bit of undercut, and then a cap fills in the profile. Everything gets a heavy post heat, and is wrapped for the night. The passenger side is decidedly easier, only having to join three different materials.



























I allotted one day per side to allow for a full cool. Zero cracks makes me think it was worth the time.

David

 

[beags86]

Isn't your preheat and post heat just living in Texas?

 

[imiceman44]

Isn't your preheat and post heat just living in Texas?

That's what I did in August in Sacramento
Worked perfectly

 

[AgDieseler]

Isn't your preheat and post heat just living in Texas?

Well, the base metal does start out at 95.

David

 

[beags86]

How are you checking temps?
I hope not cheapy gun?

 

[AgDieseler]

How are you checking temps?
I hope not cheapy gun?

An inexpensive IR thermometer gives directional guidance. It’s accurate enough to tell me I’m over 200 or 250, and that’s sufficient for this project.

David

 

[beags86]

An inexpensive IR thermometer gives directional guidance. It’s accurate enough to tell me I’m over 200 or 250, and that’s sufficient for this project.

David

Ok. All I'll tell you is what I told my welders when they wanted to cut corners.
If it's important enough to weld it's important enough to do it right.

You can get by with a cheapy gun, but at least check the accuracy. A quick test could be shooting your oven or something like that. I understand your probably not going to buy a thermocouple.
If your center section didn't crack then you cooled it down correctly. So your already in the clear.

Another tip is make sure you shoot a flat piece of steel at 90 degree, and get close to make sure you get reading. To far away and the emissivity can be affected. Anything from a 90 and the angle can cause refraction and a skewed reading.