I have become very annoyed at my attempt to resurrect my 1949 2R5 truck that was last driven in 1988. I started working on it around the middle of 2012. I started at the back, cleaning and painting the underside of the body and taking the rear axle apart.
I found a listing for the seals from a vendor on this site. I ordered what the vendor told me that I needed, but when they arrived they were the wrong size. The vendor was helpful and pleasant. I returned them, and another set arrived that also did not fit. I returned these also, and in returned I received the ones that did not fit the first time. At that point I realized that I was not going to get useable seals from this vendor, so I just thanked him for his trouble and gave up on that as time and money thrown away. I still have those seals.
From there I went to my local CarQuest store. It took a couple of tries, but they did find the inner seals. A local valve repair shop made the felt seals for me.
Adding the cost of the first set of seals, the second inner seals, the second felt seals, and the cost of twice returning seals to the first vendor shows me having spent just under $107 for nothing more than rear axle seals.
During this time I had the rear cylinders resleeved, and I bought a replacement parking brake cable. Both of these purchases went well, and I am happy with those transactions.
I then installed the seals and reassembled the axle. When I went to reassemble the brakes I learned that the pads had de-laminated from the brake shoes during the year and a half they sat in a box out of sight. These pads had 1 /4 inch of pad remaining and were smooth and evenly worn. I was not pleased that I now had to spend more money just because the glue got old and failed.
A vendor that had already provided good parts offered a relining service, so I sent the shoes (just for the rear axle) to them. In return I received shoes with new pads that were only 3/16 inch thick. I have already learned from seeing it on another car that if the brake shoe pads are too small for the drum diameter that you will have mushy brakes, and the pads will crack to look like a dry lake bottom over time, so I questioned why I received 3/16 pads in place of the 1/4 inch pads that I sent. The answer was that their vendor just puts the original thickness on. The parts or the repair manual does show 3/16 for new pads, but that would not be correct for my drums which have been turned to 11.06 inches. They told me their vendor would put 1/4 inch pads on, but I would have to buy them again. I agreed to do that and sent them back. They received them on 1-21. After not being able to get information about the relining I began sending messages on 2-5 asking for them to just be returned as is. On 2-28 they told me that they were ready. I received them yesterday, and I am not happy about it. The bill was for the relining, which I agreed to, but for this case they added $12.5 shipping to and from their vendor then again to me for a total of $37.50 shipping cost. The best part is that now the shoes are lined with 1/8 inch material. Attached are pictures of each of the three thicknesses.
So, this has become a joke. Adding the cost of the first relining, the second relining, and the cost of twice returning the shoes to the vendor shows me having spent just over $221 for the relining of brake shoes, just for the rear axle, to half the thickness they originally were.
Adding that $221 to the $107 for the seals and $94 for the wheel cylinder resleeving puts me over $400 just for brakes and seals for the rear axle.
The vendor should not have replaced 1/4 inch pads with 3/16 inch, and when I agreed to pay them to fix it, they should not have replaced the 3/16 inch pads with 1/8 inch pads. It makes me picture them rolling with laughter and waiting for me to pay them to go even thinner the next time. The vendor who I was speaking to seems to have joined in the fun by tripling their shipping charges. I am not happy about having paid for all of this joking at my expense.
All this trouble is for a truck that was well cared for when it was being driven and is still a nice truck. When I put it away in 1988 I ran the fuel out of the carburetor, put it on blocks, and put a car cover on it. In 1992 it was moved indoors and stayed on blocks and covered. It will be waxed again when I can roll it outside.
When I put it away it had maybe 1/2 tank of fuel. At the time I thought that a good thing to keep the tank from rusting, but I now know that with the alcohol fuel the opposite was true. In 2012 it turned out that the tank and the sender were not just leaking but were disintegrated. Bob Peterson graciously provided me with a good replacement. However, with that cost plus the cost of lining this tank before I install it I will have spent another $200 just to accommodate the damage that was caused by our current fuel. And I have not looked for a sender yet.
It appears that when the brakes were put on (before I bought the truck in 1980) oversized pads were installed that were then cut while on the vehicle to match the diameter of the drum which made a good fit and a very nice braking feel. I have not checked to see if that can be done in my area because it cannot be done until the truck is driveable. I do know that the local brake pad reliner is no longer in business.
This rate of cost is not sustainable for what really is a toy for me. Being at the end of my line on this issue, and no longer caring, I will use the 1/8 inch pad shoes for the rear and just get on with it. I took the front drums off when I found the rear shoes had delaminated to look for that problem on the front. I thought at first that it might be good to get them relaminated because their bonding is just as old as the bonding that failed in the rear shoes. Now I know that cannot be done properly, and I no longer care. If they do not appear to be delaminated when I get ready to reassemble the front drums, then they will be used as is.
I recognize that costs must be paid for any good or service What I am having trouble with is doing my part with the paying before the product is shipped, not getting what I paid for, having to pay for each shipping return then, in the end, not getting what I paid for at all. This problem is certainly not limited to fixing cars, but in this case it is preventing a very nice Studebaker from returning to service. What do others do to keep themselves from paying without receiving in return?
I found a listing for the seals from a vendor on this site. I ordered what the vendor told me that I needed, but when they arrived they were the wrong size. The vendor was helpful and pleasant. I returned them, and another set arrived that also did not fit. I returned these also, and in returned I received the ones that did not fit the first time. At that point I realized that I was not going to get useable seals from this vendor, so I just thanked him for his trouble and gave up on that as time and money thrown away. I still have those seals.
From there I went to my local CarQuest store. It took a couple of tries, but they did find the inner seals. A local valve repair shop made the felt seals for me.
Adding the cost of the first set of seals, the second inner seals, the second felt seals, and the cost of twice returning seals to the first vendor shows me having spent just under $107 for nothing more than rear axle seals.
During this time I had the rear cylinders resleeved, and I bought a replacement parking brake cable. Both of these purchases went well, and I am happy with those transactions.
I then installed the seals and reassembled the axle. When I went to reassemble the brakes I learned that the pads had de-laminated from the brake shoes during the year and a half they sat in a box out of sight. These pads had 1 /4 inch of pad remaining and were smooth and evenly worn. I was not pleased that I now had to spend more money just because the glue got old and failed.
A vendor that had already provided good parts offered a relining service, so I sent the shoes (just for the rear axle) to them. In return I received shoes with new pads that were only 3/16 inch thick. I have already learned from seeing it on another car that if the brake shoe pads are too small for the drum diameter that you will have mushy brakes, and the pads will crack to look like a dry lake bottom over time, so I questioned why I received 3/16 pads in place of the 1/4 inch pads that I sent. The answer was that their vendor just puts the original thickness on. The parts or the repair manual does show 3/16 for new pads, but that would not be correct for my drums which have been turned to 11.06 inches. They told me their vendor would put 1/4 inch pads on, but I would have to buy them again. I agreed to do that and sent them back. They received them on 1-21. After not being able to get information about the relining I began sending messages on 2-5 asking for them to just be returned as is. On 2-28 they told me that they were ready. I received them yesterday, and I am not happy about it. The bill was for the relining, which I agreed to, but for this case they added $12.5 shipping to and from their vendor then again to me for a total of $37.50 shipping cost. The best part is that now the shoes are lined with 1/8 inch material. Attached are pictures of each of the three thicknesses.
So, this has become a joke. Adding the cost of the first relining, the second relining, and the cost of twice returning the shoes to the vendor shows me having spent just over $221 for the relining of brake shoes, just for the rear axle, to half the thickness they originally were.
Adding that $221 to the $107 for the seals and $94 for the wheel cylinder resleeving puts me over $400 just for brakes and seals for the rear axle.
The vendor should not have replaced 1/4 inch pads with 3/16 inch, and when I agreed to pay them to fix it, they should not have replaced the 3/16 inch pads with 1/8 inch pads. It makes me picture them rolling with laughter and waiting for me to pay them to go even thinner the next time. The vendor who I was speaking to seems to have joined in the fun by tripling their shipping charges. I am not happy about having paid for all of this joking at my expense.
All this trouble is for a truck that was well cared for when it was being driven and is still a nice truck. When I put it away in 1988 I ran the fuel out of the carburetor, put it on blocks, and put a car cover on it. In 1992 it was moved indoors and stayed on blocks and covered. It will be waxed again when I can roll it outside.
When I put it away it had maybe 1/2 tank of fuel. At the time I thought that a good thing to keep the tank from rusting, but I now know that with the alcohol fuel the opposite was true. In 2012 it turned out that the tank and the sender were not just leaking but were disintegrated. Bob Peterson graciously provided me with a good replacement. However, with that cost plus the cost of lining this tank before I install it I will have spent another $200 just to accommodate the damage that was caused by our current fuel. And I have not looked for a sender yet.
It appears that when the brakes were put on (before I bought the truck in 1980) oversized pads were installed that were then cut while on the vehicle to match the diameter of the drum which made a good fit and a very nice braking feel. I have not checked to see if that can be done in my area because it cannot be done until the truck is driveable. I do know that the local brake pad reliner is no longer in business.
This rate of cost is not sustainable for what really is a toy for me. Being at the end of my line on this issue, and no longer caring, I will use the 1/8 inch pad shoes for the rear and just get on with it. I took the front drums off when I found the rear shoes had delaminated to look for that problem on the front. I thought at first that it might be good to get them relaminated because their bonding is just as old as the bonding that failed in the rear shoes. Now I know that cannot be done properly, and I no longer care. If they do not appear to be delaminated when I get ready to reassemble the front drums, then they will be used as is.
I recognize that costs must be paid for any good or service What I am having trouble with is doing my part with the paying before the product is shipped, not getting what I paid for, having to pay for each shipping return then, in the end, not getting what I paid for at all. This problem is certainly not limited to fixing cars, but in this case it is preventing a very nice Studebaker from returning to service. What do others do to keep themselves from paying without receiving in return?
He seems to be really looking forward to driving that old truck!
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