Ok, so I mentioned I bought 2 40 Commanders from Sam, the end result is to restore the family stude and fix the other up nicely. So far, so good...
I started the adventure by having to deal with some stripped studs. I was able to get the tires off, replace the studs with NOS press fit ones (not those new ones with the knurling on them)... and then had a look at the brakes. The pads were actually pretty thick still, well above the rivets and the drums were smooth... very smooth. The insides were rusty, as expected, but in very great conditions. Getting the hubs off with the puller was a real challenge with the stripped studs... I did it though, about 3 hours per tire with stripped studs. The amazing thing though, was that once I got hooked up, the hubs came off relatively well... they weren't siezed at all. I replaced 10 studs in all.
Which brings me to my first question: It my book correct at saying the axle nut needs to be torqued to 170 pounds when I reattach the hubs?
The brake hoses looked relatively new and in good repair and the lines were not copper, but seemed ot be steel. They were rusty looking, not fresh and clean, but pretty solid.
Question number two: The brakes show signs of being completely restored sometime in the recent past, would you guys still recomend replacing all of the brake lines and hoses? Pulling the cylinders, etc? My intent is to check them over, bleed them and then test them very hard. If they work fine, I wasn't going to pull all of th ecylinders and master to rebuild like I did on my other 40. My reasoning here is that the brakes work, th ecar is drivable and has fluid in them, not dry ashy buildup.
Is there a way to tell wha kind of brake fluid is currently in the car as Sam didn't know? I woudl like to get it cleaned, flushed and refilled.
Once I decide on what to do here, I will be moving right to a tune up as the mechanicals are still operational and in good shape. I added a carb breather and it runs well now.
My next project will be seals, welt, channels and weatherstripping... along with a new bumper bracket (there were 2 different sized one on the rear bumper) and bumper to body rubbers. I also need ot replace 2 windows... all of this, including the tires will easily come in under $1000 from the pricing I have done.
I know it is dumb to put seals on before paint, but the seals can be safely removed without damage when paint time comes. I am using the 3M stuff as recomended. I just cannot afford a paint job right now, but soon I hope!
Anyway, I just though I would post an update to progress... it is very hard to pull me from the garage now that I am seeing serious progress.
I'll update as things move forward.
I started the adventure by having to deal with some stripped studs. I was able to get the tires off, replace the studs with NOS press fit ones (not those new ones with the knurling on them)... and then had a look at the brakes. The pads were actually pretty thick still, well above the rivets and the drums were smooth... very smooth. The insides were rusty, as expected, but in very great conditions. Getting the hubs off with the puller was a real challenge with the stripped studs... I did it though, about 3 hours per tire with stripped studs. The amazing thing though, was that once I got hooked up, the hubs came off relatively well... they weren't siezed at all. I replaced 10 studs in all.
Which brings me to my first question: It my book correct at saying the axle nut needs to be torqued to 170 pounds when I reattach the hubs?
The brake hoses looked relatively new and in good repair and the lines were not copper, but seemed ot be steel. They were rusty looking, not fresh and clean, but pretty solid.
Question number two: The brakes show signs of being completely restored sometime in the recent past, would you guys still recomend replacing all of the brake lines and hoses? Pulling the cylinders, etc? My intent is to check them over, bleed them and then test them very hard. If they work fine, I wasn't going to pull all of th ecylinders and master to rebuild like I did on my other 40. My reasoning here is that the brakes work, th ecar is drivable and has fluid in them, not dry ashy buildup.
Is there a way to tell wha kind of brake fluid is currently in the car as Sam didn't know? I woudl like to get it cleaned, flushed and refilled.
Once I decide on what to do here, I will be moving right to a tune up as the mechanicals are still operational and in good shape. I added a carb breather and it runs well now.
My next project will be seals, welt, channels and weatherstripping... along with a new bumper bracket (there were 2 different sized one on the rear bumper) and bumper to body rubbers. I also need ot replace 2 windows... all of this, including the tires will easily come in under $1000 from the pricing I have done.
I know it is dumb to put seals on before paint, but the seals can be safely removed without damage when paint time comes. I am using the 3M stuff as recomended. I just cannot afford a paint job right now, but soon I hope!
Anyway, I just though I would post an update to progress... it is very hard to pull me from the garage now that I am seeing serious progress.
I'll update as things move forward.
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