1977 Dodge Ram Charger 4x4 440... (Hiltman)

[hilton8r]

Hell yeah, I have 1 ton axles! 

Val said they were 4:10 gears, so I won't have to swap both axles in at the same time. I'm looking into cross-over steering with high steer.

I was too damn tired to unload the axles after I got home, so I'll do it tonight. I don't have use of an engine hoist, but I can back up right to the spot where they need to go for now. I'll work on cleaning them  up etc...

More later,

John

[EarlKann]

I don't know much about 60's but most of the guys over on PBB seem to like Parts Mike for decent quality stuff on a budget.

http://www.partsmike.com/store/store.php?crn=204

[hilton8r]

Thanks for the link Earl. I think Bill had mentioned Parts Mike.

I'm already aware of ORD, but they are way too pricey! Bill's going to help me with the shopping list!

I'll post up the details when they are available. I'm going to clean up the axles and get them painted this weekend if possible.

John

[hilton8r]

I cleaned up the front Dana 60 housing with the wire wheel. I'll disassemble it this weekend to further inspect and prep. I snapped a couple of pictures, and will upload them to photobucket this weekend. I managed to rip my favorite pair of work jeans with the wire wheel.  

I had a sheet of plywood in the bed of my truck. This made the task of unloading the axles (without use of an engine hoist) much more difficult since they just dug into the wood and would not slide! I have since cut up the plywood and tossed it. Of course, I wished I still had it while helping a friend move last night. All of the furniture had legs that were getting chipped by the peaks and valleys in the truck bed.

The plan is to install the Eddlebrock carb and dual Optima yellow top batteries. The battery tray is a hand me down from Bill, so the batteries will still be located at the front of the engine compartment. Eventually, they will be re-located back to the fire wall.

[hilton8r]

The Dana 60 hasn't progressed a bit in September. I purchased a 2-9/16" socket, but it was too small. I then ordered a 2-5/8" socket, but it must be on a really slow truck... no tracking info was provided, so I have to assume it will be here soon. Please let it be Friday. I have the day off, but will be tied up helping him move his stuff from storage to his new home. It sucks because everything had to go into storage for 2 weeks instead of a single shot. Oh well, I'm burning fat and building muscle because everybody I know has decided to move suddently! It's 3:30am, and I just finished unloading the last bit of furniture for tonight.

I'm hoping to make more room in my garage by moving my RX-7 into storage. I will try to do that Saturday since I'm going to find someplace to watch the Bears/Saints game come hell or high water. I was unable to watch the Bears/Falcons game last Sunday, and still upset about it. Anyhow, updates are coming... stay tuned.

[Sten]

We need some pics of your progress too, or send your Front D60 to me so I can finish my axle swap on my RC  . Snap a few shots and put em up and you get comments and get inspirated of all the positive response you get and just want to get everything done. Nice project btw, even without pics  .

[hilton8r]

You are correct Sten! Pictures are worth a thousand words, and can definitely help motivate. I believe I have the correct tools to continue the job now. I plan to spend time on it Saturday. I promise you that I will have camera in hand when I do!

John

[hilton8r]

Argh, I can't even get to my Dana 60 right now. It's just plain buried! However I did get my mean green starter on Thursday. I'm going to try to get it installed today after it cools down a bit.

John

[hilton8r]

Holy H E double hockey sticks! I'm living proof that a stock starter can be removed without removing the exhaust. Without eye protection to boot... I was just about to give up when it came out. It was just getting dark so I'll install the mini starter tomorrow.

John