barthel

<-------hears banjos playing in the background

Thanks everyone for the help. Can any of you that have the Flowmaster 50 tell me which one you have? the possibilities seem endless.

Close, I believe the one I saw was newer, but yes, that's about what I'm looking for. As usual SS, you da man!

That sounds BAD! Stuck lifter, maybe a loose valve? Either way, it's not sounding healthy. Have you noticed a drop in power? Does it quiet down when it warms up or is up to speed?

I TOTALLY agre with Slick! Might I add REAR bumpers. sssh

Has anyone running a Dynomax or Magnaflow muffler posted a sound clip? I've found a bunch for the 40 and 50 series Flowmaster, but not for much else. Not trying to beat a dead horse, just trying to decide the right one for me.

Someone a while back (month or so) put up a post about a printed A/C catalog with a link to the catalog itself. Been searching for a bit and couldn't locate it, any chance someone could repost the link? :bow: Much apprecaited.

Yes, sawzall is close by and has a nice shiny new metal blade. I tried unscrewing the TRE but coulnd't get the wheek to turn enough to get it out. It's threaded most of the way in, so I had 2 inches to try to unthread. I also cranked it in on the other side just to try to gain extra space. My concern is, that I cut the dam things out and I'm still going to be left with the same problem, tapers stuck in the hole. The TRE wouldn't budge, nor would the lower ball joint. I didn't even consider screwing with the other side. I got the stock UCA's out and put the new ones in, did a few of the things I wanted to in there, but I'm truly at the end of my rope with this ball joint thing. I'm not a spaz, I turn a pretty fair wrench and most often know what I'm doing. But this one's got me stumped.

SS, Yes, I have. Unfortunately what you are seeing is the last act of a desperate man. When I figured I couldn't get the taper out, I was just going to take the whole knuckle off and go at it that way. But, I'm having the same problem with the outer tie rod end and lower ball joint, they just ain't gonna move. So, short of taking out the grinder and just doing some arbitrary cutting (don't think it didn't cross my mind) there's no way the knuckles coming off. I've even managed to get a C clamp press on it and applied about a ton and a half of pressure. No go. I agree about having someone else work on my rig, but there comes a time every now and again when i know I'm beat, and this is it. I've been F-ing around with this damn thing for 2 weeks now and have gotten nowhere. At this point, I guess I just don't see too many alternatives, and I'm anxious to get my rig back on (and off) the road.

I had one small issue with my mod. I apparently had an older alternator, with the fan shaped thing attached to the front. When I took the pulley off, it came apart in 2 pieces, front and back. When I mounted the pieces on the new alty, the holes in the old pulley were large enough to go down onto the shaft all the way to the front of the alty. I ended up having to fashion a spacer to set the pulley off the alty a bit, it was about 3/4 of an inch. Other than that, it was truly a bolt on replacement. Still an easy mod and it works awesome.

I tried every kind of puller they make. Pickle fork, C-clamp press, I drilled down through the taper and tried to twist it out, it's just not coming out. It's the taper of the ball joint that is stuck in the knuckle. Through beating on it and cutting it, the top of the ball joint came off and just lef the taper in the hole. LCA and lower ball joint are still intact, as well as the t-bars and tie rods. I'll try the strap Simon, thanks!

Well, my front end mods have taken a turn for the worst. New UCA's are in, that's about the only thing that's gone well. I won't bore you with the gory details (that will come later). I've buttoned most everything back up so that I can have my pathy towed to my local mechanic to replace the ball joints and TRE's. On the passenger side, the ball joint is gone and the taper is stuck in the hole. After a 2 weeks of screwing with it, it's time to call in the professionals. My question is this. What potential damage can be done by putting the tire back on the passenger side so it can be pushed 20 feet to the street, so that it can be towed. I would never think of driving it in it's condition, but would prefer to not have to go buy a tire dolly if it's not totally necessary. Thanks for your help. :bow:

Point well taken! It should come off today and I'll beat the piss out of it until it either comes out, or messes up the knuckle. Thanks again for all your help, sometimes I guess I just lose sight of the prize.

Well, in unc's word's, "I believe I am fubar'd!" It's gottent ot he point now where I just going to have pull the whole damn thing off and get a new knuckle. As a matter of fact, I'll probably get 2 as i can't see the drivers side being any easier. So, unless someone else has any last minute bright ideas, I'm commencing the JY search.

Yeah, i think TSA would have something to say about that. -argue- It's the passenger side. I have a couple more tricks I'm going to try before I consider it fubar'd. If push comes to shove, I'm just going to have to take the whole hub assembly off and try to get at it that way. Wish me luck. BTW In the spring and fall, the Mojave can get some good rains, and when it does, YE HA. Last winter, it rained so much that the dry lake beds that Edwards Air Force Base uses were actually lakes. -bounce-

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll try a few more things to see if i can shake it loose. Been thingking about cutting the threads off the bottom enough to be able to get a clamp vice in there and see if i can drive it out from below. Needless to say, this isn't instilling me with a bunch of confidence to do the other side, or even the lower one on this side for that matter. I'll keep checking in and let you guys know how it's going. Thanks Again.

Well, problem is getting worse. Either I'm a moron, or I have an incredibly stubborn truck. Tried MWS's trick, didn't work. Tried the hot/cold thing, didn't work. Well, through a series of blunders, broke/cut the top of the ball joint off. Now, I have a taper, stuck in a hole, with no clear way to get it out. Any ideas?

I appreciate the thought unc, but I'd hate to take you away from your new digs so soon. By the way, are you here yet, or coming soon? Yes, I took the nut off, although it wasn't a castle nut. It was beefy and large, and did have a cotter pin holding it on, but no castle. I even put the pickle fork on the air hammer and went to town on it for about an hour. Damn thing's fighting me every step of the way.

Started on the front end today (UCA's, bushings, etc.), but have been fighting with the same ball joint for about 3 hours now. I hate to say it, but it's winning! For some reason, this damn thing just will NOT come off. I've tried a clamp press, pickle fork, air hammer, and it hasn't budged a millimeter. Am i doing something wrong or missing something? Is there a trick or tactic I don't know about. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Nice post Snake!

And I agree with Train, and unc, and everyone else. 88 has probably forgotten more than I will ever know. :bow:

Doing mine this weekend! :cool2:

Pulled the seat, module's out, problem solved!

Nope. At least not yet. But I did paint the timing covers and the air cleaner when I did the timing belt.

Well, it's over and done! Thanks to everyone for the excellent ideas.