The best way to install U joints is show a before and after dadada shot that effectively ends the moaning from the peanut gallery, or alternatively install each cap with a different method just to make sure all the couch mechanics have their preferred method used. Guaranteed to trigger a few sensitive people and make my belly roll.
Most important thing about u-joints is make sure the needles are where they belong after that who cares. I have used a press, vice and hammer as far as the grease zirk goes as long as you can grease it once done putting the shaft back in.
Apply a small amount of axel grease into the cap before you start installing them will aid in keeping them in the cup properly aligned and aid in assuring proper installation # statelaw
You know Wes, I would hope that the owner would realize that this almost 60 year-old truck is from a different time. It was not designed to go 60-70mph. 45 is about right for safety & longevity. It actually is a good setup, 283, rather than a monster motor, 4 sp manual, and low gears. They were made to work, not cruise on the expressway. Towing, hauling, and snowplowing, and working on the farm is what was in mind when these were new. We are too used to the boulevard cruisers that they call trucks today. A/C, power everything, 4WD that is electrically operated, leather interiors, sunroofs, all mated to a weak, undersized frame that will be history in 5-7 years. You won't find any of these as survivors, they won't stay together that long. All of this for 75 thousand dollars.
Well said, I own two trucks, one is kinda from that old school frame of mind, a 1988 Ford F250 diesel 7.3 IDI with tall gears that revs higher than what we're used to at 65 mph. She was built to pull. And a 2014 Toyota Tundra as a daily which is the latter your described but unlike the big three, not a rust bucket from the time it rolled off the factory floor. The Tundra is a comfy truck.
right on. I have a truck that has a blue tooth in it. Not long after I bought it I opened the hood to take a look at it and didn't see any teeth at all much less a blue one.
First of all the way you installed the U-Joints I see no problem with the installation. I would like to see more content on this truck. The customer needs to let you go through the entire truck from bumper to bumper with a fine tooth comb. It deserves your love to fix it right. Have a Blessed One Sir
That dash alone makes that truck worth saving. Instrument cluster was rare in '66. From the good old days when you could get in under the hood, sit on the inner fender, and work on it in the rain. Nice truck. Best regards from Indiana.
Heh, yeah, and everyone and their dog has one in a garage somewhere that they're "restoring". My neighbor has one that's turned into a forever project, a few months ago, I bought an engine hoist from a guy on CL, he had one in his garage that was also a forever project. These things are everywhere, and always in progress of being restored (but never finished)
@@farmerbill6855 It's a word to the wise that a Restoration is a losing game on a truck that is so, so common even now (not cost effective), and a forever restoration is even worse. Best to repair what you can, make it a "Rustoration" instead (basically a repaired, functioning truck) and enjoy it NOW. I don't like the patina fad either but if it's there and it's not active decay, and your truck is otherwise preserved, it's okay.
If she drives it, she'll change her mind. I had the pleasure of driving a '68 for several months. There was no way I could have worn a seat belt because I had to stand up to turn the steering wheel. I didn't have enough power to turn it without getting my butt up out of the seat and putting everything I had behind it. It is not a woman's vehicle.
@@thirzapeevey2395 You are 100% correct! My mom used to tell me how hard it was for her when she was 17/18/19 to drive my grandfather’s 1968 Camaro that had no power brakes or power steering.
@@djosbun nothing like letting the wheel slide through your hand as it corrects itself in a manual steering car. My first car was a 65 Ford Falcon. No power nothing in that car. The 200 cubic six could barely get out of its own way. Old times.
I'm jellious of all the old 4x4 pickups I keep seeing on UA-cam . . . I want one. I use to have a 1989 F-150 4x4 that I traded in and wished I had kept
As a low-level diyer, I appreciate the seemingly conscious effort to point out the diy mistakes without totally shredding the mistakes. I look forward to a follow up on this truck!
the guy has no idea or mechanical skills whatsoever..he bought an ornament,,nice ''looking'' truck.. did well on the tires though.. 1 point for that.. wander what his job is..or age, . most people today dont know or never lift the hood..
That truck brings back Memories, I learned how to Drive in a 63, 3-On-A-Tree in the middle of Winter in a Wrigley's parking lot back in 1972, I was 11 Years Old 🤣😂, DAMN That Was FUN, and Maybe a 373 in the Rear?
Yeah I was going to say I have questioned myself almost as much as I've questioned other people, "did I tighten that bolt?" "Am I doing this correctly?"
If Wes do get the job of fixing it up, wow, what a fine ‘ol lady she will be then !!!!! And I hope the customer asks Wes to get rid of the over grown tires. Stock would be so much better looking, imho.
I love watch old vehicles getting fixed! These are the vehicles that I grew up with. Santa still hasn't left me a classic car in the driveway. I'll have to speak to my husband.
The correct way to replace U-joints, is the way that works for you with the tools you have available. Keyboard mechanics be damned! Great job Wes! I'd love to lay my hands on a truck that looked that good. Even if she does need a little love.
Yeah, sure, that works. But no hammers. That's the one thing that's not acceptable. And not just because it alters the metal, but also because it wastes your (the mechanic's) time and because the customer will have a shorter life span on said part. Like whenever i see bumblebees smack the steering arm... visibly denting and deforming the metal... no es bueno.
I have a lead hammer 🔨 that I cast from a tomato sauce can with a three-quarter inch pipe for a handle. I can beat hell out of a lot of stuff and not worry about distorting it.
Wes, I worked as an engineer for Arvin Meritor's heavy duty driveline division for years. Your method to assemble the yoke and roller bearings is fine. For RPL (Rockwell Perma-Lube) production, we used a hydraulic press, for field assembly a vise was OK to use. Lastly, after the yoke assembly was fully assembled with the snap rings, we had operators smack the yoke with a steel hammer (real hard!). This centered (stress relieved) the cross between the ears on the yoke. Primitive, but it worked. Love all your videos.
Wes I have a 1964 Suburban. I swapped my rear axle to a common 14 bolt, and it’s an easy swap because the spring mount perches are the same width, at least on the 3/4 ton axles. The one tons are a bit narrower, to fit dual wheels. I also swapped transmissions to an NV3500 from a 90s Chevy, which gave me overdrive. My tires are 31” dia, and with 3:73 gears, the engine spins 1800 at 60 mph. You are correct that there is an equalizer bar for those e-brake cables. That brake master cylinder is definitely not stock, as these trucks still had single pot masters. Looks like the common corvette master, which is designed for disc brakes. Thanks for the video. Oh ya, I suspect Novak Adapt could supply you with a new transmission output yoke.
Wes vs drum brakes round two! I share his "love" of 4 wheel drums. I cut my teeth on first gen Mustangs with 4 wheel drum brakes, and to this day (45 years later), I have an undying loathing and hatred for them. Those brakes were anemic, impossible to adjust correctly and erratic; and that was on a good day. Add a little moisture to the equation and now you had brakes that barely functioned at all. Disc brakes are a godsend.
Hey Wes, I had bought an abused ‘67 4x4 Chevy 3/4 ton pick in ‘84 it’d spent its entire life on a farm and hadn’t even been licensed since 1970! Drove it 38 miles home with almost no brakes! Nobody could get drum for it so my brother in law and I decided to swap in the rear ended out of a 74 3/4 ton! We measured a bunch of stuff and found out the spring purches were almost exact so we put the trucks tail to tail raised them up with a hoist dropped out the ‘67 first then the ‘74 and literally bolted everything back together! Used a hybrid U-joint to make the driveshaft work! Beings the ‘74 was camper special I got the 8700lbs leaf springs and huge brakes! Swapped out the 4:56 front gears to match the 4:11 rears and drove the beast everywhere since I was swamp meeting back then in that Silver beast! Lots of fond memories!
Being a person involved in the driveline industry for 25+ years ,I put thousands of u-joints in just like you did and they work fine, those two drivelines are dangerous the way you found them, nice catch sir. Thanks for the video even if I am months late watching it.
Also, there is no beauty in the "Flexy hose"! That's horrendous when you can't even get the proper hoses for a factory GM small block application... After seeing this pickup I'm not surprised one bit.
Wes, I've actually reached a point, where it brings a smile to my face knowing that somewhere, somebody is losing their sh*t over how I do something 🤣🤣
👆Thanks for watching, love you so much fan! Tell Aɴᴅʀᴇɪ Jɪᴋʜ, you were referred by me he has something new to share with you easily get in touch with him..
On U-joints, I spent over 25 years in the driveline industry, only thing we made sure of was to line up grease zerks, and install them anyway that works as long as, like you say, as long as the needles don’t fall into the bottom of the cap, your good. Thanks for the ride along sir, I enjoyed this one.
@@tacomas9602 put grease on the needles in the caps, leave a void in the center of the cap for grease displacement on assembly, it helps hold them in place while you install on the trunnions of joint body, it’s also a good pre-assembly lube, I also pump grease into the zerk to fill the lube tunnels before assembly. The rest of assembly depends on situation/ circumstances you find yourself in, practice on an old joint if you can find one good enough to practice on, hope this helps.
Wes, just imagine riding in the back of one of those (3 on the tree 2wd) with a camper shell sitting on a lawn chair for 3000 miles round trip. Not enough room in the front seat for four plus no AC. That was way back in the late 60s and my ears rang for two days from the road noise. Swore in my youth that I would only fly to any long distance destination after the trip and have held to my oath to this day.
In 1975 I bought the 1966 version of the same truck for $600.00 from the grandfather of one of the Duck Dynasty guys. He farmed in West Monroe, Louisiana and the truck spent most of it's life on that farm and around the local town. It had less than 20,000 miles on it. It still had the original wooden bed flooring because he had soaked it with creosote at some point. I used it for several years as a to and from work truck. I had a Sears and Roebuck universal under the dashboard air conditioner installed in it. It worked great unless you were sitting at a stop light and the A/C compressor would come on nearly stalling the engine. I think the engine was either a 250 or 292 C.U. straight 6. I'm old now and can't rightly remember. El Mirage, Arizona
I love the creative use of the mig wire pliers @26:40. Years ago when I was a young guy struggling with U-joints, I gave up in frustration and went to the local driveline shop. The sage old driveline specialist with decades of experience took pity on me and showed me how to install them correctly. never had a problem since. Keep doing what you do Wes and ignore the keyboard warriors!
Ditch the rubber lines, clamps and zip ties and just use short pieces of copper nickle brake line. It's easy to make, bend and it holds it's shape. Bleeding made simple! Look at the GM 14B for a replacement axle - should be a fairly easy direct swap. That truck is a piece of work!
Don't worry Old Max is not a quitter he is going to get it sooner or later.😊 He reminds me of you it will be fixed and figured out no matter what, he will succeed also.
Ever since I started watching your channel a few years ago, I’ve started paying attention to bull haulers and I’ve never see one that wasn’t straight piped. And I live around cattle country so I see quite a few of them.
Changed the rear U-joint in a 1955 Ford Victoria on the side of the road, on a 103-degree day with a bumper jack, a hammer, a 10-inch Crescent wrench, a pair of vise-grips and a couple of screwdrivers. I had purchased the new U-joints and was on my way home to install them...and didn't make it... Luckily, I was 16 years old at the time and didn't know any better. Sometimes I am amazed that I am still alive...:D
Replacement parts for that truck are available from places like LMC Truck and National Truck Depot so who knows if it's original. We restored my dad's '69 C-10 using some replacement body and interior parts. Good work Wes.
If you need to worry about the grease hole in your u joint being in compression then you need u joints with no grease hole or the ones that grease thru the cap so they are only drilled on center.
After you got done talking about making sure the needle bearing doesn’t fall out you started pounding on that u joint with the next u joint standing at the edge of the table. My heart rate was going crazy!
Guess I’m gonna be going into work about 25 mins later than usual. Darn these “icy road” delays. Hahahah.. As always from one Wes to another thanks for the great videos! Cheers
I had an experience with that exact master cylinder setup 40 years ago. Brand new out of the box and bled it just as you did on the truck= Soft pedal. Took it off and clamped in the vise and repeated the process using the screw driver to push piston method and put back on = good pedal feel. Turned out the pedal assembly in the truck was not getting a full stroke out of the piston so it wasn’t getting fully bled. Food for thought.
Yes sir I have had that trouble trying to pedal bleed a brake system where the clearance between the actuator rod and the master cylinder is so much that you cannot get a full stroke on the master cylinder. You can pressure bleed the system to get the air out but not so hot when one is trying to pedal bleed the system.
The type of precision needed to work on something like a newer model diesel high pressure fuel pump is not required to install ujoints. They’re fine as long as you don’t screw up the needles and you get the retainers in. When I was younger I’ve dropped them in the mud, reused old one and put different ones together to get what I needed. The ujoint installation isn’t even on the list of worries I’d have with that truck. Good work Wes. Love the content.
I find that pounding on that joint closes up the groove where the retaining ring goes in and you can't get it to seat. I have had to make a small cutoff wheel to get in there and get that groove wide enough to accept the retainer.
Man...at the 28 minute mark my mouth was on the floor - I was thinking that driveshaft was going to fall down and ring your bell - glad you came out unscathed!
Great video Wes, and don't worry about the comments from keyboard critics. I have put universal joints in many different types of vehicles and have used every method out there since 1965. What ever works for Wes and your customers is what works. Thanx for sharing, love your sense of humor. Happy holidays to you and your family.😃
Ok, that's it. If you have time to work on this antique, you have time to work on my 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan. It has 295,000 miles on it but most everything works. I am having trouble with the door locks not wanting to stay locked. Now for the trip planning--you are only about 1,900 miles distant from me. If I get started tomorrow, I could be there sometime next week........ It was nice to see Mrs. Wes with a smile on her face. Tell her that we all appreciate her helping for no pay.
Door locks not staying locked is normally a central locking master actuator adjustment issue - which is normally only the driver's door actuator. But see if the front passenger door also unlocks all the doors when you unlock it - if so, it has two master actuators.
That is something I've noticed over the years with "builds" like that. Looks really nice on the outside and maybe has a killer engine but that's where the builders talents ended and the rest is cobbled together. Sad because then it gets passed on to a buyer who thinks they're getting a nice rig......... Great video as always Wes, would love to see more of this truck. It's got potential!
Yeah, I've noticed guys of a certain age, and ability level (or lack thereof) are all "restoring" one of these as a never ending --project-- money pit...
Yes sir there are people out there who just look at the cosmetics and do not realize that you just cannot put lipstick on a pig when it comes down to mechanical integrity. I look for a vehicle that is original and something to work with. If it looks good due to cosmetics I have a tendency to look at the stuff that counts and all of that hardware store style type of fabricating done on this truck is a turnoff. I bought a 72 Chevrolet 4 wheel drive unit from a fellow back in May of 79 and he was running down all of the things wrong with the old truck, but the powerplant was solid and all there (just needed some TLC). Come May this year I will have owned the truck for 44 yrs.
I gotta get a life. When you and diesel creek run past your regularly scheduled posts I find myself logging in to YT 20x a day hoping for the next video. Thank you!
If your customers are happily paying and bits aren't falling off it's a fair bet what you're doing is right. There's always an expert ready to tell you what you should have done. Think happy thoughts Wes,you display incredible patience.
the best kind of vehicle for a youtube channel. So many issues and you can make it better. "brakes dont work" - "did you bleed them" - "no" - "Sigh" one of those days.
My dad had a 63 Chev Biscayne station wagon with a 283. The car is long dead but that engine is still going strong. It is currently in its 4th vehicle.
I like your videos because generally at the end, the problem has been fixed. This is like peeling an onion, it just goes on and on. Hopefully the owner will keep going and fix those issues, especially fixing the brakes. Another commenter talked about 20+ videos on fixing this up. Go for it, I'll watch every one of them!
You working on the U-joints reminded me of an old Ford pickup truck I bought. The front axle U-joints were really bad so I went to replace them. I worked, hammered, pried and even used a 20 ton press and could not get the caps to move to remove the old ones from the axle shafts. I ended up having to use my plasma cutter and torch the things out. I have never had U-joints on a vehicle stuck like that. I don't think that old truck had any kind of service done before I got a hold of it. Love your video's.
Love the old body styles and the cab interiors. Engines were easy to work on, could actually crawl in and sit on the fender well, feet on the frame. But the brakes were a pain. If he is going to change the gear ratio, huge benefit in just upgrading to modern transmission, transfer case and axles with disk brakes. Thanks for sharing.
You can probably get away with swapping gear sets in the front axle as you were thinking in the video. For the rear end, I’m pretty sure GM went to their corporate 14 bolt rear end in the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks when they phased out the Eaton that’s in it now. The 14 bolt for a 3/4 or a 1 ton single rear wheel truck (edit: the pinion angle will probably need to be adjusted because of the divorced transfer case) should be a direct bolt in. If you can find one new enough, it should have disc brakes and possibly 3.73 gears in it. 3.73 gears along with another transmission with an overdrive gear in it should get him where he wants to be with better drivability on the highway. Additionally, the parking brake equalizer from about an ‘81 or earlier square body can probably be adapted to the ‘64 truck very easily.
Not having the knowledge you seem to have. My thought was similar. Any late model parts could be swapped in at a reasonable cost from the salvage yard.
The rear springs on the '73 and newer trucks are a little farther apart than on the '72 and earlier , but if the spring bushings have enough slop in them ( and most do ) it will go in , shock mounts are way different though . '55/'57 Chevy passenger cars use a similar E brake set up , and they reproduce everything for them .
@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 The spring perches will probably have to be cut loose to adjust the pinion angle to align it better with the divorced transfer case and shorter rear drive shaft, they can be moved in at the same time to match the spring pins.
@@ralfie8801 why change pinion angles when GM never bothered to worry about such things . The rear ends for short and long bed trucks are identical, even though the wheel bases are 12 - 14 inches different over the years . The 14 bolt and original rears might be a couple inches different in length from center of yoke to center of axle housing . Way too many people know absolutely nothing about proper pinion angles and driveshaft phasing , and then wonder why the u joints fall prematurely and they have vibration issues .
Possibly already done with the truck, but you can swap the whole axle assembly on these to the squarebody 73-87 axles and get open knuckle front and disc brakes. A 14bolt rear will fit as well and you can get a disc brake kit for those as well. I swapped them on my 68 that was 4 whl drum and they bolted in. The only thing I am not 100% sure on this truck is if the springs are the same distance apart, but I think they are. If you put the newer axles and factory brakes on it, then you can use the same master cyl and proportioning valve off the squarebody too. Oh, the 66 and older were single reservoir master cylinders, so the one on this truck is not factory. Last thing, I have had and been around a ton of these trucks and this is the only one I have seen a factory tach dash in, that might be worth as much as the whole truck to be honest...
Those gauges look to be aftermarket replacements. They look too new to be original and the old truck most likely did not have a factory tach originally.
WES!! Do it the way you have always done it. IT IS YOUR SHOP AND YOU ARE RESPONSIBLY FOR IT'S Quality or lack of. The people adding their comments have nothing to lose. So Again do it they way you want to.
I feel all of your pain with the u-joints and all of the above might be true if the thing had a 800 horsepower but it's a small block.... So I believe you're correct sir although I'm sure you already knew all of that keep up the good work always enjoy the channel
The only place I take any exception is with bringing the name of the Lord into it. His name deserves due honor. Other than that, you are the expert. I bow to your knowledge. Most of the people criticizing you probably don't know what they are talking about. If you have any questions on a 50's-80's GM truck, I'd be asking Jeff Bradshaw over at Elderly Iron. He probably has an original emergency brake lying around, or knows what you need to make one.
👆Thanks for watching, love you so much fan! Tell Aɴᴅʀᴇɪ Jɪᴋʜ, you were referred by me he has something new to share with you easily get in touch with him..
I’ve installed u joints everywhere from the workshop to the side of a bush track. As long as they go in you know as well as me, a press, a vice or your grandma’s rolling pin can be used. Just make it work with what you have 😊
When you were installing the driveshaft, there was one point it looked like it would drop on your head. I could hear Matt's "OSHA violation" song playing. Good video Wes! Keep up the good work!
Pinion Bearing on the rear differential is the sound you are hearing when under power and coasting.. I used to have a 64 Suburban. I know the sounds and repairs on a personal bases!! LOL
Rule number one, Never lend out your tools., they get lost, never returned , or returned broke. That includes relatives. Merry Christmas Wes and Family.
Well, the botched brake job was simply a litany of "rookie mistakes" which I understand since most young people never saw drum braking systems. That said, it is extremely important for anyone considering purchasing a "restored" classic vehicle to get her up on a lift and have someone who knows what they are doing closely examine everything. Of course there will be a lot of non-standard things done over the years but they still need to be done correctly. Making sketchy parts for a parking brake are one thing but not installing U-joints properly (especially the retainers) can be catastrophically dangerous. Imagine if that U-joint let go at highway speeds. I have seen vehicles launched into the air by a broken U-joint causing the driveshaft to act like a pole-vault. Any mechanic can tell you that if it can go wrong, it will go wrong at the worst possible moment. (Murphy's Law)
The best way to install U joints is show a before and after dadada shot that effectively ends the moaning from the peanut gallery, or alternatively install each cap with a different method just to make sure all the couch mechanics have their preferred method used. Guaranteed to trigger a few sensitive people and make my belly roll.
I'll be honest. That first part of the sentence, i thought i had a stroke.
Well put. I’ve never done u-joints but would lean towards what Wes or Eric O would do for sure.
Tell them if they don't like the way that you do U joints then you just won't do them anymore.
Most important thing about u-joints is make sure the needles are where they belong after that who cares. I have used a press, vice and hammer as far as the grease zirk goes as long as you can grease it once done putting the shaft back in.
Apply a small amount of axel grease into the cap before you start installing them will aid in keeping them in the cup properly aligned and aid in assuring proper installation # statelaw
You know Wes, I would hope that the owner would realize that this almost 60 year-old truck is from a different time. It was not designed to go 60-70mph. 45 is about right for safety & longevity. It actually is a good setup, 283, rather than a monster motor, 4 sp manual, and low gears. They were made to work, not cruise on the expressway. Towing, hauling, and snowplowing, and working on the farm is what was in mind when these were new. We are too used to the boulevard cruisers that they call trucks today. A/C, power everything, 4WD that is electrically operated, leather interiors, sunroofs, all mated to a weak, undersized frame that will be history in 5-7 years. You won't find any of these as survivors, they won't stay together that long. All of this for 75 thousand dollars.
Well said, I own two trucks, one is kinda from that old school frame of mind, a 1988 Ford F250 diesel 7.3 IDI with tall gears that revs higher than what we're used to at 65 mph. She was built to pull. And a 2014 Toyota Tundra as a daily which is the latter your described but unlike the big three, not a rust bucket from the time it rolled off the factory floor. The Tundra is a comfy truck.
I had a 65 with a straight six 4 spd w/granny gear . Top speed was about 50-55
How much does he want for it? That truck needs lots of TLC!
A/C is a requirement in the Gulf states. Ask how I know......
right on. I have a truck that has a blue tooth in it. Not long after I bought it I opened the hood to take a look at it and didn't see any teeth at all much less a blue one.
Careful pulling that in. There is bulk oil and a propane tank there to stop you if you need them though.
Don't forget the first step on the set of stairs acts as a wheel chock.
Too soon?
Nice to see some more people who know that sympathy sits somewhere between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary
@@DraftySatyr In my dictionary, it's spelled "simpathy", as it's always close to shit.
My face lights up ever time you post.
Waited all week to watch Wes work. Guess I gotta watch him work today, instead of doing my own work.
Yup. Everything has to come to a complete halt when Wes puts out a new video.
@@mummabear01 3
I love hard work, I could watch it all day
First of all the way you installed the U-Joints I see no problem with the installation.
I would like to see more content on this truck. The customer needs to let you go through the entire truck from bumper to bumper with a fine tooth comb.
It deserves your love to fix it right. Have a Blessed One Sir
Wes saving pedestrians one life at a time! Vise and a presser socket... Yeppers
Hi Wes
You are great to fix things (knot Cross)
I have not fixet
Arne
That dash alone makes that truck worth saving. Instrument cluster was rare in '66. From the good old days when you could get in under the hood, sit on the inner fender, and work on it in the rain. Nice truck.
Best regards from Indiana.
Heh, yeah, and everyone and their dog has one in a garage somewhere that they're "restoring". My neighbor has one that's turned into a forever project, a few months ago, I bought an engine hoist from a guy on CL, he had one in his garage that was also a forever project. These things are everywhere, and always in progress of being restored (but never finished)
So what? And how does that affect you? If it takes a year or twenty, at least they've got one.
@@farmerbill6855 and enjoying themselves while they are doing it.
@@farmerbill6855 It's a word to the wise that a Restoration is a losing game on a truck that is so, so common even now (not cost effective), and a forever restoration is even worse. Best to repair what you can, make it a "Rustoration" instead (basically a repaired, functioning truck) and enjoy it NOW. I don't like the patina fad either but if it's there and it's not active decay, and your truck is otherwise preserved, it's okay.
Wow,I didn't realize that there were so many rules to owning a truck...piss off m'rf'rs! Stay in your own lane...
“Cool Chevy stuff, I guess.” LOL
Thanks for the video.
That parking brake bracket you just made is the best part of that truck.
Wes, I think your wife might be expecting one of these trucks for Christmas. You can tell by the look on her face that she really likes the truck!
He's gonna need a bigger tree this year.
I guess Wes would go for any Toyota so he don't need to worry about what would go wrong with the car every month
If she drives it, she'll change her mind. I had the pleasure of driving a '68 for several months. There was no way I could have worn a seat belt because I had to stand up to turn the steering wheel. I didn't have enough power to turn it without getting my butt up out of the seat and putting everything I had behind it. It is not a woman's vehicle.
@@thirzapeevey2395 You are 100% correct! My mom used to tell me how hard it was for her when she was 17/18/19 to drive my grandfather’s 1968 Camaro that had no power brakes or power steering.
@@djosbun nothing like letting the wheel slide through your hand as it corrects itself in a manual steering car. My first car was a 65 Ford Falcon. No power nothing in that car. The 200 cubic six could barely get out of its own way. Old times.
I'm jellious of all the old 4x4 pickups I keep seeing on UA-cam . . . I want one.
I use to have a 1989 F-150 4x4 that I traded in and wished I had kept
As a low-level diyer, I appreciate the seemingly conscious effort to point out the diy mistakes without totally shredding the mistakes. I look forward to a follow up on this truck!
Same here! makes a guy feel like a dog with his tail in between his legs haha
I have the same truck in 66, yes please do a follow up
the guy has no idea or mechanical skills whatsoever..he bought an ornament,,nice ''looking'' truck.. did well on the tires though.. 1 point for that.. wander what his job is..or age, . most people today dont know or never lift the hood..
That truck brings back Memories, I learned how to Drive in a 63, 3-On-A-Tree in the middle of Winter in a Wrigley's parking lot back in 1972, I was 11 Years Old 🤣😂, DAMN That Was FUN, and Maybe a 373 in the Rear?
I'm with you on not trusting anybody. It's not a bad thing. Sometimes I don't even trust myself.
Yeah I was going to say I have questioned myself almost as much as I've questioned other people, "did I tighten that bolt?"
"Am I doing this correctly?"
Finally! Something in my wheelhouse.
Can't wait for that 20+ part series of Wes trying to fix all those niggles in this truck. Thumbs up man!
If Wes do get the job of fixing it up, wow, what a fine ‘ol lady she will be then !!!!! And I hope the customer asks Wes to get rid of the over grown tires. Stock would be so much better looking, imho.
Minimum 😁
He might be able to retire with that truck alone
Hope I'm not the only one who thought this guy said the n word after skim reading over this 😂
@@stephen2028 the tires are the ONLY thing that DOES look good on that truck
You're the one doing the work you do the work the way you want
When I first clicked the video I thought I clicked on a whistlingdiesel video. Glad you're not destroying it!!!
Seeing under that rig gave me a good chuckle. Thanks Wes great entertainment is so pleasing.
I love watch old vehicles getting fixed! These are the vehicles that I grew up with. Santa still hasn't left me a classic car in the driveway. I'll have to speak to my husband.
Just go out and get one
Great idea if you're sick of your husband sitting around the house cuz a classic is almost never done being worked on
54 convertible, light blue!
@@Handle4570 We're both over 70, so buying a third car seems a bit wasteful. But I may get one eventually!
I love mechanical work instead of electronic troubleshooting and repair
Wow that slip Yok straightened out well @Watch Wes Work
The correct way to replace U-joints, is the way that works for you with the tools you have available. Keyboard mechanics be damned! Great job Wes! I'd love to lay my hands on a truck that looked that good. Even if she does need a little love.
I do prefer a pressing action to a percussive action when installing them though.
Yeah, sure, that works. But no hammers. That's the one thing that's not acceptable. And not just because it alters the metal, but also because it wastes your (the mechanic's) time and because the customer will have a shorter life span on said part. Like whenever i see bumblebees smack the steering arm... visibly denting and deforming the metal... no es bueno.
@@aserta if i have to use a hammer there its my orange dead blow hammer!
I have a lead hammer 🔨 that I cast from a tomato sauce can with a three-quarter inch pipe for a handle. I can beat hell out of a lot of stuff and not worry about distorting it.
@@stevanrose7439 lol that's awesome
Wes, I worked as an engineer for Arvin Meritor's heavy duty driveline division for years. Your method to assemble the yoke and roller bearings is fine. For RPL (Rockwell Perma-Lube) production, we used a hydraulic press, for field assembly a vise was OK to use. Lastly, after the yoke assembly was fully assembled with the snap rings, we had operators smack the yoke with a steel hammer (real hard!). This centered (stress relieved) the cross between the ears on the yoke. Primitive, but it worked. Love all your videos.
Wes I have a 1964 Suburban. I swapped my rear axle to a common 14 bolt, and it’s an easy swap because the spring mount perches are the same width, at least on the 3/4 ton axles. The one tons are a bit narrower, to fit dual wheels. I also swapped transmissions to an NV3500 from a 90s Chevy, which gave me overdrive. My tires are 31” dia, and with 3:73 gears, the engine spins 1800 at 60 mph. You are correct that there is an equalizer bar for those e-brake cables. That brake master cylinder is definitely not stock, as these trucks still had single pot masters. Looks like the common corvette master, which is designed for disc brakes. Thanks for the video. Oh ya, I suspect Novak Adapt could supply you with a new transmission output yoke.
C/k 10 half ton c/k20 3/4 ton, c/k30 one ton. The one in the video is a k20. C 2wd, K 4wd.
That is a sweet old truck, regardless of issues. The brake adjusting reminded me of high school auto shop. In 1967.
It’s a shame it has so many problems, the truck is beautiful! Can’t say that too often…
Good darn job Wes..That year of truck will always be popular....
Wes vs drum brakes round two! I share his "love" of 4 wheel drums. I cut my teeth on first gen Mustangs with 4 wheel drum brakes, and to this day (45 years later), I have an undying loathing and hatred for them. Those brakes were anemic, impossible to adjust correctly and erratic; and that was on a good day. Add a little moisture to the equation and now you had brakes that barely functioned at all.
Disc brakes are a godsend.
I had a '68 Cougar, and I could never get the fronts to stop pulling to one side...
yep. i had a 57 Chevy Bel Air, same setup. You could get 1 good stop, then you had to add distance....
The brakes on our 67 Pontiac station wagon were good for one panic stop. After that, you were driving an unbraked miss
Hey Wes, I had bought an abused ‘67 4x4 Chevy 3/4 ton pick in ‘84 it’d spent its entire life on a farm and hadn’t even been licensed since 1970! Drove it 38 miles home with almost no brakes! Nobody could get drum for it so my brother in law and I decided to swap in the rear ended out of a 74 3/4 ton! We measured a bunch of stuff and found out the spring purches were almost exact so we put the trucks tail to tail raised them up with a hoist dropped out the ‘67 first then the ‘74 and literally bolted everything back together! Used a hybrid U-joint to make the driveshaft work! Beings the ‘74 was camper special I got the 8700lbs leaf springs and huge brakes! Swapped out the 4:56 front gears to match the 4:11 rears and drove the beast everywhere since I was swamp meeting back then in that Silver beast! Lots of fond memories!
Being a person involved in the driveline industry for 25+ years ,I put thousands of u-joints in just like you did and they work fine, those two drivelines are dangerous the way you found them, nice catch sir. Thanks for the video even if I am months late watching it.
Also, there is no beauty in the "Flexy hose"! That's horrendous when you can't even get the proper hoses for a factory GM small block application... After seeing this pickup I'm not surprised one bit.
They got the proper flexi hoses...
@@WatchWesWork Is there an improper flexy hose?
That’s a pretty sweet truck. I’m glad the rust belt hasn’t gotten to it yet.
It did. They covered up the rust
You can reinstate life in a dead vehicle! Love it.
Wes, I've actually reached a point, where it brings a smile to my face knowing that somewhere, somebody is losing their sh*t over how I do something 🤣🤣
Had too say it before the video even gets started.... beautiful, gorgeous, awesome pick up....
This truck is an excellent candidate for a body swap to a much newer chassis and drivetrain. I love how you put your heart in each video.
Had my mouth gaping wide open bending that yolk back. Great work!
I’m too old to buy repos and flippers so I just watch young technicians . The things one sees in dyi repairs are hilarious . Great job Wes .
👆Thanks for watching, love you so much fan!
Tell Aɴᴅʀᴇɪ Jɪᴋʜ, you were referred by me he has something new to share with you easily get in touch with him..
Music at the end was priceless. Great job.
On U-joints, I spent over 25 years in the driveline industry, only thing we made sure of was to line up grease zerks, and install them anyway that works as long as, like you say, as long as the needles don’t fall into the bottom of the cap, your good. Thanks for the ride along sir, I enjoyed this one.
I would have to watch someone like you professionally do it a few times because I would lose all those needles SOMEHOW.
@@tacomas9602 put grease on the needles in the caps, leave a void in the center of the cap for grease displacement on assembly, it helps hold them in place while you install on the trunnions of joint body, it’s also a good pre-assembly lube, I also pump grease into the zerk to fill the lube tunnels before assembly. The rest of assembly depends on situation/ circumstances you find yourself in, practice on an old joint if you can find one good enough to practice on, hope this helps.
I am so glad to see you get to work on a quality product that is not a complicated mass of wire and hoses due to a rolling computer.
Wes, just imagine riding in the back of one of those (3 on the tree 2wd) with a camper shell sitting on a lawn chair for 3000 miles round trip. Not enough room in the front seat for four plus no AC. That was way back in the late 60s and my ears rang for two days from the road noise. Swore in my youth that I would only fly to any long distance destination after the trip and have held to my oath to this day.
That is a super clean 283 stroker very well loved and taken care of @Watch Wes Work
64 chevy half ton with a 283 was my daily driver for 20 years. Thanks for the memories.
Had the same in high school, one of the most reliable vehicles that I've ever owned.
Wes, the Mortske man said that you are the best brake man around, that we should request to see more break jobs from you. 🙂 LOL
"Break" jobs?
In 1975 I bought the 1966 version of the same truck for $600.00 from the grandfather of one of the Duck Dynasty guys. He farmed in West Monroe, Louisiana and the truck spent most of it's life on that farm and around the local town. It had less than 20,000 miles on it. It still had the original wooden bed flooring because he had soaked it with creosote at some point. I used it for several years as a to and from work truck. I had a Sears and Roebuck universal under the dashboard air conditioner installed in it. It worked great unless you were sitting at a stop light and the A/C compressor would come on nearly stalling the engine. I think the engine was either a 250 or 292 C.U. straight 6. I'm old now and can't rightly remember.
El Mirage, Arizona
Thank you for sharing your own home. I’m interested is seeing the renovation on this house.
I love the creative use of the mig wire pliers @26:40. Years ago when I was a young guy struggling with U-joints, I gave up in frustration and went to the local driveline shop. The sage old driveline specialist with decades of experience took pity on me and showed me how to install them correctly. never had a problem since. Keep doing what you do Wes and ignore the keyboard warriors!
Recommended by Snowball engineering !
Enjoying your channel and the wry humour ! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Ditch the rubber lines, clamps and zip ties and just use short pieces of copper nickle brake line. It's easy to make, bend and it holds it's shape. Bleeding made simple! Look at the GM 14B for a replacement axle - should be a fairly easy direct swap. That truck is a piece of work!
Don't worry Old Max is not a quitter he is going to get it sooner or later.😊 He reminds me of you it will be fixed and figured out no matter what, he will succeed also.
Ever since I started watching your channel a few years ago, I’ve started paying attention to bull haulers and I’ve never see one that wasn’t straight piped. And I live around cattle country so I see quite a few of them.
Changed the rear U-joint in a 1955 Ford Victoria on the side of the road, on a 103-degree day with a bumper jack, a hammer, a 10-inch Crescent wrench, a pair of vise-grips and a couple of screwdrivers. I had purchased the new U-joints and was on my way home to install them...and didn't make it... Luckily, I was 16 years old at the time and didn't know any better. Sometimes I am amazed that I am still alive...:D
Replacement parts for that truck are available from places like LMC Truck and National Truck Depot so who knows if it's original. We restored my dad's '69 C-10 using some replacement body and interior parts. Good work Wes.
This video is so good, I’m watching it a second time. The dialogue about all the springs is priceless!!
If you need to worry about the grease hole in your u joint being in compression then you need u joints with no grease hole or the ones that grease thru the cap so they are only drilled on center.
After you got done talking about making sure the needle bearing doesn’t fall out you started pounding on that u joint with the next u joint standing at the edge of the table. My heart rate was going crazy!
Guess I’m gonna be going into work about 25 mins later than usual. Darn these “icy road” delays. Hahahah.. As always from one Wes to another thanks for the great videos! Cheers
Old trucks like this are always a cobbled together nightmare, looks like this one is slightly better than most though 👌
I had an experience with that exact master cylinder setup 40 years ago. Brand new out of the box and bled it just as you did on the truck= Soft pedal. Took it off and clamped in the vise and repeated the process using the screw driver to push piston method and put back on = good pedal feel. Turned out the pedal assembly in the truck was not getting a full stroke out of the piston so it wasn’t getting fully bled. Food for thought.
Yes sir I have had that trouble trying to pedal bleed a brake system where the clearance between the actuator rod and the master cylinder is so much that you cannot get a full stroke on the master cylinder. You can pressure bleed the system to get the air out but not so hot when one is trying to pedal bleed the system.
Even as well as the body looks it's still a $10,000. project moving forward. Good luck Wes. Keep on smiling.
Oh it's mint, you can tell by the color 🤣
That interior is Gorgeous and Mint @Watch Wes Work
The type of precision needed to work on something like a newer model diesel high pressure fuel pump is not required to install ujoints. They’re fine as long as you don’t screw up the needles and you get the retainers in. When I was younger I’ve dropped them in the mud, reused old one and put different ones together to get what I needed. The ujoint installation isn’t even on the list of worries I’d have with that truck. Good work Wes. Love the content.
I find that pounding on that joint closes up the groove where the retaining ring goes in and you can't get it to seat. I have had to make a small cutoff wheel to get in there and get that groove wide enough to accept the retainer.
Man...at the 28 minute mark my mouth was on the floor - I was thinking that driveshaft was going to fall down and ring your bell - glad you came out unscathed!
Great video Wes, and don't worry about the comments from keyboard critics. I have put universal joints in many different types of vehicles and have used every method out there since 1965. What ever works for Wes and your customers is what works. Thanx for sharing, love your sense of humor. Happy holidays to you and your family.😃
This truck is the reason you "bring a mechanic". It's the equilv of a house flipper special.
Oh man, what a pile. I always commend you on some of the vehicles you work on. You are a saint and a scholar, sir.
Ok, that's it. If you have time to work on this antique, you have time to work on my 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan. It has 295,000 miles on it but most everything works. I am having trouble with the door locks not wanting to stay locked. Now for the trip planning--you are only about 1,900 miles distant from me. If I get started tomorrow, I could be there sometime next week........
It was nice to see Mrs. Wes with a smile on her face. Tell her that we all appreciate her helping for no pay.
Door locks not staying locked is normally a central locking master actuator adjustment issue - which is normally only the driver's door actuator. But see if the front passenger door also unlocks all the doors when you unlock it - if so, it has two master actuators.
That is something I've noticed over the years with "builds" like that. Looks really nice on the outside and maybe has a killer engine but that's where the builders talents ended and the rest is cobbled together. Sad because then it gets passed on to a buyer who thinks they're getting a nice rig.........
Great video as always Wes, would love to see more of this truck. It's got potential!
Yeah, I've noticed guys of a certain age, and ability level (or lack thereof) are all "restoring" one of these as a never ending --project-- money pit...
Yes sir there are people out there who just look at the cosmetics and do not realize that you just cannot put lipstick on a pig when it comes down to mechanical integrity. I look for a vehicle that is original and something to work with. If it looks good due to cosmetics I have a tendency to look at the stuff that counts and all of that hardware store style type of fabricating done on this truck is a turnoff. I bought a 72 Chevrolet 4 wheel drive unit from a fellow back in May of 79 and he was running down all of the things wrong with the old truck, but the powerplant was solid and all there (just needed some TLC). Come May this year I will have owned the truck for 44 yrs.
I gotta get a life. When you and diesel creek run past your regularly scheduled posts I find myself logging in to YT 20x a day hoping for the next video. Thank you!
If your customers are happily paying and bits aren't falling off it's a fair bet what you're doing is right. There's always an expert ready to tell you what you should have done. Think happy thoughts Wes,you display incredible patience.
the best kind of vehicle for a youtube channel. So many issues and you can make it better.
"brakes dont work" - "did you bleed them" - "no" - "Sigh" one of those days.
I can't believe nobody has mentioned the front lift blocks. That was always been a no-no in my book.
My dad had a 63 Chev Biscayne station wagon with a 283. The car is long dead but that engine is still going strong. It is currently in its 4th vehicle.
I like your videos because generally at the end, the problem has been fixed. This is like peeling an onion, it just goes on and on. Hopefully the owner will keep going and fix those issues, especially fixing the brakes. Another commenter talked about 20+ videos on fixing this up. Go for it, I'll watch every one of them!
Emergency Brake Load Equalizer definitely missing @Watch Wes Work
Been watching for a couple years. Just want to say love your content and how well you explain things. Much love to you and your family from Canada 🍁👌
You working on the U-joints reminded me of an old Ford pickup truck I bought. The front axle U-joints were really bad so I went to replace them. I worked, hammered, pried and even used a 20 ton press and could not get the caps to move to remove the old ones from the axle shafts. I ended up having to use my plasma cutter and torch the things out. I have never had U-joints on a vehicle stuck like that. I don't think that old truck had any kind of service done before I got a hold of it. Love your video's.
Thanks for bringing us along on what looks to be an epic saga. As usual your work ethic shines through.
Love the old body styles and the cab interiors. Engines were easy to work on, could actually crawl in and sit on the fender well, feet on the frame. But the brakes were a pain. If he is going to change the gear ratio, huge benefit in just upgrading to modern transmission, transfer case and axles with disk brakes. Thanks for sharing.
not all that hard to do either just get the stuff from a wrecking yard......may have to rework your mounts a bit though......
If you want to mess up all that why not just drive a modern truck?
@@chevyguy131 Because anyone that isn't poor can buy one but built trucks are more unique.
I had a 64 Carry All C-10. 292 CI. Three on the tree. I bought it from a carpenter around 1974. I loved that truck. Green and White also.
You can probably get away with swapping gear sets in the front axle as you were thinking in the video. For the rear end, I’m pretty sure GM went to their corporate 14 bolt rear end in the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks when they phased out the Eaton that’s in it now. The 14 bolt for a 3/4 or a 1 ton single rear wheel truck (edit: the pinion angle will probably need to be adjusted because of the divorced transfer case) should be a direct bolt in. If you can find one new enough, it should have disc brakes and possibly 3.73 gears in it. 3.73 gears along with another transmission with an overdrive gear in it should get him where he wants to be with better drivability on the highway. Additionally, the parking brake equalizer from about an ‘81 or earlier square body can probably be adapted to the ‘64 truck very easily.
Not having the knowledge you seem to have. My thought was similar. Any late model parts could be swapped in at a reasonable cost from the salvage yard.
Of course. Totally agree. 😂
The rear springs on the '73 and newer trucks are a little farther apart than on the '72 and earlier , but if the spring bushings have enough slop in them ( and most do ) it will go in , shock mounts are way different though . '55/'57 Chevy passenger cars use a similar E brake set up , and they reproduce everything for them .
@@bobbrinkerhoff3592
The spring perches will probably have to be cut loose to adjust the pinion angle to align it better with the divorced transfer case and shorter rear drive shaft, they can be moved in at the same time to match the spring pins.
@@ralfie8801 why change pinion angles when GM never bothered to worry about such things . The rear ends for short and long bed trucks are identical, even though the wheel bases are 12 - 14 inches different over the years . The 14 bolt and original rears might be a couple inches different in length from center of yoke to center of axle housing . Way too many people know absolutely nothing about proper pinion angles and driveshaft phasing , and then wonder why the u joints fall prematurely and they have vibration issues .
Possibly already done with the truck, but you can swap the whole axle assembly on these to the squarebody 73-87 axles and get open knuckle front and disc brakes. A 14bolt rear will fit as well and you can get a disc brake kit for those as well. I swapped them on my 68 that was 4 whl drum and they bolted in. The only thing I am not 100% sure on this truck is if the springs are the same distance apart, but I think they are. If you put the newer axles and factory brakes on it, then you can use the same master cyl and proportioning valve off the squarebody too. Oh, the 66 and older were single reservoir master cylinders, so the one on this truck is not factory.
Last thing, I have had and been around a ton of these trucks and this is the only one I have seen a factory tach dash in, that might be worth as much as the whole truck to be honest...
My guess is the instruments are from a big truck. Most of them had all gauges with the tach too.
Those gauges look to be aftermarket replacements. They look too new to be original and the old truck most likely did not have a factory tach originally.
WES!! Do it the way you have always done it. IT IS YOUR SHOP AND YOU ARE RESPONSIBLY FOR IT'S Quality or lack of. The people adding their comments have nothing to lose. So Again do it they way you want to.
Love your videos Wez! Don´t care about all those "hobby experts" don´t let them under your skinn, you are doing a great job, continue with that.
I’ve got a 1964 Chevy C10 with the 250 4.1l. Most reliable thing you’ll ever drive. Runs great and drives like your floating on air.
I feel all of your pain with the u-joints and all of the above might be true if the thing had a 800 horsepower but it's a small block.... So I believe you're correct sir although I'm sure you already knew all of that keep up the good work always enjoy the channel
The only place I take any exception is with bringing the name of the Lord into it. His name deserves due honor. Other than that, you are the expert. I bow to your knowledge. Most of the people criticizing you probably don't know what they are talking about. If you have any questions on a 50's-80's GM truck, I'd be asking Jeff Bradshaw over at Elderly Iron. He probably has an original emergency brake lying around, or knows what you need to make one.
This is a refreshing change. Not a scan tool or wiring diagram in sight.
Whoever “re-built” that 20 did a real bangup job 😂
👆Thanks for watching, love you so much fan!
Tell Aɴᴅʀᴇɪ Jɪᴋʜ, you were referred by me he has something new to share with you easily get in touch with him..
Truck would look way cooler stock.😎
I’ve installed u joints everywhere from the workshop to the side of a bush track. As long as they go in you know as well as me, a press, a vice or your grandma’s rolling pin can be used. Just make it work with what you have 😊
When you were installing the driveshaft, there was one point it looked like it would drop on your head. I could hear Matt's "OSHA violation" song playing.
Good video Wes! Keep up the good work!
Pinion Bearing on the rear differential is the sound you are hearing when under power and coasting.. I used to have a 64 Suburban. I know the sounds and repairs on a personal bases!! LOL
You're a brave man for letting go that thing after it slipped out of the front yoke.
Rule number one, Never lend out your tools., they get lost, never returned , or returned broke. That includes relatives.
Merry Christmas Wes and Family.
Well, the botched brake job was simply a litany of "rookie mistakes" which I understand since most young people never saw drum braking systems. That said, it is extremely important for anyone considering purchasing a "restored" classic vehicle to get her up on a lift and have someone who knows what they are doing closely examine everything. Of course there will be a lot of non-standard things done over the years but they still need to be done correctly. Making sketchy parts for a parking brake are one thing but not installing U-joints properly (especially the retainers) can be catastrophically dangerous. Imagine if that U-joint let go at highway speeds. I have seen vehicles launched into the air by a broken U-joint causing the driveshaft to act like a pole-vault. Any mechanic can tell you that if it can go wrong, it will go wrong at the worst possible moment. (Murphy's Law)
Worth every penny he puts into it,,,,, as long as he keeps it parked in the winter! Looking good for a 60 year old.