VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Trucks and Vans Ain…t this a corker, aka a gaggle of grease seals.

Well while I got the front clip off’ner and the engine out I recon it was as good a time as any to give them springs a face-lift. A few of the original cork seals were still on the shackles so in keeping with the original idea, I’m keeping them cork. I only found one vendor that listed the cork grease seals and at four bucks each (8 req.) plus the S&H I just couldn’t resist making my own batch up. So an hour spent in the shop and I now have a set for the truck and a couple of spare sets for the parts room. And these are made in the USA for sure. http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/3604_suspension&page=2

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,
Your cork seals are beeuteeful. Nice job!!
I hope Chevrolet had a way to make them that was a little less labor intensive.
I took the easy way out on my "barn find" '36 1.5 ton. I made them from some rubber I had laying around. All my threaded pins and bushings were in good condition but the bolts and bushings at the rear were badly worn and had to be replaced. I put in new oversize kingpins so I should be in good shape. I have not had it on the floor yet to check my tie rod ends.
My front end overhaul which also included new brake linings and wheel cylinder kits all came from my inventory except for hub seals and cyl kits, so it didn't cost me much.
Again, great job on the cork seals.

Mike

Tks Mike, I completely rebuilt everything in the front end before I ever put the old gal on the road back in 2007. Except for the springs and the steering box! The steering gear had no problems, just a little play and that was easily adjusted out.

Everything is off the front of the frame this winter and the springs are the last of it. Yep, the rear bushings were shot as was the bolt. The shackles were like new in fact I unscrewed the pins by hand, there are pix in the album also. I dissassembled the springs tonight, no wear on them at all and one of them still has the yellow part number stamped on it. I need to find a source for the clips and rivets now.
DG

That is pretty cool. I need to make a set for my truck. What size hole saw and reamer is that?

Jon I have several hole-saw sets which produce different kerf widths. The one I used was a 1 3/8", which gave me a plug that was 1 1/4", if you can find one that is 1 1/4” that should give you a 1 1/8” plug. I understand that the original seals were 1 1/8". I drilled the holes with a 17/32” drill then ran them over a 9/16” reamer. This gives you a nice snug fit over the shackle pin. Any small edge burrs that remain can be trimmed with scissors.

See what ya did, my secrets out and now that the judges know they’ll mark me off on that item for not being the correct diameter for sure!!!!

The material is from McMaster Carr #96165K35, 1/4” Buna-N & Cork Sheet Gasket. Twenty nine bucks will buy you enough material to make over 432 seals so you can go into business selling them at $4 each and make yourself enough to recoup the purchase price of your truck.

Ahhhhh, those little details!!

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Nice work.

Looks like you are set up for production runs now.

-W

Right W, I’ll just squeeze that production run in betwixt the other thousand jobs that are waiting for my attention. But even if I did make up a box full, I’m afraid they would rot on the shelf, as you can see, there really isn’t much interest in stuff like this when you can use rubber. After all, who’s gonna notice or even care about a little detail like this, cept me.
DG

Denny,
Don't fool yourself. Many of us want to do things 'right' even if it can't be seen.

DG , I'm with Chipper.

I like to do it right, even if no one can see it.

That is good thinking on your part. I like the setup.

I run into guys younger than me that don't know they can buy the material to cut their own gaskets.

scary.

-W

I’m sure that at car shows of all sorts, 95% of the judges and spectators only view the contestants from a standing position. For me, to appreciate a truly fine restoration one has to get down on all fours and peek under the glitter.
I get the most enjoyment in knowing that I can jump in my truck at anytime and drive it anywhere and not have to worry whether it’s going to make it or not. She might not look all that purty right now, but she’s running better and better as each year passes. When I feel it’s performing just as it was that first year she rolled of the production line, then I’ll start to worry about her cosmetics.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I figure the day I can't drive my truck down a muddy dirt road... it's not a truck anymore.

Not that I get to spend much time on muddy dirt roads... unfortunately.

-W