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What did you do with your GMT400 today...or yesterday....

Big T said:
Got the door hinge bushings and pins done:


The roller door positioner is bent, so I ordered a new one. Not sure how it comes out.
Click to expand...

So went out to see if I could fit a Sawsall in there to cut the top off the roller pin. Nope, won't fit and my Dremel tool is down in Fullerton, CA. Oh but the newly installed lower bushing of the upper hinge is now broken, so I will have to pull the door anyway. Wondering if the bent roller pin is the cause? Sounds like I'm going to become an expert on this job.
 
when you get it apart again, check to see if the hole the bushing goes in isn't egg shaped. if at one time in it's life had the pin wear through the bushing and ride on the hinge it'll be egged. other than that it's probably cheap chineesium bushings made from powdered brass pressed together with some kind of glue! kinda like press wafer board.
 
dbrannon79 said:
when you get it apart again, check to see if the hole the bushing goes in isn't egg shaped. if at one time in it's life had the pin wear through the bushing and ride on the hinge it'll be egged. other than that it's probably cheap chineesium bushings made from powdered brass pressed together with some kind of glue! kinda like press wafer board.
Click to expand...
They are probably egged, but on the bottom hinge. This was the upper hinge and the bushing was intact when I removed it. Probably f’d the new one when I squeezed it in.

Why can’t they get us solid brass bushings? My local Ace Hardware does sell solid brass bushings in various sizes. I might play around there.
 
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I decided today to "attempt" to rebuild a steering box I have in the garage to put in my truck. ordered a rebuild kit online that should arrive on Saturday. got the gear box all tore apart and drove the sector shaft bearing out ready to clean up. the piston bore only had one small scratch in it that I could feel with my finger nail but wasn't visible looking at it. hope I ordered the right kit. this one has a larger piston size.

I didn't take any pics of the tear down, but I am thinking and wondering if I would be able to drill and tap the housing for ports to add a steering assist cylinder for a future install.
 
Watched a couple of youtube videos on porting one for assist last night, seems fairly simple to do. I'm only wondering if adding a assist cylinder would make the steering any easier. mine has always seemed a bit on the stiff side, but all the components have been gone through. I think it might be just the tires and how heavy the truck is.
 
I did some more cleaning on the gear box this evening in anticipation of the kit arriving tomorrow sometime. looked over the housing real good for a bit. I think I will wait to attempt porting it for a hydro-assist cylinder, I have the tools but I am mainly rebuilding this one to see (1) if I can do it, and (2) if this fails I will need to cough up some green paper for a new box. Here are some pics of the box guts. the input and sector shaft cleaned up nicely with the wire wheel on the splines getting all the gunk and paint out of the groves.

the housing has some scaring in both the piston area and the spool valve area. you can plainly see them but can hardly feel them so I hope they will be okay, the box wasn't leaking just had some play on the sector shaft.

one think that I am curious about is what that hexagon retainer looking thing is that is down in the bottom of the piston area. I didn't remove it but looking at rebuild videos online and other sites, I can't seem to find any info on what it is or it's purpose. Anyone have any ideas? It's not holding anything in there.


IMG_3435.jpgIMG_3436.jpgIMG_3437.jpgIMG_3438.jpg
 
dbrannon79 said:
lol if they sold solid brass bushing the companies would all be out of business!! it would be a one time fix and last the lifetime oft he rig haha
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And guess what, they do sell solid brass bushings, even oversized ones for worn hinges:

www.cunninghammachine.com

Heavy Duty Chevrolet/GMC 88-98 Bronze Door Bushings - Cunningham Machine

Heavy Duty door bushings for the 88-98 GM trucks. Made from very high quality self lubricating bronze. Great fix for sagging doors.
www.cunninghammachine.com www.cunninghammachine.com

I did a whole post on it over in the Exterior Forum, so it won't get buried in the daily ramblings.
 
And it is also important to note DO NOT use brass bushings on your door hinges!!! BRASS is a very soft metal and the steel hinge pins will quickly wear through it - no matter how well lubed - and you will be replacing them every 10-12 months.

Now BRONZE is a much much harder of an alloy than brass is, and for bushings, the bronze is scintered. That, simply, is micro sized pieces of powdered bronze are heat fused together. This leaves "pores" between the fused pieces that will hold oil in them - the "Self Lubricating" part of bronze bushings!

Now, even if they say they're self lubricating or are pre-lubricated, I let them soak overnight in some 10 or 20 straight weight oil just to make sure the maximum amount of oil is in the pore spaces before installing them. Then just an annual maintenance of a couple of drops of 10 or 20 weight on the pin to bushing contact areas and you're good to go.
 
Husker6.5 said:
And it is also important to note DO NOT use brass bushings on your door hinges!!! BRASS is a very soft metal and the steel hinge pins will quickly wear through it - no matter how well lubed - and you will be replacing them every 10-12 months.

Now BRONZE is a much much harder of an alloy than brass is, and for bushings, the bronze is scintered. That, simply, is micro sized pieces of powdered bronze are heat fused together. This leaves "pores" between the fused pieces that will hold oil in them - the "Self Lubricating" part of bronze bushings!

Now, even if they say they're self lubricating or are pre-lubricated, I let them soak overnight in some 10 or 20 straight weight oil just to make sure the maximum amount of oil is in the pore spaces before installing them. Then just an annual maintenance of a couple of drops of 10 or 20 weight on the pin to bushing contact areas and you're good to go.
Click to expand...
Says these are self-lubricating bronze, as you’ve described.
 
My guess is they are bronze but powder that is pressed together but not heated! or bronze infused with aluminum shavings or some such.

Ya know it never occured to me that if the hinge area that the bushings are sitting in was thicker where the bushing would make full contact with the hinge and not stick out an 1/8" of an inch on the back side, they might have lasted longer.
 
Well the rebuild kit that came in on Saturday was packaged wrong. contacted them for a replacement, they are sending one out that should arrive this afternoon. keeping my fingers crossed.


anyone figure out what that keeper ring is that sits at the bottom of the piston bore on the steering box? I took my pick and moved it. it's loose in there. two of the corners aren't even touching the bore wall. I am wondering if it's just to keep the piston from bottoming and closing off that port completely.

1660573707382.png
 
dbrannon79 said:
Well the rebuild kit that came in on Saturday was packaged wrong. contacted them for a replacement, they are sending one out that should arrive this afternoon. keeping my fingers crossed.


anyone figure out what that keeper ring is that sits at the bottom of the piston bore on the steering box? I took my pick and moved it. it's loose in there. two of the corners aren't even touching the bore wall. I am wondering if it's just to keep the piston from bottoming and closing off that port completely.

View attachment 76408
Click to expand...
I think You guessed it.
 
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