.. Is your truck 2wd or 4 ?
brake line brackets
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Elder User
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 609
Likes: 1
From: Stockholm, NJ
Thanks redroad,
Hopefully I won't need to do much welding. The sheetmetal on my truck is in good shape. The bed was replaced with a newer-year, and just has one little hole in the wheelwell and the doors are cheapo reproduction pieces, but at least they are clean. It's the stuff underneath I'm most concerned about.
BTW - D&D was a great album! I keep hoping for another solo record (haven't been crazy about Working on a Dream or High Hopes. Nebraska is my all-time fave. The license plate on one of my cars is RSN2BLV.
Frank
Hopefully I won't need to do much welding. The sheetmetal on my truck is in good shape. The bed was replaced with a newer-year, and just has one little hole in the wheelwell and the doors are cheapo reproduction pieces, but at least they are clean. It's the stuff underneath I'm most concerned about.
BTW - D&D was a great album! I keep hoping for another solo record (haven't been crazy about Working on a Dream or High Hopes. Nebraska is my all-time fave. The license plate on one of my cars is RSN2BLV.
Frank
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Elder User
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 609
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From: Stockholm, NJ
If I am going to try and drill out the rivets, which side do I mark with the punch, or does it even matter? And am I trying to drill all the way through, and if so, how big a drill-bit would you suggest? Here are what the rivets look like from both the outside and inside the frame:
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 5,217
Likes: 506
From: Pa.
do you have an angle grinder? Drilling them out for me anyways is by far the hardest .. If you can borrow or if you have a 5" angle grinder it will make things easier .. Safety glasses on grind the head odd and drive it out with a flat tip punch .. Besides you'll need a 5" angle grinder to go with your new welder ..
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 14,333
Likes: 247
From: Stanley, VA
Yeah, an angle grinder is easiest way. Grind the head flush and then use a punch to drive the rivet out. If you grind the head off, it doesn't matter which side you work on.
If you're going to drill the rivet out, work on the side that is smaller or flatter. The drill bit needs to be the same OD as the rivet's shank or slightly smaller.
If you're going to drill the rivet out, work on the side that is smaller or flatter. The drill bit needs to be the same OD as the rivet's shank or slightly smaller.
Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,158
Likes: 5,786
From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
Yes that rusty bracket on the underside of the frame is a bump stop for the factory blocks.
Your springs look like they have factory overloads. With overload springs that little spacer is suppose to be there. Do you have some stop brackets in line with the top leafs when the truck suspension is compressed on the outside of the frame, you should.
Drilling a rivet is painful IMO, get or rent a 4" with a thin cutting blade and make alot of passes, or use a man sized 7" grinder (w/lots of sparks) and go to town on the head of that sucker.
Safety glasses and no open fuel tanks is something to make sure of. If the sparks bother you around the fuel tank, wet down a old blanket and put it on the fuel tank. But gas fumes are still some thing to be aware of.
Your springs look like they have factory overloads. With overload springs that little spacer is suppose to be there. Do you have some stop brackets in line with the top leafs when the truck suspension is compressed on the outside of the frame, you should.
Drilling a rivet is painful IMO, get or rent a 4" with a thin cutting blade and make alot of passes, or use a man sized 7" grinder (w/lots of sparks) and go to town on the head of that sucker.
Safety glasses and no open fuel tanks is something to make sure of. If the sparks bother you around the fuel tank, wet down a old blanket and put it on the fuel tank. But gas fumes are still some thing to be aware of.
Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,158
Likes: 5,786
From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
Here is a shot of some over loads and the frame side brackets. I believe these are aftermarket over load brackets...? Nice frame crack huh?
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Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
It had a monster size flat bed on it when I got it and it had probably hauled a couple of 1000 to 1200 lb round hales of hay 2 or 3 at a time more than once. 
The 3rd pic is for folks that slam flat beds.....
HJ over, back to brake line bracket and rusty rivet removal.
The 3rd pic is for folks that slam flat beds.....
HJ over, back to brake line bracket and rusty rivet removal.
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Elder User
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 609
Likes: 1
From: Stockholm, NJ
Yes, my truck does have brackets like that. I remember replacing the pads last summer. I was going to remove these, clean them up, and repaint them.
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Elder User
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 609
Likes: 1
From: Stockholm, NJ
Drilling a rivet is painful IMO, get or rent a 4" with a thin cutting blade and make alot of passes, or use a man sized 7" grinder (w/lots of sparks) and go to town on the head of that sucker.
Safety glasses and no open fuel tanks is something to make sure of. If the sparks bother you around the fuel tank, wet down a old blanket and put it on the fuel tank. But gas fumes are still some thing to be aware of.
Safety glasses and no open fuel tanks is something to make sure of. If the sparks bother you around the fuel tank, wet down a old blanket and put it on the fuel tank. But gas fumes are still some thing to be aware of.
Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,158
Likes: 5,786
From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
Rivet head is round and usually on the outside?? Looks like you have 4 springs for overloads, interesting. I also notice they are like the rear shock mount brackets, they trap water...
The rear shock mounts have a small drain notch on the frame side that road grim fills and clogs up quickly. Maybe a small notch on the inside frame contact side of the bracket, once removed would help?
The rear shock mounts have a small drain notch on the frame side that road grim fills and clogs up quickly. Maybe a small notch on the inside frame contact side of the bracket, once removed would help?
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Elder User
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 609
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From: Stockholm, NJ
Thanks. I don't know the history of the truck, but would those four overload springs come that way from the factory? Should I remove them? I never load the bed with anything, although I would like to eventually be able to pull an enclosed motorcyle trailer with this truck, so maybe best to leave them alone. How do you know if it's time to replace the springs, and are they hard to remove even to just clean them up? Are they under tension like the front coil springs in a car, or are they more like the rear coils springs? This truck stuff is all new to me.
Thanks for the tip on cutting a notch. That makes sense. You can see how the inside of that bracket has rust from water sitting in it.
Thanks for the tip on cutting a notch. That makes sense. You can see how the inside of that bracket has rust from water sitting in it.