The New Sled Puller.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
Likes: 102
From: Ashland City, TN
WV isn't that bad, I've only had my truck though 1 winter here, washed it as much as I Could, and I'm already fighting rust. I bought mine south of the rust belt in Tenn.
Rust is a BITCH.
Its even worse when you do brake work. Fluid film helps a lot there. I spray under the connectors for it to help keep moisture out of them.
Channel Locks, and vice grips are necessary tools for rust.
And when it really pisses ya off, blue wrench it, if you can.
Getting a map/propane torch is one of my best purchases, but its still not enough sometimes.
That and a 6 foot piece of pipe to use for a breaker bar.
Rust is a BITCH.
Its even worse when you do brake work. Fluid film helps a lot there. I spray under the connectors for it to help keep moisture out of them.
Channel Locks, and vice grips are necessary tools for rust.
And when it really pisses ya off, blue wrench it, if you can.
Getting a map/propane torch is one of my best purchases, but its still not enough sometimes.
That and a 6 foot piece of pipe to use for a breaker bar.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,027
Likes: 9
From: Manchester, CT USA
True but this truck was a wrecker it prayed for snow and ice. Even rinsing the truck down and letting it sleep in the garage to let it thaw for a few hours doesn't really help because before you know it it'll be winching some car outta a snow bank. You probably went to work, did some errands, went to the grocery store, and then went home. This truck probably drove all day chasing accidents, jump starts, and winch outs in that snow.
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 11,231
Likes: 130
From: Thomasville, GA
My truck was originally in Florida, then in NC for the last few years. Still had rust on the front cab mounts. Had to cut them off with a cutting wheel because the bolts were seized into the mounts.
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,669
Likes: 1
From: Billerica, MA
Ya WV isn't to bad even for a wrecker, I am watching my wrecker fall apart up here in MA. Been drivin it for about 2 years and the body started to have weak spots last winter and now they are all falling threw. It's gross to watch how devistaing rust is on metal, luckily my truck is still doin pretty good, only the tail gate has rust showing threw.
Thread Starter
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,137
Likes: 41
From: Marble Falls, Texas
Well guys, we had a BIG day today! But somewhere in the middle, yours truely made a HUGE, mistake that cost us about 5 hours of build time. We'll get to that. So here we go.
Taping out the frame to finish the color scheme.
Taping out the frame to finish the color scheme.
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,137
Likes: 41
From: Marble Falls, Texas
One of my biggest Dodge guys Gary is caught here removing injectors.....WORKING ON A POWER STROKE!!!!! Cummins guy taking one for the team. Carl getting in on the action too. GETTING READY TO DO HEAD STUDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,137
Likes: 41
From: Marble Falls, Texas
The plan here was to NOT, I repeat NOT remove the heads and do studs keeping the factory head gasket. Well, this is where I screwed up BIG TIME!!!!!!!
Keep in mind folks, I've never installed studs on a Power Stroke. Despite my internal flag waving STOP!!! I removed all the head bolts at once. DO NOT DO THIS PEOPLE! Especially with new springs and pushrods installed. Well, long story short, my stupidity caused the head to lift and ruin the head gasket. After a short call to David at DI, our only option was to pull the heads and spend about 4 hours scraping with a razor. David said "ONLY USE A RAZOR!" And when you think it's clean, do it again, and again, and again!!!!! And he was right. We went over every surface at least 8 times before we stopped getting gasket material.
So here's the damage. You can see the look of disappointment in Garys face.
Keep in mind folks, I've never installed studs on a Power Stroke. Despite my internal flag waving STOP!!! I removed all the head bolts at once. DO NOT DO THIS PEOPLE! Especially with new springs and pushrods installed. Well, long story short, my stupidity caused the head to lift and ruin the head gasket. After a short call to David at DI, our only option was to pull the heads and spend about 4 hours scraping with a razor. David said "ONLY USE A RAZOR!" And when you think it's clean, do it again, and again, and again!!!!! And he was right. We went over every surface at least 8 times before we stopped getting gasket material.
So here's the damage. You can see the look of disappointment in Garys face.