i knew something would break sooner or later.
a friend of mine and i were at a red light yesterday playing like two kids, when it turned green i floored it. black smoke blowing like a train, it was a thing of beauty to see my big ship of a truck out run a chevy reg. cab truck.
after all the fun was over i could feel a bad vibration in the seat of my paints(dickie over alls) .
i did some searching here and thought, center support bearing.
called napa, $99.77
advanced auto $24.99.
dont know why the price difference but i went with advanced.
i was at my dads working on my truck because he has always helped me on everything.
we were taking out the bearing and he saw that the rear u joint had a piece broke off, i guess the strain of one to many fast take offs.
so its back to the parts store for me.
i went ahead and changed out all 3 joints while i had the tools out.
my dad has a nice press in his shop so the job was not to bad.
i would not like to change them again for a while but i had a good time hanging out and working with my dad again.
friday was 5 weeks since my back surgery and im still sore, so i know ill feel it tomorrow.

 

I debated changing my u joints recently. I replaced my center support bearing due to a bad rubber mount. U joints are still in excellent shape with almost 170k miles. The parts house HD versions didn't have grease fittings either. I figured might as well leave the originals as I wasn't gaining anything by replacing them now.

 

Not to change the subject, but hanging around with dad and doing things together means as much to him as I does to you. Most sons don't do it enough. I am fortuneate, my son ask me alot about things to, It does make a dad feel good,

 

Ahhh, that brings back fond memories, and a sadness that it doesn't happen any more.

Kids get their own families to support, their own interests and friends, and they don't seem to look back very much.

Guess it's natural, but I don't have to like it.

Sorry for lamenting off-topic....

Pop

 

i ask my dad if he ever gets tired of working on my stuff, i mean i am 40 years old and have a nice 30 x 40 shop, but always find my self at his house.
of course he said he did not mind.
it was him and my oldest son (13 now) helping me.
mom kept a pot of hot java going for me.
it was cool seeing my son under the truck learning from my dad the way i did.
iv said it here before .my dad is my hero, has always been there no matter what i screwed up. i dont know what id do with out him.
so POP i know what you mean, trying to keep me and mine close to my parents.and the past.
i did buy the u joints that had a grease zert , i dont know why but they were cheaper than the non grease zert ones. drove about 50 miles today, all the vibration is gone and drives good.

 

Could a guy do that job with basic hand tools? Do you need a press or vise? How long do you figure it took to do em all?

Cherish those father/son/grandson moments... Lost both my parents last year and miss those times.

 

Ken i hate to hear that. my mom has had , and ill spell this wrong . diebetis. (told you) all my life , she is 67 dad is 70. iv always woried about her health but she keeps going. dont know how id deal with it. my boys 13 and 10 or at mom and dads about 4-5 evenings a week. i think it because they gat away with more up there. the old man will let them drag out all his tools and work on what ever. he just finished a 1930 ford car and is now on his 1940 ford truck. he built a corvette 350, 3 speed trans. rack and pinion steering, it will be nice when its done, the boys get in there and have learned alot so far.
we were somewere a few weeks ago and i saw an old car, the boys ask me how i knew what it was, well after some thought the only answer i had was listening to my dad tell me what old cars were when we saw them on the road.
but to the u joints.
i think the front 4 bolts against the trans were a 12mm , 12 piont.
the u joint caps maybe 8mm wrench.
the nut on the yoke against the carrier bearing was a 1- 5/16.
you would most likely need a 1/2 drive impact, thats what i used on that one.
if you had a good long breaker bar maybe.
we did one u joint with a vice using small sockets to push them out.
then used the press when we decided to do the other 2.
maybe 3 or 4 hour job.
there is a great post on the carrier bearing job with pics on here. i did a search and found it. i think its the newest post on this before mine.
with the tools i have i would not pay someone to do it for me.
i had back surgery 5 weeks ago and im sore today but it was not to bad of a job.
i know my dad would not let me do any lifting on the drive shafts, and i still cant get a vice verry tight, cant pull on much. but if a banged up welder can do it you will be ok. lol

 

I went and saw my dad at the Alztimers home he is in now. Lots of regrets now... Things I should have done, things I should not have. Times I should have gone over, or invited him over. I will never have that chance.

If he is not telling you to leave, then he wants you around and doesnt mind.

Spent 45 minutes in the truck sobbing like a 4 year old...

enjoy the time.

 

CSIPSD
if regret were whisky we would all be drunk .
when i was 21 my 17 year old brother and his 16 year old girlfriend were on there way to a crawfish boil i was throwing, he was using my truck 4wd and i had his 2wd.
well he and she were killed in an accident. just his truck involved.
i beat my self up for a long time and drank my first marriage into the crapper.
we got along but fought like brothers will.
as good as we did get along i still hate my self some time for not doing more or just telling him i loved him one more time, you know what i mean.
i think im a little over board with my boys and them being nice to eachother.
i know they will fight like all brothers will and i think some tusseling, wresteling is good for boys , i some time think the world wants boys to be to cevil, or soft.
i just dont want them to say or do something they may regret.
my mothers dad is a ww2 vet and 92.
he drives to the VA every month and to church every sunday morning,
i have his discharge papers from the army. one of the papers has him in 1942 at 5 foot4 inches tall and 107 pounds.
a little coonass man.
my boys sit with him and my grandmother on sunday mornings, they or the only great grandsons.
man we all got pain and regrets dont we. strangely enough this is the first time i have talked about my brother in a while.
thanks for listening guys
i will remember your dad in my prayers and for good visits when you see him.

 

Thank you sir!

Dad is a Pacific WW2 vet. One of the things he does remember. Good or bad!

 

my grandfather was in the CB's
from what he tells me he built everything from housing to landing strips.
he has shell frag in knees and leg, he has walked with i limp for ever i guess

 

Great to hear from all you guys who think so much about thier father and mother. I guess I was a little mistic when I changed the subject a little bit but believe me your father will never foreget . There are the take advantage types and the ones who just need help and know dad doesn't really mind, I bet he loves both. Time is short and time spent doing things together just can't be replaced.