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Diablo Build Update (pics)

Recovry4x4

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No problem Mike, If you want to stop by on the maiden voyage, we can sling it off and stash it in the trees until you're ready for it. Since you got the great deal on tires, are you ordering the new wheels or chopping up a set of stockers? I just got 9 other tires but tires on rims are a blessing on the pocketbook for sure. Also, once you get the extra axle out, I'll swing by and get it so I can store that for ya. Whatever works, I'm OK with.
 

devilman96

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You can have the wheels and all.. I was going to whack them up but it creates so many problems with wheel mounting so I am dreadfully doing the 6x6 thingo...

If I can drop the bed off at your place I will do the rear axle first... I wanted to add some play toys first but being able to park that thing is going to be an issue that has to be addressed ASAP.... My apartment complex is going to flip their lids!!! They thought the Pinzgauer was a bit "much".... *snicker* the hurricanes last year cured them of that mess... Yep... I can pull the trees out of the drive way....
 

devilman96

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Ah.. Talk about a weekend that couldn't have possibly been worse...

We planed a "go get the Deuce / Take the Pinzgauer / go hunting trip" this past weekend.... It should have been called a "dehydrate / feed the mosquitoes / OD destruction / have a heart attack trip"....

We were going to Orlando Friday afternoon... The Pinzgauer was loaded on a tilt trailer, I had to rebuild the axle, rewire, re light, and re tag the trailer for the trip... That took about 4 hours Friday AM to get done and though later than we wanted we got on our way at about 345pm... 10 minutes into the ride we turned around to flip the hitch on the truck because we didn't like the ride... 10 miles later we stopped to shift the Pinz forward to put more weight on the ass of the truck... Thats when we noticed the tongue cracking... *sigh*...

We off loaded the Pinz and headed for the next exit.. Mind you its 93+ degrees that day and I was exhausted between setting up the trailer and running like an idiot as was... Going back to reweld something that someone else didn't do right was at the bottom of the list... So... I decided that driving the Pinz up was going to be better than going back, rewelding and hitting 5PM traffic with a loaded trailer... So onward we went...

20 miles later I have lights flashing behind me... My friend whom is following... *sigh*... I call him on his cell screaming my brain out (you think a Deuce is loud on the highway, try a Pinz)... I have a oil leak... So off the road I go... (Southern Blvd, I waved hi Ken)... Another rear axle leak.... which was just fixed mind you... At this point I am coming up with new cuss words not yet invented...

Again we turn around... 10 miles later the rear end locks up at 65 miles and hour... The ass of the truck passed the front and it was sideways down two lanes on the Turnpike... After somewhat straightening it and getting it off the road without rolling end over end or hitting anyone I calmly picked the vinyl from the seat out of my butt crack... When the wheel locked up it was pure suction keeping me planted in the seat, not a seat belt!!! The rear pinion brake had seized, one of the friction plates came unriveted and lodged itself between the disc's which in turn locked up one of the rear tires... Fun.. Fun... Fun... I thought I was dead... my friend whom got to watch the whole thing thought so too... After beating the snot out of the brake linkage and getting it freed up we got the truck (renamed you piece of $hit) back to the shop, dropped the broken trailer and again headed back north at 630pm... and don't get me wrong... After almost a year of having a Pinzgauer I think they are proably one of the best off road vehicles (if not THE best) ever made... However... asphalt is a whole different story...

We got to Orlando at about 10pm (my dads place)... Spent the night out in the woods... My buddy hunted... I laid in a hammock feeding the misquotes (due to forgetting my tent earlier that day while loading everything) and tried to sleep...

The next morning I got up debating on even driving to get the Deuce... Seems sliding sideways in a MV does wonders for OD fever... After discussing it we decided that there was no way today could be as bad as yesterday, however... Maybe it was better to go get it and drive it across Orlando to where we were hunting and THEN try for the 200 miles home... So we drove the 60 miles to my friends place to pick the beast up...

Fluid check... tire check... off we went... damn what a great feeling driving that down the road... ran like a top with 30 gallons of fresh diesel poured over the old stuff in the tank... Stopped to check it over again after about 40 miles... things seemed to be going right today!!! A few hours later after getting back to the old mans place and having everyone poke around at it I noticed my front diff housing was wet... hu? ... Further digging and I found my head gasket leak was back, only this time it was there to stay... *gurrrrr*

Just to set the back ground for this... I HAD it at a huge shop with air, tools, heavy equipment, etc... now I am on a farm in the dirt 2 miles off of the nearest paved road and 20 miles from the nearest store with a well planed but limited set of tools... I proably could have made it back down south with a lot of stopping and refilling the radiator but I figured it better to leave it be and pull the heads... So... while my buddy went chasing after pigs... I was up till 1 am feeding the mosquitoes again while turning wrenches in the dark with a flash light...

Sunday morning... I have no swivel sockets so the driver side head bolts were near impossible... an hour of driving to the nearest auto parts and a stop for Advil and coffee I got back and pulled the heads and manifolds off using 2 come'alongs hooked to the rafters of a pole barn (2 minutes later a fork lift showed up to help)... Saying "Irony" calmly is just the sarcastic way of expressing ones self v/s screaming the F'word at the top of your lungs while your father is clicking away with his camera capturing your whole little event for historical photographic evidence.

So... all said and done with the head loaded up in the back of the truck we headed home... Stopping at a pizza joint we cleared the room... 2 guys... one whom had a pig in the cooler and the other covered in grease, mud and mosquito bites... both whom have not showered in 2.5 days... It was fun... gotta do that again!!!

About the head gaskets... In a earlier posting I had said that it started leaking coolant when I first got the truck cranked up... Then stopped about 2 mins later... I had guessed storage and old style head gaskets and fully planed on changing them as soon as I got the truck home mostly because I wanted them shaven at a shop that knew what they were doing... After sending them to the machine shop and getting them back today the heads were both warped (see pics) in the same direction... One had to have .007 removed... the other .009... If I remember correctly the TM calls for them to be within .002 so I was .005 and .007 out... The TM also says not to go over .005 when surfacing... I am playing stupid on this one... I doubt the .002 and .004 over will make a difference... What is interesting is that both heads were warped in the same direction with the ends bowed upward... which is where I had my coolant leak and on each end there was slight, but noticeable oil seepage from the gasket running downward... Just a hunch but I would say this bowing is proably due to the head shape and is proably why most of the Deuces I have seen and worked on leak in the front, middle and back of the engines.

Anyways... Pinz parts are coming... Deuce parts are coming and oh by the way... I didn't mention that my leather seats came in... AAA Cooper broke the packing open and put a fork through the passenger seat for me... Something else to deal with!!!! *ugh*... Im thinking its become OD flu... not fever...
 

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Desert Rat

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I'm glad I just have a Deuce and am only getting a five-ton LDS! I love the look of Pitz's, but I suspect would not hold up to my use (er, um, abuse).
 

devilman96

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AH... Someone remind me why I bought this thing again????

I got the heads back on and headed south for the 200 mile trek home Sunday... no windshield seals... pouring rain... kinda fun for a while till my boots were full then it was a bit much!!! I know a certian windshield assy that is getting welded and sealed shut!!!

Kenny ended up rescuing me off of the exit for his house at 9:30PM last night and was nice enough to haul the pain in my butt to his house alone... I lost the clutch which I THOUGHT was feeling a little stiff in the beginning. Ether the throw out bearing went or I lost a finger or two from the pressure plate... Ether way... its frustrating!!!

I keep trying to remind myself... Its old... its to be expected and its going to make a few deviations from the path I planned to take... On the bright side... I am getting the hard stuff out of the way first... right???

So... I am hunting down clutch cores for reman and ordering bearings and the likes... Also a gasket kit for the trans,PTO box, and transfer case... I figure if it is going to make me work I am going to try and get ahead of it.
 

bottleworks

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Wow, it looks like everything that can go wrong, is going wrong with you new truck.... At least everything will be new! When do you think the A/C project will begin? Once You get yours going, I am going to follow your lead and attempt the A/C install.
 

Recovry4x4

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I wouldn't call it a rescue Mike. Just glad to have what it takes to help out. You looked nearly worn out so I figured no sense in you following me all the way out here. I did have my assistant along in the event of trouble. It actually looks good here nuzzled between the wrecker and the tractor. They will protect it until it gets back on its feet. Al least all this pesky stuff will be out of the way when you really have it ready for cruising.
 

Recovry4x4

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Just had a cold front. 0800 hrs and its a low 84°. Humidity might be a little higher than the temp. If I got $50 everytime that towbar got used, I'd have a nice savings account.
 

devilman96

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Hell I would be happy to fork over the 50$ for that rescue on top of a full tractor service to boot!!!

Well here is the deal... Since the big green pain in my arse wants to play games I am going for "one up's manship"...

I ordered full gaskets and seals for the trans, pto, and transfer case... (I will mic all of the seals, cross them to CR numbers and add the numbers to the parts cross section) New pilot and throw out bearing with carrier... I have a core set of clutch parts coming and Kenny is letting me steal a flywheel from a motor he has... Clutches will go to The Clutch House in Ft Lauderdale next week when I get them and I will hope for being able to request them built to "brick $hit house" specifications... I don't know if they can do anything improvement wise but we will see and I will let you all know what I get... WITH PICS Mangus! lol... (I had the digital during the rescue but I was so damn tired after wrenching and driving I couldn't be bothered!!!)

I will drop and change everything out and then have the spare parts re-manned also so I can shrink wrap and put them in the spare parts pile... Again... Like a side arm... better to need and have, than need and not have...

Also... that wiring harness... gotta go... I cant handle butt connectors, exposed wire bits and electrical tape... I had a nice blue arc from the fire wall, through my shoulder, out my forehead which was grounding on the copper air bleed off tube from the compressor... Ouch!!!! but funny to everyone watching!!! ... I found front and rear for $175... When I get them in I will wire loom the whole thing over and install after I do the bob job on the rear...

Kenny... I am sure the neighbors are happy LOL... But again... thank you thank you thank you thank you... and I think were on for a Saturday afternoon cab pulling event...
 

Recovry4x4

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No worries Mike! Just thinking ahead, Maybe we should drop the tranny ere and get that clutch stuff out just incase Matt doesn't make it back. At least you would be guaranteed cores to get rebuilt. Whatcha think?
 

devilman96

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Hummm.... I love you for the offer of helping so much but after the last 2 weekends I am not up for working outside anymore!!! I am STILL aching and limping around!!! If he doest come through then I will 2nd day or overnight a set in next Monday... So far *fingers crossed* he has never skipped a beat on digging things up for me...
 
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