New question for an old truck

[Plower737]

OK, I am going to put my meyers set up on the 70 k20, (yea...laugh it up for Meyers) Now, should I have the mount level to the plow when it is mounted or should I mount it to the frame and then adjust the "hook up" postion on the plow itself? Question being that I want the plow to be level when I angle it left or right. Clearance is not really an issue here as far as when the plow is off, that I might use the truck for off-roading or something. I want the set up to be as strong and worry free as possible.

[cat320]

So you want to put a new plow on an old truck and you don't have a factory mount available for that year .Correct. If that is the case and Jerre could tell you more but in my minde you would want to keep it as level as possable which would mean welding on some I beams and steel plate to the frame to give it some strenth like in a DPW truck type of set up.This way when you push into a pile or hit a curb it will not push the plow under the truck.But That is what i'm thinking I never have made a custom set up.

[Plower737]

Its not a brand new set up. The plow and equipment is from the mid 80's. I'm just concerned about which end to build up to which end. The truck has a body lift but no lift kit. (and won't either) I guess I really need to get the mount off the current truck and mock it on the k20 and see how far off it may be. Oh and no I don't have a mount for that year.

[snowplowjay]

Originally posted by Plower737
Oh and no I don't have a mount for that year.

As Cat stated be sure to contact Jerre Heyer and GarageKeeper. They both have lots of knowledge in custom plow mount fabrications. Im sure that they will both have infinite amounts of knowledge to share with you on the subject.........................


Jay

[BRL]

Ditto Jay's post, when they see this they will surely steer us in the right direction. I had talked to Jerre in the spring about how to fab a mount for an old truck. A friend picked up an old Wagoneer that he wants to use for his driveway. He got a Meyer plow with Western pump off an old Dodge for free or real cheap. So we're finally getting around to switching it all over to the Jeep, so I have to remember all the stuff he told me lol. But my first question getting the planning & organizing of this, is the same one. Set the plow mount on the truck at the correct level for the plow to be level, or put it where it lands easy & adjust from the other end? Or is there a specific heaight it should be at when installing the mount to the truck? I'm used to my Unimount which has 3 holes to line up the A-frame when hooking up, so the truck mount really just needs to be close, and then you can pick the best height when hooking up the plow. Funny that I was going to post this same question.

[Plower737]

Yea, I just want to be sure before I get it mounted and such. Don't want any headaches when its 20 degrees and 3 am. Jerre, feel free to chime in anytime..

[landman]

meyers is supposed to be 10 1/2" center pin hole on truck mount to the ground. (level of course)

[Jerre Heyer]

Landman is right. 10 1/2 in to the center of the pin mounting holes is the standard. If you have a new edge on the plow this will give the a frame a slight rise to the front. As the edge wears the a frame will start to drop down in the front and the plow will actuall plow better as it becomes more aggressive.

As to the frame on the 70 K20. The frame from the 88-98 meyer is pretty close for most of the 68-72 K10, K15 and K20 trucks.

Only takes a little bit to modifty it to fit. Feel free to call or email me on it.

I cheat on alot of the old fab mounts. Put an 8" cement block on the ground and put a 2 X 4 ( actually 1.5 X 3.5-3.75) with the 1.5 dimension on the block. Place the push beam ontop of this and that is pretty close to the right height to the center of the pins.


Jerre

p.s. be sure to have your plowing tires on when doing the mount.

[Plower737]

Thanks Jerre. I was going to use the mount off of my 83 GMC C 3500. As I look at the mount more, it too was modified to fit the truck its on now. Not a botched job. I've plowed the last 6 yrs with it so it should be OK. So lemme get this straight, the mount height should be modified to the blade and not the other way around? That is my main concern.


BTW... can I mount 86 3/4 ton rears with springs directly to the 70 mounts, or are the measurements different?

[Jerre Heyer]

As for the mount. 10 1/2 is the standard. If you try to match the mount height to the blade and you have a used edge ( worn ) it can sit lower at the truck to have the a frame level.

I'm not sure on the rear end's. If the springs perches have the same center to center distance then yes.

Jerre

[Plower737]

I just talked with a local meyers dealer and he said the problem isn't mounting the mount to the frame, the "harder" part is the angled supports that help keep the mount straight. I've got the front axle rebuilt, so now I need to make room in the shop and get to cutting the old out and putting the new in and getting the plow mount on the truck.

[Plower737]

OK new problem and I need an answer. 86 front rear... pinion bearing outter is shot. No biggie. BUT inner is going. How do I replace it?

[wyldman]

The outer pinion bearing (just the bearing) can be done in the truck,but you can't replace the race,which will most likely be scored.It requires removing the case\gearset to remove the pinion.

You will need a very narrow bearing puller to get the inner pinion bearing off,and a press to get it back on.It can be done with other methods,but it's tricky.You will also need to drive out the old races,and replace them.

If the pinion bearings failed,it's most likely due to low fluid level,as they are the first to suffer.It will also distribute the gritty bearing material throughout the diff,possibly damaging other bearings as well.I'd recommend getting a rebuild kit (with all the seals and bearings),and doing it all.It's not that hard,and you have to take it all apart to get the pinion out anyways.

While your in there,get a long rifle brush,and clean out the axle tubes as well,as most of the crap will tend to build up in there.

Might want to look at doing front axle u-joints,and\or ball joints while your in there too,as they are a breeze to change when it's all apart.

If you need any more help in dissecting it,just let me know.

[Plower737]

Well after some thought today, I have decided to take the 86 hubs and spindles off and put them on the Dana 44 axle with drum brakes. This was the hole reason for getting the newer axles in the first place. So now that I am going to do this I will replace the axle u joints as you said wyldman. I have a little wrenching skills so it'll take me some time but I should be able to handle it ok. I have the hubs, and spindles off now but am having trouble with the driver side ball joints. They just rotate as I try to get them off. Should I just get a torch and carefully cut them off or use a sawsall?

[wyldman]

What part are you trying to get off,and what is rotating ??

If the ball joint stud is rotating while your removing the nut,that's a bad thing,as it shouldn't be like that,and may have damaged the knuckle.That only apllies to the lower.The upper has an adjusting nut under the ball joint nut,to set the knuckle preload.If it is loose,it will spin inside,and the ball joint stud will spin with it.

The best way to get them off,is to heat the nut cherry red,jam a prybar between the axle ears and the knuckle to preload it some,and blast them off quickly with a good impact gun.No damage that way.If all else fails,carefully blow the nut\top of the stud off with the torch.

After the knuckle is off,you will need a ball joint press,to press the old ones out,and the new ones in.

[Plower737]

yes the stud is spinning as I turn the nut. But I have not tried the lower ball joint yet.. This is only for the tie rod and the upper ball joint. Got a little frustrated and packed it up for the night.

[wyldman]

Heat and the impact gun should do it.

Carefully check the spindle for any shiny areas where the ball joint stud,and the tie rod stud go in.If you see any shiny areas,it's probably worn,and the spindle is no good.It can snap the stud off if it's worn.Very dangerous.

[Plower737]

OK, got the spindle off the passengers side and have the lower ball joint from the drivers side loose. Haven't started on the upper ball joint of the spindle or the tie rods. Drivers side also spinning. Pulled the axles out, dirt and all kinds of crap came out. Good thing I only paid $200 for the set of front and rear axles. the front is shot as far as I'm concerned. Local shop said they could rebuild rear for about $500. But not the axles or u joints in the axles. NAH! I 'll just take the best of both rears and make a new one. I'll try to post pics as I go to give u guys a progress report and help me spot any problems along the way. Never done this before so its all new to me.

[thesnoman]

Originally posted by wyldman
The outer pinion bearing (just the bearing) can be done in the truck,but you can't replace the race,which will most likely be scored.It requires removing the case\gearset to remove the pinion.

You will need a very narrow bearing puller to get the inner pinion bearing off,and a press to get it back on.It can be done with other methods,but it's tricky.You will also need to drive out the old races,and replace them.

If the pinion bearings failed,it's most likely due to low fluid level,as they are the first to suffer.It will also distribute the gritty bearing material throughout the diff,possibly damaging other bearings as well.I'd recommend getting a rebuild kit (with all the seals and bearings),and doing it all.It's not that hard,and you have to take it all apart to get the pinion out anyways.

While your in there,get a long rifle brush,and clean out the axle tubes as well,as most of the crap will tend to build up in there.

Might want to look at doing front axle u-joints,and\or ball joints while your in there too,as they are a breeze to change when it's all apart.

If you need any more help in dissecting it,just let me know.

Do not forget to recheck pinion depth (gear mesh paint) and to set the proper preload with new bearing when you replace them. As stated above, they rarely fail. When they do it is from lack of oil or preload being set too high.

[Plower737]

OK, update. all drum brake hardware is off. Probably put it on ebay or something. Alxes have new u joints, spindles have new ball joints. All that is left is to put it all back together. After that, exhaust and little things and its off to DMV for inspection. Oh and a new tranny pan gasket. Mine is leaking for some reason.