Broke down...again, any ideas?

[highdesertranger]

if the bearing fused to the spindle, the spindle is junk. but it still might get you home. snap on sells thread files, it's square with different thread sizes on all 4 sides and on each end for a total of 8 different thread pitches. they have metric or standard, I am surprised the snap on guy didn't mention it. it's slow but works great. I carry one with me at all times. highdesertranger

---

here's a link to one of them. highdesertranger
http://store.snapon.com/Thread-Rest...-9-10-12-16-20-27-28-and-32-TPI--P635187.aspx

 

[TucsonAZ]

It's been a lot of hopeful then dropped back down to the ground on this issue. I have come across some really, really wonderful people on this adventure and dealing with this issue so that's been really...um, reaffirming of the good in people and maybe above all else, the reason I set out on this path to find.

That said, this experience makes the P30 a near no go for me in terms of serviceability. The motor, trans, rimes, tires, rear axle (I'm sure) and things like that aren't tough to address on the road in terms of finding parts however, my rotors, the axle, things like that, even the inner race are all special order, if I weren't in a major area, things would be just that much tougher.

I attempted to get things snugged up today, couldn't find a rotor so I'm using the old one, tossed in a new outer race and things went on fine but with the washer in place, I just can't get enough bite on the thread to make it doable. This means stepping down a size which I'm okay with, actually, I'm sure that's best as I can stop in 350 miles, check things, replace bearings if needed and even if it takes me 3 sets of bearing I can make it. Or make it to the axle in the Los Angeles area. Currently the spindle is 27/32nds with 20 tpi, would this mean going down to 13/16th or 3/4? If 3/4 the Ace Hardware down the road has 3/4 but only in 16 and 10 tip, not sure if that's better or worse or if I should stick with 20 tpi.

Again, thank you for all the thoughts, ideas, insights and so on, they really have pulled me through some tough moments. In terms of safely getting home, San Diego to Tucson doesn't have a backroads option really, I just plan to drive at good times and keep it around 50, it's a straight road so I feel better with 50mph in a straight line, more so than 40 in a twisting downhill. I will take 101 to San Diego however and try to keep it to more backroad type stuff.

Now I just need to find the die I need, have a line on one for tomorrow so wish me luck on that and thanks again!

PS I will post tons of additional details when I get home including places I managed to stealth, tips, tricks I learned, safe area the local law enforcement pointed me to as they don't enforce the codes there, shower spots and so on.

 

[GotSmart]

The link I posted (Rockauto) has rotors in stock for about $60.00.

When you get settled down you can contact them and find the parts you need.

In my experiences with mechanics they seem to have a hatred for that model chevy as the exact problem is quite common. Rockauto is the go to for obscure parts.

Bezerkly has some strange and colorful people. I have always enjoyed visiting it.

Where to now? I am about 100 miles north of you. California is much nicer without a million people all around.

 

[RogueRV2]

It good to hear you are making progress. It's tough to say what nut might work. Having as many possible choices to attempt to force on is the best bet. It's a tricky deal, something one must feel as it goes on. A courser thread can bite into the opposing metal better than finer thread. The 16 tpi with a 13/16th is where I'd start, and then to the 10tpi, same size. 3/4 is likely too tight, yet who knows.... If the end could be stripped of any oil by using acetone, ether, lacquer thinner, alcohol or brake cleaner, a fast setting epoxy could help keep it together. Perhaps a coating of epoxy can cover the thread as one would apply plumber's pipe dope, and then, choosing the proper nut wisely, do the best you can to get it on , and then let the epoxy set up. This way the epoxy 'keys' into the damaged threads of both the spindle and nut threads.
Hopefully I've read the situation correctly. Ye ol'JB Weld is a classic, and does well, but it will take 12 hours plus even when extra hardener is mixed in. They now have a faster epoxy. The metal must have zero oil residue left on it to have this stunt have half a chance of working. Acetone is the best solvent for that, but the ether in starting fluid does okay and that's what the parts store have.

 

[Patrick46]

yeah, I like RR2's idea. ^^^ JB weld.

It'll make OK temporary new threads for ya, and can be broken free (with force) if need be.


I didn't realize that you were headed South and then East.

 

[PastTense]

Me neither; you said you started out in Seattle--I thought you would be returning there.

 

[TucsonAZ]

I'm from Tucson, I went up to Seattle to beat the heat, scope out some land, and just get away, now I'm headed home, planning to take 1 down to LA, 5 to SD, 8 to Casa Grande and 10 home.

So, here's what I did and it managed to get me 100+ miles today. I went to Ace Hardware and bought a 3/4 16 tpi die, ground the threads off the spindle, rethreaded it, put everything together, got it snugged up enough and tossed on a jam nut which I'd notched out to just fit the cotter pin in. I then put another jam nut over that to lock it into place and it's on the passengers side so it'll tighten before it loosens plus I currently have more threads bitting on there than there were with the other nut.

After 50 miles I checked the temps both sides with my inferred, the one I'd just repaired was 10 degrees hotter however, it was in the sun the entire time. Checked it again 50 miles later and they were spot on the same which was only about 15 degrees above ambient temps.

I got some amazing help, from the homeless community that was around to Randy's Mobile Mechanic and Monument Auto Parts, Randy was awesome, tossed in some races for me free of charge and was an all around really, really good guy, I'd trust my granny to take her car into his shop. His friend Doug also really helped with getting things done today as I'm honestly out of steam and really tired of problem solving. I'm 17 days and 900 miles with three different vehicles and 5 major repairs into this trip. I just want a long, long shower (by current standards that would be 8 minutes) and to be home, know I'm a phone call to a friend and a ride away from my own bed. This is draining for sure, sitting in one place for longer amounts of time however is really nice.

As a side note, my solar, in the shade wasn't keeping up well, I was in heavy share and at about a 5% net loss each day, ended up down to 60% this morning so as soon as I got things fixed I pulled into the sun and went from 75-100 watts to 800, woot woot! It still took many hours to get up to 92% which where I leveled off.

Also, in Pleasant Hill/Concord there's an old Kmart lot, there's a McDonalds in the same lot and it's across from the Target right off the 680, you're safe to camp there, for a week if you want. I had two cops sitting 75 feet from me talking while I cooked and in the 5 days we were there was never so much as talked to. Last night a friend even met up with us so there were 3 different vehicles and nothing. I would call it a sketchy area but by no means unsafe, part of me is actually going to miss it. Anyway, it may do in a pinch, well shaded, tons of stuff around.

 

[RogueRV2]

Wow. Your story truly qualifies as a saga. The concerning thing about it all is if it happen to you, it can happen to anyone. And I must say that the work was an impressive roadside fix. Congratulations! The old 1986 rig I bot has a common Chevy driveline and only 60,000. Hopefully it will keep me out of trouble. This story inspires me to be extra thorough as I begin to go through and replace the belts, hoses and whatever and everything else that I can. And of course I'll sure to repack the bearings. After all, that grease is probably 28 years old.

 

[PastTense]

What's this infrared meter you have?

 

[ccbreder]

A handheld device that reads inferred radiation (heat). I picked one by Ryobi at Home Depot for less than $30. Pocket size.

 

[TucsonAZ]

Well, I made it to San Diego, 270 mile day, I started the day with jacking it up, popping off the dust cap and getting things snugged up, drove from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara and jacked it up to see how things felt with no change. Drove roughly 200 more miles without stopping and checked the temps the moment I stopped, they were 95 degrees on either side (this was at night) so, so far, so good.

I will keep you all posted but thank you large amounts for the love and support shown, it honestly kept my spirits high enough to manage this all.

The YMCA in Santa Barbara gives a 3 day pass once a year, I managed to get in a good shower there, while my son was showering (he went after me) I cooked two pork roasts and did a load of laundry, little things like that really do end up getting you by when you're struggling to keep your head up.

 

[GotSmart]

Showers at the Y.

They kept me going...

 

[Patrick46]

It's fun to stay at the Y M C A

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CS9OO0S5w2k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


sorry....had to do it!!

 

[decodancer]

Patrick, that was a riot to watch! My era and I've never seen the video. Thanks

 

[SoulRaven]

What have we learned from tonight’s show Craig?

The common full size pickup or van with five lug wheels has much better parts availability (new or used), and cheaper to buy those parts and service the vehicle.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Hey there TucsonAz...

We just arrived in Tucson. If there's anything I can do to help give a holler. Email link is in profile here.

 

[TucsonAZ]

Thank you all again, I made it home and other than the tread coming off the inside rear tire 167 miles out things were fine the last 425 miles. Oddly, I pulled up to my house feeling really disconnected from it and decided to sleep in the step van, maybe that will become a thing, I feel more comfortable in here for sure and have learned I need to make some adjustments, once I have some time to sort out what they may be and process this 1,398 hour long adventure.

In terms of serviceability, I was thinking about that on the ride home and will keep doing so for some time. I would call the stepvan, of this size, excellent within about 250 miles, I would seriously hesitate to go beyond that with it ever again. That give me a lot of range in AZ in terms of places I can go.

With this new, real life experience under my belt, I'm going to have to really rethink longer distance/timeframe travel needs. I'm feeling like a minivan is really the way to go for up to say 2 weeks, having an optional trailer to pull behind to accommodate longer trips being ideal. I would basically break it down by the amount of time I was going to be gone.

Either way, the lack of parts is a major concern for me on this and I don't want to be out on the road in anything for this long that I can't rebuild from a stop at autozone.

 

[Patrick46]

Either way, the lack of parts is a major concern for me on this and I don't want to be out on the road in anything for this long that I can't rebuild from a stop at autozone.

in reality, I'd say that for your stepvan, most decient auto parts stores have most everything for your rig...other then those axle spindles (the 1 part you decided to break!!)

other then the front end, the rest of the van is all basic car & truck parts, and those are everywhere.

but making sure a rig is in prime running condition from stem to stern is the only safe way to take off for a good roadtrip...regardless of what you're driving!

 

[highdesertranger]

good to hear you made home. a wheel bearing repack is part of regular maintenance, if the maintenance was up to date the whole ordeal would have never had happened. if you burn up a spindle on any vehicle you are going to have to do some searching to find one. granted some would be easier than others but you are not going to walk into an autozone and get one. I am not trying to chew you out but bring up the point that the step van would be fine for long trips if maintained properly. highdesertranger

 

[66788]

My Grumman Olson was running fine when I bought it, but I did the following as routine maintenace:

New master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, brake pads and shoes with seals, rebuilt calipers on front, turn front rotors, new shocks, steering damper, repack front wheel bearings w/seals, and of course 6 new 10 ply truck tires.

To the engine I replaced all belts, hoses, and thermostat, flushed radiator, oil change w/filter, diesel filter, and replaced serpentine belt tensioner.

Now the van is roadworthy and will deliver trouble free service. My old man always said you could either wait until the part breaks and change it where ever that may be, or take control and change it at your convenience. I prefer the latter.