Long post and has not been proofread.
Recovery was pushed back 3 days due to .....and Valentine's day.
Left out 0630. Truck has been real sluggish and needs an engine swap. I did borrow a turbo from Rocco as mine was leaking a little. Arrived and was waved thru....Went to DRMO.....We are at lunch, come back at 1200. OK I go out and and check over my truck, as I am going to tow the Deuce home. All is fine just needed to add oil due to "Blow-by".
1200 comes....I go to GL, they were just finishing lunch. Someone calls and they talk on speaker phone......I hate speaker phone and tell them that I can not understand them when I call them. They do not care because there is the man in charge is there and a flunky answering the phone, he puts it on speaker so that the man in charge can hear it and not be involved in the phone call. 5 min call.........
Oh well.
Man in charge was surprised that I was not going to drive it home....After much debate where the truck was he takes me out to it where I saw it on the way in.......Sign paper and he is off never to be seen again....
After checking fluids and hooking up the tow bar and lights...off I go.
Steering had been strapped down so I left it.
Get to the guard station and was stopped....."Why did you blow by me?" "Because you waved me thru is why", I said. They got friendly real quick I and they laughed about the whole thing.
So I left and my truck was laboring some, but I did expect that as compression is only 440 to 470. 5 miles I stop and check connections and lights and head on. 70 miles I stop for lunch and check over....I was hungry....Noticed that the driver side tire was scrubbing a little. I rotated the wheel 1 full turn....WOW I thought. Pulled out, went about 5 miles and she was pulling sweet.....So I says to myself...maybe I should unstrap wheel and let her just follow.....Pulled over and unstrapped her. Smelled something that I had not smelled before....Said to self...that is strange. Pulled back onto 460 and just as I hit 4 low I felt a pull, looked in mirror and saw dust. So I pulled over and much to my surprise......NO passenger wheel........
Well, I am on the shoulder of the road and out of traffic. I look and see my wheel out in the field. I go to retrieve it and find one of the races in the road and pick it up and it burns my glove.....WOW was that thing smoking. So out in the field I go and WOW is that thing smoking....Rolling a wheel, tire and hub up a 4' embankment is not really that hard when you are in that situation.
Back to the truck I go...The wheel had just fallen off. So out with the jack and jack stand. Threads on the spindle look so so....just SMOKING. The bottom of the spindle was buggered up some, but the spindle raceways looked ok. At the time I think the threads are just fine.
Now I leave a note to the ownership of truck and unhook the truck and head for home to get another steering knuckle and wheel.
Truck is really running great.
Get home at 2030. Rise at 0400 start getting supplies to go back and retrieve truck. Backup truck 1......I can not get the knuckle over the top lug...
VERY FRUSTRATING. Backup truck 2 .....I can not get the knuckle over the top lug.......So I give up and take supplies I have on hand, 1030 now.
I arrive where the truck was last seen by me and NO truck......
After talking to the locals "Turkey" (really..thats what they called him), I find that my truck has been "impounded".
He gives me directions, and off I go......After $400 they say "do you have a tire for it?".
I say yes I do and they take me to it and I start the repairs.
With new hub and bearings and some file work and extra spacers and GODS grace I get the wheel back on and rolling freely.
Now I hook up the tow bar and lights and head home.
Truck runs like a dream on I95 and I85 and the rest of the way home.
Back home at 2100.
Shower and BED.
Next day get things moved around and check out the old hub and bearings.....they were rusted and dry......
Then I learned that no matter how hard you try, you cannot remove the steering knuckle without removing the spindle first(mind you that I have done this before).
So, I get things moved around and "hidden", so the neighbors keep quiet, and just leave 1 truck in the driveway..........
Next day wife comes home and says "your truck looks small....Do they make a 5 or a 10 ton? You need one"
What a week....Now to get Rocco's turbo back to him.
Recovery was pushed back 3 days due to .....and Valentine's day.
Left out 0630. Truck has been real sluggish and needs an engine swap. I did borrow a turbo from Rocco as mine was leaking a little. Arrived and was waved thru....Went to DRMO.....We are at lunch, come back at 1200. OK I go out and and check over my truck, as I am going to tow the Deuce home. All is fine just needed to add oil due to "Blow-by".
1200 comes....I go to GL, they were just finishing lunch. Someone calls and they talk on speaker phone......I hate speaker phone and tell them that I can not understand them when I call them. They do not care because there is the man in charge is there and a flunky answering the phone, he puts it on speaker so that the man in charge can hear it and not be involved in the phone call. 5 min call.........
Oh well.
Man in charge was surprised that I was not going to drive it home....After much debate where the truck was he takes me out to it where I saw it on the way in.......Sign paper and he is off never to be seen again....
After checking fluids and hooking up the tow bar and lights...off I go.
Steering had been strapped down so I left it.
Get to the guard station and was stopped....."Why did you blow by me?" "Because you waved me thru is why", I said. They got friendly real quick I and they laughed about the whole thing.
So I left and my truck was laboring some, but I did expect that as compression is only 440 to 470. 5 miles I stop and check connections and lights and head on. 70 miles I stop for lunch and check over....I was hungry....Noticed that the driver side tire was scrubbing a little. I rotated the wheel 1 full turn....WOW I thought. Pulled out, went about 5 miles and she was pulling sweet.....So I says to myself...maybe I should unstrap wheel and let her just follow.....Pulled over and unstrapped her. Smelled something that I had not smelled before....Said to self...that is strange. Pulled back onto 460 and just as I hit 4 low I felt a pull, looked in mirror and saw dust. So I pulled over and much to my surprise......NO passenger wheel........
Well, I am on the shoulder of the road and out of traffic. I look and see my wheel out in the field. I go to retrieve it and find one of the races in the road and pick it up and it burns my glove.....WOW was that thing smoking. So out in the field I go and WOW is that thing smoking....Rolling a wheel, tire and hub up a 4' embankment is not really that hard when you are in that situation.
Back to the truck I go...The wheel had just fallen off. So out with the jack and jack stand. Threads on the spindle look so so....just SMOKING. The bottom of the spindle was buggered up some, but the spindle raceways looked ok. At the time I think the threads are just fine.
Now I leave a note to the ownership of truck and unhook the truck and head for home to get another steering knuckle and wheel.
Truck is really running great.
Get home at 2030. Rise at 0400 start getting supplies to go back and retrieve truck. Backup truck 1......I can not get the knuckle over the top lug...
VERY FRUSTRATING. Backup truck 2 .....I can not get the knuckle over the top lug.......So I give up and take supplies I have on hand, 1030 now.
I arrive where the truck was last seen by me and NO truck......
After talking to the locals "Turkey" (really..thats what they called him), I find that my truck has been "impounded".
He gives me directions, and off I go......After $400 they say "do you have a tire for it?".
I say yes I do and they take me to it and I start the repairs.
With new hub and bearings and some file work and extra spacers and GODS grace I get the wheel back on and rolling freely.
Now I hook up the tow bar and lights and head home.
Truck runs like a dream on I95 and I85 and the rest of the way home.
Back home at 2100.
Shower and BED.
Next day get things moved around and check out the old hub and bearings.....they were rusted and dry......
Then I learned that no matter how hard you try, you cannot remove the steering knuckle without removing the spindle first(mind you that I have done this before).
So, I get things moved around and "hidden", so the neighbors keep quiet, and just leave 1 truck in the driveway..........
Next day wife comes home and says "your truck looks small....Do they make a 5 or a 10 ton? You need one"
What a week....Now to get Rocco's turbo back to him.
