RamBam's Journies

[ram50bam]

oh and i got a tip from my bro, brake parts cleaner to clean the block, its dark when we finished tonight so didnt take photos but i will in the morn and all that oil behind the cover came right off with brake parts cleaner and then a quick spray with the air hose.

[royster]

Took photos of RamBam's work station when I arrived. It sort of looked like a Ram50 bomb had exploded. He was gone when I drove up, since he was picking up parts. I snapped some candid shots of the work in progress.

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The paint really is taking on a good shine, the bed is not done yet.
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I was unable to do much except coach on keeping the work clean: he had applied way too much sealer compound on the oil seals. I tried to clean off components that need to be clear of oil, sealers and cleaner. Since he had hastily installed the crank seal with a screwdriver, the seal was damaged and he had to order another one. I didn't have the time to wait, so we didn't put the belts on then.

Friends with beer and non-stop advice showed up, and with not much for me to do (and an appointment back in Woodstock), I bid them adieu and headed home.

Hope to hear good reports, and some photos of the crank gear pulley. The key had eaten away at the original pulley, there was no tension at all on the timing belt, and it was off by two teeth. This truck still ran!

This experience will teach RamBam to take the time to do things right with patience, think steps through before executing them, and focus on the repair first, modifications later. Organizing the work and parts is a big help too. he has some good mechanical resources nearby, so I think he'll be alright. He's finding out that we work on these trucks very differently than any other vehicles.

I learned that the hard way.