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Episodes of a rust belt (hack) mechanic

There have been very few parts that I've needed that any dealer has had in stock. granted, a 2500 is an even bigger odd ball as far as they're concerned. I think the only parts ive seen them have thus far is the evap solenoid and engine grounding strap. I've definitely gotten into the habit of having every spare part in an assembly on hand before starting a project, then just returning what I don't end up using. Usually, with the rust, its a pretty sure bet.
 
Local Auto Parts Store did not have?

Nothing special about them I would think other than length
 
Local Auto Parts Store did not have?

Nothing special about them I would think other than length
Oddly enough, nope. I'd think it would be an easy to source item. I even called the parts shop that caters to most the local mechanics and they didn't.

Now that I think about, there's one other store I should have called but the order just shipped. :beating:
 
I could find the top one online but not the bottom one, I think it may be a flanged nut and bolt
 
Try this

Shock Bolt - GM (11611959)​

 
I got the bolts in the mail yesterday. Last night I finished the rear shocks and backing plates installed. Major improvement over all that rust.
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Today I installed the new e-brake.

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It was then time to move on to replacing the center flex line and hard lines over the rear axle. What a PITA that center line is. I hit the line nut twice with the bolt blaster before I was able to spin it without fear of twisting and snapping the line. Then it was a minuscule turn at a time all while contorting myself in ways my body did not care for. Took way too long but I finally got it out. Hit the bracket with a wire wheel to get the rust off of it and finally got the new lines in as well as the new flex lines to the calipers,

Then it was time to put on the new rotors, and, And, AND - they have THE WRONG FREAKING BOLT PATTERN. :E: :E: Now I have to deal with Rock Auto returns which I suspect will be a PITA in and of itself. Man, I just want to have a weekend that is actually a weekend and I want this thing back on the road.
 
As the title indicates, those of us north of the Mason/Dixon line have this fun thing called rust we need to contend with. This fun iron oxide mixture makes even the most mundane job an adventure not for the faint of heart. Case in point, my brake job, which should be an afternoon and a couple beers is now well into weekend two (time delay for ordering additional parts). Follow along my picture journey if you dare. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart - be afraid. Be very afraid.

So after our trip to Snowshoe my brakes started making a horrible grinding noise. Having smelled how hot they were in the mountains I figured I cooked them so let's replace them. And surprisingly it's been 45,000 miles since the last brake job. Order up new pads and rotors and get to work. A couple hours and I'll be done, right. Maybe in the south, but not here. Here my impact wrench can't remove the caliper slide pin. Here, my pry bar snaps the caliper slide pin.

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Well doesn't that just stink. Put it back together, move the cars to their normal spots and give Rock Auto a bunch of money the last day my 5% discount is still good. Order front and rear rotors, pads, calipers, rubber lines and a bunch of other things. By Thursday my foyer looks like a Rock Auto distribution center.

Today's the day, let's get 'er done. Hit everything with a good dose of penetrating oil and move on to a few few "easy" things while it soaks in. Easy thing number one - replace the ground strap from the hood to the fire wall. That'll give me some good vibes, right? Oh you're fooling yourself. The good vibes quickly turn bad as the firewall bolt snaps as I'm removing what's left of the old wire. Oh well, at least there's a nearby ground I can leverage for this one.

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A hack job complete, let's move on to the main course, replacing the brakes. Loosen the fittings for the hard lines to the rubber lines. Week, that seemed to work for all the caliper kines. That stupid center line over the differential - well that seems to be a no go as the entire metal line is turning with the nut vs. the nut turning around the line. Rats! Move on to the actual brakes. Wheels off, no sweat. Caliper brackets off (no need to first remove the caliper a since the new ones come with fresh brackets) works as expected. Rear drums/discs off, yep. Driver side rotor - WHY WON'T YOU BUDGE? Double check to make sure there's not a retaining screw. Actually triple check. Move over to passenger side and rotor slides right off as expected. Back to driver's side and resort to this and it still won't budge

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What in the world? Who welded my rotor on!?! So it is now soaking with multiple hits of penetrating oil (I'm getting dizzy or stoned by the fumes at this point) and it's going to soak overnight - and probably not be any more cooperative in the morning. Something tells me I'm going to be ordering hub assemblies and half shafts tommorow, buttoning bit back up to properly position the cars and waiting another week for FedEx to deliver more goodies.

Oh, and to leave you with just one more frightening site, both of my rear jounce bumpers are gone and hiding by these pictures, I don't think buying new ones will do me any good as they'll probably fall right out.

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So now, It's time to call it quits, take a shower and have a beer or ten. I'm getting so very close to throwing all the new parts in the back and taking it to our mechanic.

Oh, and I hope these images don't give you nightmares. If I didn't love snow so much and hate the heat with a deep seeded passion I would consider moving south.
OKAY!! I am officially scared now. I am looking at brake job as my next project. I might have to go to church and pray for strength after seeing that. I do absolutely feel sorry for you.. How many Advil did it take to get thru that project?
 
Two beers and a steady stream of Alieve. What should have been a morning project took me all day and still not done. I could have finished last night or early this morning if the rotors fit. What's worse, is now I have to rent a U-haul to move my younger daughter back from campus today.
 
Safe travels!

:) (y)
 
Safe travels!

:) (y)
Thanks. Only a half hour away, five minutes past her high school. But she does live in a n apartment right off campus for the experience.

Next weekend will be the move the Cleveland for her co-op at the Cleveland Clinic. That's a furnished apartment so hopefully we can by without the Avy.
 
I got the bolts in the mail yesterday. Last night I finished the rear shocks and backing plates installed. Major improvement over all that rust.
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Today I installed the new e-brake.

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It was then time to move on to replacing the center flex line and hard lines over the rear axle. What a PITA that center line is. I hit the line nut twice with the bolt blaster before I was able to spin it without fear of twisting and snapping the line. Then it was a minuscule turn at a time all while contorting myself in ways my body did not care for. Took way too long but I finally got it out. Hit the bracket with a wire wheel to get the rust off of it and finally got the new lines in as well as the new flex lines to the calipers,

Then it was time to put on the new rotors, and, And, AND - they have THE WRONG FREAKING BOLT PATTERN. :E: :E: Now I have to deal with Rock Auto returns which I suspect will be a PITA in and of itself. Man, I just want to have a weekend that is actually a weekend and I want this thing back on the road.
You know, I heard some pretty awful things about RA's return system. But the 6 parts that I wound up returning because I changed my mind went completely smooth. They went to 5 different warehouses, that was the only PITA thanks to me having to pay to return them all to whence they came.

But when it's their fault for return, that's not your concern. You just have to pack the item like you give a crap about it. (aka, better than they do) so they cant try and say you damaged it in shipping. it will take ~ 5 days to get your money back though.

If it makes you feel any better about your weekend, my avalanche has been out of commission for over three weeks now, it has cost me $2600 so far. I took it home for two days, noticed the axle seal was leaking from a previous repair just beforehand and it's right back in the shop while they figure it out.

Oh, and i ran over a hunk of concrete with my charger on sunday and really scraped up the front end and broke the plastic guard underneath. Thank you city of Pontiac.. On the bright side, i think i'm going a bit hysterical after this last month, Something has to go right eventually :D
 
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A normal return for me will not work. I checked it out the other night and there return policy is only 30 days - I ordered on January 31st. Pretty short window by today's standard. So I tried plan B. Obviously a rotor that is marketed to a specific vehicle whose bolt pattern does not align with said vehicle is a manufacturer defect. The Raybestos warranty on RockAuto's website states it covers defects in workmanship, which this clearly is. The automated return system rejected it so today I sent an email to customer service. I have spent a boatload of money with them over the past year and am looking at $2k - $3k in front end parts this summer which is now their order to lose. Their cheaper prices don't do me a lick of good if I have to spend even more money on the correct part and rent a U-haul to move my daughter, which I had to do this past weekend. :E:

Edit: that was fast. They replied wanting a bit more information, which is reasonable, and may waive the 30 day limit. I'll post an update once resolved.
 
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A normal return for me will not work. I checked it out the other night and there return policy is only 30 days - I ordered on January 31st. Pretty short window by today's standard. So I tried plan B. Obviously a rotor that is marketed to a specific vehicle whose bolt pattern does not align with said vehicle is a manufacturer defect. The Raybestos warranty on RockAuto's website states it covers defects in workmanship, which this clearly is. The automated return system rejected it so today I sent an email to customer service. I have spent a boatload of money with them over the past year and am looking at $2k - $3k in front end parts this summer which is now their order to lose. Their cheaper prices don't do me a lick of good if I have to spend even more money on the correct part and rent a U-haul to move my daughter, which I had to do this past weekend. :E:

Edit: that was fast. They replied wanting a bit more information, which is reasonable, and may waive the 30 day limit. I'll post an update once resolved.
yeah, that limit is meant for morons like me holding out with a dozen bolts for a repair that i suddenly didn't want to do. I have the 14 bolt diff cover, gasket, and bolt set lying around. But with the mystery rear end, i might still need those.

For the cost, im considering powerstop's truck and tow set when I do my brakes. The performance set that I put on my charger are working about 90% of what the OEM brembo's performance which is more than acceptable for the cost ($450) . ($3500 in parts for the front end alone though mopar for OEM's) :D:


So i figure they probably will be a bump up from the ones currently on my truck, which i doubt are decent to begin with.
 
I thought about the Power Stop but honestly don't remember why I didn't go that route. January was too long ago 🤪.

After some correspondence, they had me provide my vin and pictures of the rotors I'm replacing. I had previously sent pictures of the new parts not fitting. I had also verified on the Raybestos site it's the right part number. Anyway, they came to the same conclusion as me, that Raybestos must have mis-packaged a run. So new order placed and I'll be able to return the old. 👍
 
Good news. The new rotors were delivered today. I didn't remove the plastic but did put it up to the hub and bolt pattern looks correct. I should wrap up the rears later this week and get it back on the road until I buy the rest of the front end parts.
 
Yesterday was a day of progress followed up by an exercise in futility. The new rotors fit like a glove, the new calipers wen on without a hitch and things were looking good.


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And then came time to bleed the system. Poured just shy of a full bottle of brake fluid into the reservoir, hooked up the Motive brake bleeder, pressurized the system and then......

Freaking Niagara falls over the rear end where the rear hard line connects to the top of the center flex line. :E: Donned the goggles, contorted myself again in ways I should not be contorted, disconnected the line, tried to ensure the hard line is properly seated in the flex line and it still continues to drip. :needhug:

UNCLE! I'm throwing in the towel. There comes a point when I have to ask "What is my time worth?" and that time has come. I put the wheels on, loaded the front calipers, rotors, flex lines and shocks in the back and pulled it out of the garage. Our cars are now in the garage for the first time in two months. I need a weekend that's really a weekend so I'm calling the shop on Monday and taking it down.

one big EXERCISE IN FUTILITY.
 
Yuuuuck. Sorry to hear that. Those are the types of jobs that keep me from investing more of my personal time into repairs.

Recently, out 20 year old garbage disposal kept growling and wouldn't turn. I couldn't find anything inside, so I bought another disposal. Took the whole thing off only to get a better look inside without the cover and saw what I can only describe as part of a can wedged in it. (How? I don't even know) I managed to force it free, turned it on, it worked. Went back to install it, wrestled it back under the sink and got it attached. (We have one of those obnoxious corner sinks with a tiny space underneath)Went to hook up the plumbing aaaaannnd the gaskets were too swollen to fit back in. Thankfully . Insinkerator still uses the same gasket. Went to home depot, replaced it, went to tighten the p trap, broke a hole on it thanks to internal rust. Went back to home depot and got a replacement. Set it all up.. and it was leaking from the gasket. Two hours later and it was time for a plumber who spent a half hour and got it seated properly.
 
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Yuuuuck. Sorry to hear that. Those are the types of jobs that keep me from investing more of my personal time into repairs.

Recently, out 20 year old garbage disposal kept growling and wouldn't turn. I couldn't find anything inside, so I bought another disposal. Took the whole thing off only to get a better look inside without the cover and saw what I can only describe as part of a can wedged in it. (How? I don't even know) I managed to force it free, turned it on, it worked. Went back to install it, wrestled it back under the sink and got it attached. (We have one of those obnoxious corner sinks with a tiny space underneath)Went to hook up the plumbing aaaaannnd the gaskets were too swollen to fit back in. Thankfully . Insinkerator still uses the same gasket. Went to home depot, replaced it, went to tighten the p trap, broke a hole on it thanks to internal rust. Went back to home depot and got a replacement. Set it all up.. and it was leaking from the gasket. Two hours later and it was time for a plumber who spent a half hour and got it seated properly.
Yep, I can totally relate. I hate plumbing whether it be on a vehicle or in a house. It's the rare occasion I can get anything leak free the first try.
 
New plumbing? Not so bad. But when do you ever get to work on that. Its always when it's old, rust 'n crusty that you have to deal with it. And like I learned, by that point, you're better off redoing the entire line itself. (The other half of the story was that it was also leaking from a brazed pipe fitting when the disposal pressure was on)
 
Wow, glad to hear these stories. I thought I was the only one with this kind of luck!
 
The new countertops were finally installed in the house we are remodeling for my mom.

So, I am installing all of the appliances, a new sink, disposal and the rest of the plumbing.

I have just about exhausted my quota of cuss words.

Oh, and did I mention I hate plumbing?
 
You have to remember you are doing a heck of a work saving a heck of a lot of money. Mine was ujoints in the middle of winter, it just was not worth it doing myself.
 
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