Thread: 53 Is back from the Body Shop

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Originally Posted by rspears

Me too, Seth, but I'm not really driving mine as much as I should! I'm about done with the big weekend shows other than locals.

The Street Rod Nationals at the fairgrounds is scheduled for Oct. 16-18. If they're still requiring masks they can count me out.

When I built my v8 miata I blasted and painted the front and rear subframe suspension, the pictures from then look so pretty underneath. I was recently under there, it had been a long time, and it was sad to see it looking to dirty. The 5.0 leaks oil in spite of how careful I was to use the best gaskets and seal everything. It's a driver, what good are they just sitting on display. Show cars are like animals in a zoo, it just makes me sad.

I drive mine any time any where. This was coming back from show in Chicago.

Originally Posted by cffisher

I drive mine any time any where. This was coming back from show in Chicago.

That is COOL! (pun intended)

I'll probably try to go to the cruise to the woods in fort Dodge Iowa this year. Mainly I like the drive down there, and it's pretty awesome watching hundreds of hot rods roll in at once.

Seth, nice repairs!!! I feel your pain as far as how the bottom side of Rita looks now. But, if you are enjoying it, and you all are happy with it, who cares if it isn't perfectly shiny underneath. I almost didn't take my orange truck to good guys this year because all the shine is gone off the frame and it is starting to get rust in the rockers etc. The driving it 2 winters is catching up and using it as a truck is showing here and there. I decided who cares, it is what it is. But it does bother me it isn't as nice as it was. Guess I'll have to cut it in half and add 2 doors. Then make it shiny again.

I have TCI tubular A arms with urethane bushings that I'm constantly fighting squeaks and snapping noises. From what I understand putting rubber bushings in would fix everything that is bothering me. Speedway sells rubber bushings for their tube A arms, are most tube A arms the same size where the bushing would fit the TCI arms? Hard to know for sure without taking them apart and measuring but thought I'd ask first.

I've used urethane bushings for years without a squeak, click or noise of any kind.

However, there's a secret to using urethane bushings, it's silicone grease, lots and lots of it.
The mistake most everyone makes is thinking they twist like rubber bushings, but that's not how urethane bushings work, they work like bearings and rotate not twist. The grease lets them rotate easily and prevents the squeaks and noises. It's imperative that urethane bushings get greased liberally all over them, inside and out.

Use the silicone grease that's made for urethane bushings and it won't collect dirt.

Originally Posted by 36 sedan

I've used urethane bushings for years without a squeak, click or noise of any kind.

However, there's a secret to using urethane bushings, it's silicone grease, lots and lots of it.
The mistake most everyone makes is thinking they twist like rubber bushings, but that's not how urethane bushings work, they work like bearings and rotate not twist. The grease lets them rotate easily and prevents the squeaks and noises. It's imperative that urethane bushings get greased liberally all over them, inside and out.

Use the silicone grease that's made for urethane bushings and it won't collect dirt.

I've used silicone grease and it seemed good for awhile, I finally put in grease zerks and that helped a lot. TCI must have had a problem with them because not long ago they changed from a graphite impregnated bushing to a urethane bushing with grease grooves in it.I could try them too but I like the idea of rubber better. If you google squeaking MII bushings you'll be reading reading all day long.

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, wished I'd bought a lottery ticket.

I'd bet the combination of silicone grease, or just a lot of grease, and gravel road dust plays a role in the squeaks. I've heard guys complain about poly body mounts squeaking but I told them maybe they should tighten their bolts?

We got back from our trip to the Black Hills, we stayed near Deadwood and we put on about 1200 miles on Rita. Other than maybe knocking out the trans and a fading master cyl it treated us pretty good. We were about 100 miles from Rapid City and I lost overdrive, if I would let it it and cool down it would work again for awhile, then loose it again. We got it crippled to our VRBO and did some research and found that if something slips in the trans it will give full pressure to all the clutches and shift violently in all gears after that, and that is what it was doing. Once we disconnected the trailer it never lost overdrive again but we would have to stop and restart the pickup if we were going to drive in town awhile, that would re start the computer and it would shift in the lower gears nice again. We left the trailer and Ranger at a Friends house near Rapid City when we were done riding, and he is going to pull it back in a few weeks when he comes to Iowa to see his new grand baby. We drove 450 miles back home without a trailer and it never skipped a beat or shifted harsh but we were only going 70 on the interstate. My BIL at the trans shop will take a look at it in a couple weeks to see whats going on. I'm hoping that I just overheated it because I didn't have an external trans cooler, who know how good the Champion Radiator oil cooler is. Other than that we had a very good time and I would recommend the ATV trails in the Black Hills to anyone. SD is full of great people too, didn't meet one that I didn't enjoy talking too and very patriotic as well. Here is a ton of pictures of some trails and other things for you if your interested.

Originally Posted by 53 Chevy5

I'm hoping that I just overheated it because I didn't have an external trans cooler,

Sounds like it, change the fluid and add a cooler.

some more pictures

here are some more pics