| Steering Damper Restoration: [message #245585] |
Fri, 28 March 2014 19:58  |
noi
Messages: 293
Registered: October 2010
Location: South of Fremont
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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Greetings:
The following steering damper restoration project is provided for your amusement/abusement/assessment 
When I started restoring my front clip, I removed (what I thought at the time) was the original OEM steering damper:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54066-1.html
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54054-2.html
It was not till I found this on my frame (covered in dirt and oil), that I made an enquiry to the forum as to what this "Odd Metal Plate" might be:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54055-3.html
Got lots of good answers, and Bob Burkitt sent me pictures and a drawing showing just what the odd metal plate "had" been!
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54056-4.html
I did some additional research on the forum, after JimK suggested it was after market steering damper kit, and found that they were problematic!
Wanting to restore my front clip to it's original condition, I decided to "fix" it - I made a cardboard cut out of the bracket, from a front clip at JimK's, for additional measurement info.
I found that my cutout, and other measurements, were just slightly different from the one Bob B had sent me - Not being off that much, just went with what I found.
At first, I was going to mill out a block of steel to make the bracket (yah...OVERKILL), but noticed that most of my measurements were very close to 1.5".
So a random neuron fired off and said.... What about using some 1.5" square tube and just cut one side off  And off I went!
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54057-5.html
Drilled the 7/16" shock mount hole:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54058-6.html
Then milled it to length - Just had to get some mill work in there somewhere!
Could this have been done on a band saw.... You Betcha! 
Could I have free hand cut a straight line.... Not a chance! 
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54059-7.html
Then milled off side for shock damper clearance - Same reason as before 
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54060-8.html
And done - I did some preliminary fitting and found that by using a bit "wider" bracket, the "ear relief" did not appear to be necessary:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54061-9.html
Dry fit against frame and chalk mark desired position/orientation for welder - With general instruction to weld it on as "centered" to the original plate as possible:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54047-10.html
I was originally going to make the bracket for the intermediate rod, but I was able to source one off a donor coach at Jim's/Applied GMC:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54048-11.html
Good thing that I did as well - I was not sure how I was going to put the "bend" in them (evenly) to accommodate the damper mount:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54049-12.html
Everything assembled for dry fitting:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54050-13.html
Looks about right:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54051-14.html
Finished! - Looks pretty good - Only needed to put one 7/16 washer in, on the top side of the damper shock, to remove play from the bit "wider" bracket.
Steering was free all the way to the right (touched a-arm bracket) and left, till there was but a fingers width of room between the intermediate rod and the frame.
Also verified that the relief on the bracket was not necessary, as the added 'width" and the damper shock taper provided more than enough clearance.
The only "down" side was that, due to the wider bracket, it was not possible to install the intermediate rod with both the relay and idler installed - The damper bracket interfered with the intermediate rod just "rolling" up into the relay/idler mounts - I had to remove the idler, attach it to the rod, and then reinstall it - But not a big deal:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54067-15.html
Would have been perfect if I had put the washer on the bottom and not the top
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/steering-damper-restoration/p54053-16.html
JWID....
Carl P.
76 Birchaven
South of Fremont
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