On a lighter note, I was able to get some automotive tasks done that weren't immediately necessary but necessary nonetheless. Having to rebuild the carburetor on the Dodge, I had to source a rebuild kit for the carb so I went online. Much to my surprise I ended up finding an aftermarket/X brand kit for a quarter of the cost of the name brand kit. With that, I got four of these kits since I had several of the Edelbrock carburetors in house. These kits would allow me to get four of the five carbs rebuilt, including the Dodge's carb.
I went ahead and got started on the carbs. In my opinion, edelbrock carbs are pretty easy and minimalist rebuilds compared to other carbs. There's only so many gaskets, and the small hard parts are not many either. In fact it takes more time to clean these things than it does assembling them. I used a parts washer along with some brushes and other small tools to clean the caburetor after taking the thing apart. After pulling the top off and removing the individual pieces, I was able to clean the body out, ensuring that any dirt is removed from any orifices and other crevices. Even the different fuel passage assemblies were cleaned out, sometimes having to use compressed air in order to blow out minute dirt particles. With everything cleaned out good, reassembly went pretty fast. Because of the relatively fast process of rebuilding these carburetors, I was able to get four units done in a short span of time over a few days. I did have to make some minor alterations to a couple of the gaskets that came with the kit since they weren't perfectly cut to match the components on the carb. This was pretty minor and even with the alterations I was able to place the gaskets where they needed to go and assemble the components that went with the gaskets. The next thing that I needed to get ready was the replacement spindle for the Scion TC. Problem with the old unit was the idea that the old ball joint had wallowed out the knuckle holding its shaft during the times the thing loosened up. Because of this I was unable to secure the new ball joint unless I used lock washers to act as spacers for the nut to be able to apply the pressure necessary to draw the ball joint shaft tight into the knuckle. After having ordered a replacement spindle, I figured that I needed to replace the wheel bearing and hub since the unit would need to be pressed out using a shop press. It would suck to install this new spindle assembly only to have the old wheel bearing crap out and I end up having to remove the spindle again in order to replace the wheel bearing. The first thing I had to do in the process of replacing the wheel bearing was the removal of the hub itself, which is pressed into the inner race of the wheel bearing. To start this I had to knock out the lugs/studs. Using a sacrificial lug nut I was able to use a hammer to knock the studs out. Using the shop press and some other heavy metal pieces, I was able to knock out the hub from the bearing assembly, taking the inner race with it. It didn't matter, the old bearing was coming out anyway. After removing the hub, I had to use some other metal pieces that were of the right dimensions to make contact with the outer shell of the bearing prior to pressing. After getting the right metal pieces in place and the whole works set up nice and solid, the shop press made fast work of the old bearing body, pressing it completely out. Obviously installing the new bearing and hub was done in reverse. First the bearing went into the spindle assembly. Again, using the right improvised metal jigs, I was able to slowly press the new bearing into its new home, quick and dirty. From there the hub had to be pressed in. Pressing the hub isn't as easy as one would think. Metal jigs had to be set up to hold the inner race solid against the downward force of the hub and shop press so the inner race doesn't get pressed right out of the bearing assembly. With everything solidly mounted and lined up properly, I was able to press the hub all the way into place. With that, the whole spindle assembly was done and is now ready for installation onto the car. Other than straightening out the dust shield, the spindle installation will be pretty fast. After removing the nut that holds the CV axle in place, the strut, ball joint, break hardware and tie rod end will be easily removed, allowing the complete removal of the spindle. I will end up acquiring more replacement spindles, one for the right side as well as another one to serve as a spare for the left side since I can't use the old left side spindle. Having a pair of replacement spindles with new wheel bearings installed will allow me to make suspension repairs on the Scion go fast versus having the car down for the time it takes me to remove the hardware and press in new bearings.
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