84 Liquifire Basket Case Restoration

[JoeRainville]

Last week all of the parts I ordered for the rear skid from Deere came in:
19H3459: 13.5" center bolt
08H4497: Front cross bolt
24H1730: Rear axle idler washers
24H1909: Center idler 1/4" thick outer washers



I knew the center bolt was availble, but I didn't know about the washers and front bolts. The 82-84 skids use cross bolts in places the 80-81 just uses shorter end bolts. Only downside is that some of this stuff is the gold zinc color vs the orginal silver. It wont' affect the race sled, but isn't exact for the resto, but they are part number correct.



With the new hardware installed, assembly of the suspension is about complete. Need to finish rebuilding the idler wheels with new bearings to finish her up...

[JoeRainville]

In addition to suspension assembly, I have been working on some of the chassis details. I had to blast and paint an NOS PTO motor mount due to surface rust, and I did the same to the used mag side isolation mounts before bolting them into the mag side mounting bracket:



I need to use a small diameter flap wheel to clean out the spindle tubes due to some of the power coat getting into them. Then I can install new spindle bushings.

-Joe

[smitfire]

I'm working on an 84 skid too, the cross shaft between the rails where the shock mounts, does yours have roll pins that keep the shock from moving? My does not and I'm wondering what is right

[ihengineer76]

I have a handful of NOS cross shafts, and none of them are drilled for the roll pins. I also have a couple used ones that do and have seen it both ways on sleds. Not sure which is correct or if they changed it at some point in time.

[JoeRainville]

Hi Guys,

In 1982 Deere changed the lower shock mount from having roll pins to center the shock to a friction washer with tabs to hold the shock centered. They kind of look like star washers, but with the tabs pointing in. I will post a pic to demonstrate...

-Joe

[sledhead16]

She's looking better than off the line there Joe!

[smitfire]

Hi Guys,

In 1982 Deere changed the lower shock mount from having roll pins to center the shock to a friction washer with tabs to hold the shock centered. They kind of look like star washers, but with the tabs pointing in. I will post a pic to demonstrate...

-Joe

Ya post a picture, I'm sure this is what I need then. Where do you get them?

[JoeRainville]

These are the spring clip washers I removed from the 82 skid that keep the lower shock centered on the 7/8" diameter cross shaft:



This is how they look on one of my NOS rear suspensions:



I do not think I can remove them without damaging or destroying them. This poses a problem, as I also can't find them in sizes larger than 1/2".

[JoeRainville]

While I search for a suitable replacement, I used a temporary solution so I can keep progress moving:



To Allen's note, the NOS rear suspensions were not painted nearly as nice as the restored one. The OEM paint has runs and sags, and they painted the white plastic hyfax black along with the rest of the suspension. It looks like I am slightly over restoring my skid, but I am OK with that...

[JDT]

Hey Joe. MCM has these in SS up to 1".
A pack of 5 is less than $15.
Self locking external retaining rings.
In black steel they are much cheaper.

[kube1]

In my opinion,I wouldn't use those. They are going to scratch the heck out of your nicely finished skid when you put them on. I would make some nice spacers out of black delrin that sit on either side of the shock.

[Liquifried]

Thx Joe. Rebuilding an 82 suspension and need all of those parts u listed. Very helpful.

[JoeRainville]

Thanks for the feedback guys, and glad some of this info is useful.

I made a trip to a local bearing supplier in downtown Fort Worth to pick up bearings to rebuild the idler wheels. It's a pretty easy operation to rebuild them:



One tip for removing the old bearing after you take out the retaining snap ring is to place the wheel on top of a roll of duct tape and use a socket or drift to pound it through.

[JoeRainville]

After the front idler wheel bearings were replaced and the wheels cleaned, they were installed with their bushings onto the cross shaft. Leaving all the cross bolts loose during installation allows all the cross shafts to be installed without scratching the rails or other parts.



With all the cross shafts installed, I tightened the cross bolts before installing the sliders.

[JoeRainville]

I was glad to hear Matt's parts store, newbreedparts.com, carries white hyfax that look original vs some of the other aftermarket sliders that are black. These units come longer than needed, with a hole in one end for the older sleds. So when I cut them to length, I cut off the end with the hole. Even with the powder coating, the sliders pushed onto the rails with little effort until they reached the bend at the front of the rail.



A dead blow plastic mallet makes short work of pounding the sliders all they way on: