MAYCO's 1982 310 TD

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by mayco

Waiting on parts Brad. They ship out of California so should be getting them any day now.
I’m a little nervous about doing this job myself with all the weight involved. But I’ll see. I don’t want to squish myself

I undertand your nervousness

Replacing the airbags on the 310 and pulling the differential out from under the Argosy were two of my biggest worries.

Get yourself some good 6x6 cribbing and block the frame up solidly and you'll be just fine

[mayco]

Thanks for your vote of confidence Brad. That’s my plan. I’m also going to order another bottle Jack that has a lift of 18”. Mark wrote that they needed to take all the weight off the rear axle in order to get the spring beam to swing back into the proper place after the bushings are replaced. I don’t know how else to accomplish that other than jacking up the frame one side at a time.
I probably could have avoided some of this if I would have followed the advice of replacing all the bushings when I installed the new bags. Oh well…..I didn’t. The timing is good though. We don’t travel much in the dead of summer, mostly fall and spring.
Our last trip West a couple of months ago was really something else. I got to scratch one thing off my bucket list and that was to ride my motorcycle in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was just AMAZING! Couldn’t have done it without the old 310. It’s been a really great rig for the 10 years we have had it. Pretty damn frustrating at times but I still love it.

[PeterH-350LE]

Like Brad says, block it and you will be safe. This is the place.

[mayco]

Thanks Peter. That’s how I blocked it up when replacing the bags

[mayco]

Got all my parts today for the air suspension. I’ve got a lot better understanding of things after looking over the parts. So I went ahead and inflated the airbags and then blocked the frame up with 4x down to 2x8s laying flat on the drive. then deflated the bags and that straightened the spring beam quite a bit.
I think I’ll replace the bushings in the spring beam first and see if it plumbs up any more. Then I’ll do the pins and traverse rod replacement. Might replace the valve while I’m at it. Probably needs it anyway.

[mayco]

Having a heck of a time trying to break loose the shackle bolts. I’ve soaked them liberally with PB BLASTER over the past couple days but no luck. They don’t look that bad. I guess I’ll try heat next. I’ve got a propane torch, it will have to do.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by mayco

Having a heck of a time trying to break loose the shackle bolts. I’ve soaked them liberally with PB BLASTER over the past couple days but no luck. They don’t look that bad. I guess I’ll try heat next. I’ve got a propane torch, it will have to do.

Old shackle bolts are always a royal pain. Don't be surprised if you have to cut them off and buy replacements. Just about any suspension rebuild shop should be able to fabricate replacement shackles if needed.

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by mayco

Having a heck of a time trying to break loose the shackle bolts. I’ve soaked them liberally with PB BLASTER over the past couple days but no luck. They don’t look that bad. I guess I’ll try heat next. I’ve got a propane torch, it will have to do.

Do you have a cordless impact wrench. it outputs up to 600 foot #. Nice tool to have on the road for tire replacement. It outperformed my 200 PSI compressor/impact wrench.

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-Cordle...zcF9hdGY&psc=1

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by PeterH-350LE

Do you have a cordless impact wrench. it outputs up to 600 foot #. Nice tool to have on the road for tire replacement. It outperformed my 200 PSI compressor/impact wrench.

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-Cordle...zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Mike, in case you want to buy a better brand impact get this Milwaukee cordless impact. It's good for a 1000 ft/lbs

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Mike, in case you want to buy a better brand impact get this Milwaukee cordless impact. It's good for a 1000 ft/lbs

and dont forget the impact sockets.

Ok, Brad, challenge accepted, lets meet at Mikes house for cordless impact show down. Winner gets a case of wet cat food.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by PeterH-350LE

and dont forget the impact sockets.

Ok, Brad, challenge accepted, lets meet at Mikes house for cordless impact show down. Winner gets a case of wet cat food.

Peter, that wasn't a challenge...just stating facts...I'm pretty sure 1,000 is larger than 600

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Peter, that wasn't a challenge...just stating facts...I'm pretty sure 1,000 is larger than 600

In theory, YES! I think Mike would be game

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by PeterH-350LE

In theory, YES! I think Mike would be game

In theory?

Ok, tell you what, I'll send you $600 and you send me $1,000. In theory we would be even....

I wish I had time (and energy!) to stop by and help Mike with his suspension. I'm guessing by the time we got there he'd be done already

[mayco]

Ok fellas, I’m totally down with this idea! I’ll be here, you guys bring your respective drills and put them to the test. I’ll BBQ while you guys “hammer” it out. But nooo, I haven’t bought a cordless impact drill. I know I need one but haven’t “pulled the trigger”.

[martin300662]

Any room for spectators? It would be worth the airfare!

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by bkahler

In theory?

Ok, tell you what, I'll send you $600 and you send me $1,000. In theory we would be even....

I wish I had time (and energy!) to stop by and help Mike with his suspension. I'm guessing by the time we got there he'd be done already

Yes in theory! The thought is what counts. But just in case, I gathered up the essentials. That Battery alone should scare the ... out of you

[mayco]

Originally Posted by martin300662

Any room for spectators? It would be worth the airfare!

Plenty of room Martin, would you like ribs or chicken?

[bobmiller1]

When you boys are done playing and need to get the job done just call….

[LM782]

Sounds like this is turning into a Chevy vs Ford vs Mopar conversation. BBQ, power tools, and cases of wet cat food… count me in!
Is a handy tool. Surprised how often I turn to it for help where I would have pulled out the breaker bar before. Need to be careful not to break bolts though.
If you don’t already have them, get some hearing protection. What!?! These impact wrenches are loud, especially in an enclosed space or close quarters.
I bought a set of torque sticks too to help install lug nuts.

[Gregsch]

I would suggest using MAP gas instead of propane. It does not get as hot as acetylene but, it gets significantly hotter than propane.