5-31-08 Michigan Wrenching

[choctaw]

It's getting late in the day guys, no pics yet?

[bigcountrysg]

Ok update, not a real good day for progress. Spent 3/4 of the day fixing the broken bolts in the exhaust Y pipe. Then around 6 pm we finally got it home and started to reassemble everything. Well, let me tell you things are not going good. My buddy who repaired the Y pipe suggested studs. Well we kept having problems with the one stud. So tomorrow off to the hardware store we go to get some grade 8 bolts to get the Y pipe back on. Once that is on the rest of it is easy.

We do have the driverside of the Y pipe half way on. Meaning the Driverside is on but the passenger side is not.

I know this seems like a big pain in the rear. It is not that we do not know what we are doing. But we are just running into problem after problem.

Well that is our update for today. It will be done tomorrow no matter what though.

[TurboSevenThree]

Still ... progress is being hindered... This officially sucks. We got the grade 8 bolt in the morning and got back to start gettin it together. Started tightening it but it was too long so we used a bigger nut for a spacer AAAND *snap* I stripped out the y-pipe itself. SO I called the Ford dealership near my home and checked my paycheck so I had to order the parts from the dealer. New y-pipe, 2 new gaskets (chevy ones are NOT crushing well so loads of anit-seize + new ford gaskets = no leaks!) and 4 new bolts. I'm going home, havin someone come get me so I can get outta Scott's face for a while and he can go to work. Leaving the truck here, I tore it all back apart again. I gotta get my parts from Ford either tomorrow or Wednesday... I have my Graduation all damn day Wednesday and then I'll come down again Wednesday night or Thursday morning depending... with the new parts and we'll get it together right. This things gotta be done by Friday. Scott's busy again this weekend, and I can't leave the truck here for a WEEK to do a 4 hour job not to mention staying at his house for so long. I must say he's very hospitable and a cool dude. I can't even put into words how appreciative I am. Really.

Anywho Scott aint really too happy a camper and niether am I.It's just cause it's become such an enormous job and it really aint. Feelin defeated ... NOT cool. It should NOT take this long seriously.

So we'll get it together by Thursday, we have to. There literally isn't anything else that can go wrong *knock on wood* Been LOTSA fun!

[bigcountrysg]

I think we are writing the book for Murphy's Law. If it can go wrong it has, I can not believe this is being this hard. But like we have said things are not going right.

Come Thursday with the parts Rob is getting from Ford. Things should go back together realitively easy.

[TurboSevenThree]

Originally Posted by bigcountrysg

I think we are writing the book for Murphy's Law. If it can go wrong it has, I can not believe this is being this hard. But like we have said things are not going right.

Come Thursday with the parts Rob is getting from Ford. Things should go back together realitively easy.

So long as niether of us says that outloud LOL! Gotta knock on wood! It's getting ridiculous, but i can't think of anything else going wrong. We will probably have a hard time lining up the turbo with the y-pipe. Maybe I should have gotten a couple extra bolts......

[Dirk]

I've never seen this become such an ordeal. Is it because of all the salt they use up there??

[bigcountrysg]

Originally Posted by Dirk

I've never seen this become such an ordeal. Is it because of all the salt they use up there??

They put salt on the roads from late novembor until the snow is gone. My truck is starting to rust thanks to good old michigan road crews.

I know we will have this back together on Thursday.

[TurboSevenThree]

Originally Posted by bigcountrysg

I think we are writing the book for Murphy's Law. If it can go wrong it has, I can not believe this is being this hard. But like we have said things are not going right.

Come Thursday with the parts Rob is getting from Ford. Things should go back together realitively easy.

Originally Posted by Dirk

I've never seen this become such an ordeal. Is it because of all the salt they use up there??

Yes. It's about the worst cycle ever. They put salt over ice, when the ice melts and turns to slush, more salt, when it snows over, MORE salt. And it snows for up to 6 months out of the year no joke. October to April? Oh yeah, it happens. Michigan kills vehicles.

[TurboSevenThree]

Drove all the way down to Big's house, got there right after midnight with the new y-pipe and bolts and gaskets. Start trying to piece things back together and what happens? FLANGES DON'T FIT. The old y-pipe and new one are just a tad different size. The holes are the same, but the amount of metal where the bolts go is different. So the old flanges don't fit.

I'm upset to say the least, not mad, but I mean what a waste.
So I had to drive back home (almost 80 mi each way) and today order new flanges to fit the new y-pipe. $34 a piece........... plus the $40 I used up in gas. That just sucked. But the dealership is gonna give me a discount since I've been back twice about this. Lol, they know me now. i called and said "Hi I have a 2000 F350 with the 7.3 diesel, I need 2 exhaust flanges that bolt to the y-pipe." The response was "*pause* ...same kid?" "Hah, yep! Yeah I drove 80 miles after I got my y-pipe and stuff to put it on and the old flanges don't match it. New y-pipe is just a little different."

They sure are nice up there though. I wonder how much my discount is gonna be...

I'll be makin a trip to the bank, dealership, and gas station to be down there again as early as I can to maybe knock this thing out.

[bigcountrysg]

Originally Posted by TurboSevenThree

Drove all the way down to Big's house, got there right after midnight with the new y-pipe and bolts and gaskets. Start trying to piece things back together and what happens? FLANGES DON'T FIT. The old y-pipe and new one are just a tad different size. The holes are the same, but the amount of metal where the bolts go is different. So the old flanges don't fit.

I'm upset to say the least, not mad, but I mean what a waste.
So I had to drive back home (almost 80 mi each way) and today order new flanges to fit the new y-pipe. $34 a piece........... plus the $40 I used up in gas. That just sucked. But the dealership is gonna give me a discount since I've been back twice about this. Lol, they know me now. i called and said "Hi I have a 2000 F350 with the 7.3 diesel, I need 2 exhaust flanges that bolt to the y-pipe." The response was "*pause* ...same kid?" "Hah, yep! Yeah I drove 80 miles after I got my y-pipe and stuff to put it on and the old flanges don't match it. New y-pipe is just a little different."

They sure are nice up there though. I wonder how much my discount is gonna be...

I'll be makin a trip to the bank, dealership, and gas station to be down there again as early as I can to maybe knock this thing out.

The earlier the better but you know this. After we have this all back together. I may make you cut my grass for me.