End Links, Fuel Lines And Steering Gear Box

Today when I got off work I installed the newly painted end links. 

Here is the driver side end link assembled

and installed.

Here is the driver side end link assembled

and installed.

I needed to clean up the mounting hardware for the steering gear box so it would be ready for the new one Troy ordered for me. They were incredibly greasy, so I started with MarineClean to cut through the grease.

Then I used the wire wheel to clean them up. Here is a before and after comparison. 

I left all three bolts and washers to soak in the WD-40 bath.

I decided to tackle the rear axle brake lines next. I found the bracket for the passenger side where it transfers from hard line to hose. The driver side is hard line all the way to the caliper.

Here is the bracket installed.

I installed the brake line clip for the driver side. I had to modify the clip by bending the retaining tab flat because the original did not have a tab and as a result the frame did not have an extra hole for the tab.

When I finished with the rear brake lines, I decided to get the fuel line and clamps I need to connect the front to rear fuel lines to the fuel sending unit. Troy told me about a different kind of hose clamp than the traditional style that was used originally. They are called fuel injection style hose clamps. The way these clamps are designed they will not gouge or cut into the line as the clamp is tightened. 

I found the correct fuel injection fuel line to replace the four original lines.

Since I plan to install the front struts tomorrow, I thought it would be prudent to clean the mounting hardware today. Here are the four bolts for the struts.

I used the wire wheel to clean them up. Here is a before and after comparison. 

When I stopped in to talk to Troy about the fuel lines and clamps, he mentioned the new steering gear box had arrived this morning. He said if I brought the Pitman arm, nut and washer, he would attach it to the steering gear box. I found the bag containing the nut and washer, but they needed to be cleaned, so I used the wire wheel on them before taking them to Troy.

Here is the new steering gear box with Pitman arm attached, ready to be installed.

The last thing I did today was take a look at the fuel lines that need to be connected with the rubber fuel line hose I purchased. I realized there was no way to tell which line was the 3/8" fuel line and which was the 3/8" line that went to the breather valve. I started to panic, wondering how in the world I would figure this out without dropping the tank. Then it occurred to me that I painted the fuel sending unit with the hoses still attached, so that I could be sure the ends would stay free from paint. This meant the hose with the breather valve would still be on the fuel sending unit in the pictures I took and I should be able to identify which line it was. It was just a matter of finding the right post. In the picture below the top most line is the 3/8" fuel line. The bottom 3/8' line is the one that the breather valve attaches to.