Whos in or near Wilmington NC and can help wrench for a day?

[bknbronco]

Who lives near this guy and can help him rebuild his drum brakes?
I have been folowing his posts and i would like to help him with his break delema! Its a simple task for some of us and would be a day's work if he had the correct parts on hand! I dont want to see him tear a bunch of stuff apart only to have it tore apart forever like it did with my bronco 15 years ago. He is trying to make a decesion about rebuilding his drums or going disks. I relieze its his decesion to make but i fear he is not getting the feedback he needs! Important thing is to get his truck on the road and stopping. For a guy who cannot be with his family for some time i think we should find someone to help him!

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158320

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178787

 

[Big Lou]

Ha! Thanks for the APB man. My Father-in-Law is all over it and is just waiting on my guidance to make the decision on what to do. He's not a mechanic but has some basic knowledge. I'm pretty sure he can handle the drums. It was the four wheel power disc conversion that presented the issue. Your concern is endearing and honestly I am touched. I have gotten many PMs and lots of good, although contradictory at times, advice on which route to take. I'm very used to streamlined thought processes and getting things done immediately so patience and options are often difficult for me. As you can imagine I have a few things on my plate right now so I've opted to let my Father-in-Law take lead for the time being on getting the brakes done. I should say props to the CarolinaBroncos forum guys for equally helpful offers of assistance and technical support. Woot!

 

[medwards01]

Lou, where is your Bronco currently located? Is it in Wilmington yet? I believe you posted earlier (either here or CB4x4) that it's still in either the Laurinburg or Lumberton areas, right? I will be more than happy to lend a hand wrenching when you get it to Wilmington. However, because of our work schedules (rotating days off) I will need to plan in advance for any wrenching parties more than an hour's drive outside of Wilmington.... With that being said, I vote with the guys who recommend getting the drum brakes working properly so it's drivable. Repairing drums brakes is relatively inexpensive compared to a disk conversion if you don't need new drums, cylinders or brake lines. You can always do the disc conversion down the road when you're back stateside. Personally, I would only do front discs. Then the question becomes whether or not to use a vacuum assist, hydroboost, or an electric system. In fact, I think John Downs is currently running front discs without any type of power assist and he said his brakes work fine, right JD?

 

[Big Lou]

ME, it's in Laurinburg at my Father-in-Law's place right now. He has ascertained that I have the small bearing rear end and that the pads and drums look good. He is going to replace the MC and go from there. I'll be home in a month and can assist then. Half of me wants to just drop the truck and a $40k check off at Nickstrix and be done with it but here's the deal. I want to learn how to do this myself. I have a beautiful Hummer that I love but I've never even changed a tire on her (thank you roadside assistance). This is more of a life challenge than a need to have a working vehicle so I'm really interested in doing this correctly and efficiently, hence all the redundancy in my questions. Jdowns and I have talked on PM a bit and between the three of us and the generous input from the boards I have no doubt that I'll have a functional and attractive truck soon. I only get a few weeks home at a time so I'm eager to get as much done this upcoming break as possible. I hope to have some pictures soon. My Father-in-Law is an amazing guy but he's not so up on computers and cameras. Again, thank you all for your continued offers of support and for catering to my elementary questions.

 

[bknbronco]

ITS NOT WHAT YOU BUY....ITS WHAT YOU BUILD!!

Good Luck Big Lou