87 Diplomat adventures

[hemi71]

My son has a 87 Diplomat that replaced the stealth that had a unfortunate encounter with a wall. Last nite, he calls me on the way home from work saying he lost his brakes. I go to meet him, and while the brakes are low, the car is drivable for me, so i limp it home. Take a peek under it, see the RR wheel cylinder is leaking. I figure I'll take off today (a January day with a temp of 60 kinda helped that decision), replace the wheel cylinder and bleed the brakes (about 1 1/2-2 hrs at most), then have the rest of the day to work on the Cuda.

As Murphy's law would dictate, of course the 2 hr wheel cylinder job took all day. First, the brake line and the bleeder screw are froze solid, so that takes awhile. get them off, then the two capscrews that hold the cylinder to the backing plate are even more frozen. Took care to use a 6 point socket, etc...still ended up rounding off the heads. Tried the hammer on a metric socket deal, no dice. Soaked em in penetrating fluid, tried again...no go. Figured i pull the axle, take off the backing plate, then have a better shot at the bolts. Pulled the rear cover off...this is a 8 1/4 rear. That means you have to remove the pinion shaft to get the "C" clips off to remove the axle. Remove the  pinion shaft retaining bolt, go to remove the pinion shaft...NO way!!  Turns out the pinion shaft bolt snapped off 1/2 way, locking the shaft and preventing axle removal....JUST GREAT!

Put the rear back together, figured I'd try some more things before i gave up and started looking for a new 8 1/4 rear. Somehow managed to get a chisel on the bolt heads for the wheel cylinder, and by notching the heads, was able to get another metric socket on the heads, and this time was able to get one loose. once i had one loose, just hammered the wheel cylinder back and forth to loosen the second one.

Installed new wheel cylinder, cleaned all parts, put everything back together, bled brakes and refilled rear.  Not bad, turned a 2 hour job into a 7 hour adventure! Guess i can put some time on the cuda tonite after dinner. If this diplomat ever needs a axle seal, it's time for a new rear end, or a new car !  LOL

 

 

[Killer_Mopar]

I love those "too easy to take to a mechanic" jobs that turn into nightmares. There have been so many times when I was anticipating a 2-3 hour job and it ends up taking 6-7 hours. I learned that nothing can replace a CD full of good songs to make the time go faster. Also a 12lb sledge, 2 cans of penetrating oil, and a prybar are always good tools to have around....they always get the job done one way or another

On a side note, is that diplomat staying stock??? I always keep my eyes peeled for one, but they are pretty hard to find in Ohio (at least without severe rust).....always wanted to make a nice sleeper out of one.

[MEK-Dangerfield]

Oh my I have been there!!  From now on, I take what I think it will take for me to fo a job, and multiply it by 4!!!   

  Mike

[Rev-It-Up]

Ohhh...this sounds painfully familiar!  I think we have all been there Hemi71.  I got practically a whole new kitchen because the garbage disposal broke... Don't mention this to Redline.  He goes comatose when this subject is brought up!

[JS27N0B]

All I can say is it's great not to be in a rusty area. But the best friend a guy needs is a torch to heat up frozen bolts/nuts in situations such as those.

[hemi71]

I love those "too easy to take to a mechanic" jobs that turn into nightmares. There have been so many times when I was anticipating a 2-3 hour job and it ends up taking 6-7 hours. I learned that nothing can replace a CD full of good songs to make the time go faster. Also a 12lb sledge, 2 cans of penetrating oil, and a prybar are always good tools to have around....they always get the job done one way or another

On a side note, is that diplomat staying stock??? I always keep my eyes peeled for one, but they are pretty hard to find in Ohio (at least without severe rust).....always wanted to make a nice sleeper out of one.

This car has only 27K miles, we are the second owner, the first traded it in in 2005! VERY solid body, only rust is a small bit of bubbling just below the vinyl top on the drivers side. I'm willing to bet my son will be geting a car for himself in the next 6 months or so, I'll put it on here for sale first if we decide to sell it. Car runs very good, only problems are the headliner is shot, and has noisy lifters when it is cold.

[TeeWJay426]

That's a very nice looking Diplomat! Had an '87 5th Avenue in the same color scheme, but it didn't look nearly that nice. Always liked that style for a daily driver- had a few over the years.

[CHARGER_FAN]

You know...for me, those kind of repairs usually start out with my wife asking "how long do you think it will take"? She might as well have just gone up & slapped Murphy (the guy who made the law) right in the kisser!
It's almost always guaranteed to turn into a big can-o-worms when she says that.

[Chryco Psycho]

it makes no dofference but we have all been there too many time to mention for me ^& yes havign another deadline or having someone ask how long is always the jinx