<html><head>
<style id="css_styles">
blockquote.cite { margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right:0px; border-left: 1px solid #cccccc }
blockquote.cite2 {margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right:0px; border-left: 1px solid #cccccc; margin-top: 3px; padding-top: 0px; }
a img { border: 0px; }
li[style='text-align: center;'], li[style='text-align: center; '], li[style='text-align: right;'], li[style='text-align: right; '] { list-style-position: inside;}
body { font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt; }
.quote { margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; border-left: 5px #ebebeb solid; padding-left: 0.3em; }
a.em-mention[href] { text-decoration: none; color: inherit; border-radius: 3px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; background-color: #e2e2e2; }
._em_placeholder {color: gray; border-bottom: 1px dotted lightblue;} ._em_placeholder:before{color:gray; content: '{{ ';} ._em_placeholder:after{color:gray; content: ' }}';}
</style>
</head>
<body>I have recently finished installation of the RATCO cross member that serves as the rear diff support and the mounting plate for the lever shocks. The project was long and a bit tedious, but I am very happy with the result. However, when I was reassembling the hubs to the aluminum trailing arms I found that a couple of the six studs on each TA had stripped the holes or their own threads when the studs came out with the nyloc nuts. I decided to use the Patton-Machine TARK-KS guide kit for drilling and tapping the trailing arms for Keenserts. That went extremely well, and I now feel confident that the hubs (and wheels!) are securely mounted to the new studs that are in turn secure in the Keenserts.<div><br /></div><div>Today I thought I was going to simply adjust the brakes, so I got out my official shop manual to refresh my memory. Now I feel pretty foolish, so I am going to have to ask for help. The diagram of the brake cylinder shim sequence in the manual does not agree with the instructions. I am pretty sure that the instructions are right and my earlier installation based on the diagram and a Google AI query is wrong, but I would like some corroboration. <div><br /></div><div>The manual says:</div><div>1) The thin spring(y) shim with 2 tabs at the open end slides into the cylinder's groove first, from the front side (where the hand brake lever is), against the back of the backplate with the tabs pointing out.</div><div>2) The thicker flat locking shim slides in from the opposite direction until the tabs from the spring shim fit into the slots in the locking shim.</div><div>3) The shorter flat spacing shim slides in from the front on top of the other shims. Somehow I have misplaced one of these shims--another problem to deal with! </div><div><br /></div><div>Is that correct? I had reversed the first two shims.</div><div><span> </span></div><div><span>If anyone has an interest in or questions about the the RATCO installation or the Patton-Machine kit, I would be happy to provide details.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div>Tim</div></div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /><table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"><tr><td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://s-install.avcdn.net/ipm/preview/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;"/></a></td><td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free.<a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a></td></tr></table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div></body></html>