From: Bruce Beattie (bruce@eecs.berkeley.edu)
Date: Sun Nov 10 2002 - 13:43:35 PST
Hi List,
If you are familiar with this beast, then read on, else use Delete
Key.
As you know the three bows are attached to steel tubular struts which
are bolted into a bracket on either side of the bed to permit them to be
folded down toward the cab when not in use. The method of attachment is
a dowel with a ring on one end and spring loded bearings in the other to
keep it from slipping out. There is also a convenient lanyard attached
to the ring and bolted on to the bow. Simple, right? Just pull the
dowels on either side and pull off the bows....Wrong!?
The manual says to unbolt the struts from the side brackets, which
obviously requires you to have two wrenches handy, and god forbid you
should drop the
nut and bolt in the mud. Then remove the bow + strut assembly from the
truck.
Now you are supposed to remove the struts from the bows.
This does not make sense to me. Do you know of a reason, other than the
obvious,
why the manual says to do it this way?
Why do I ask? I am fabricating new ones out of stainless steel tubing,
since I happen to have some the right size, and the bows I have are all
rusted up.
If there is a good reason why they say to do it that way, like for
example "Once you put the struts in the bows, they rust together and you
can never get them appart anyway so don't even try." I may end up
welding the strut to the bow and forget about bolting them together.
BTW I found an inexpensive source for turnbuttons.
Bruce MVPA 23824
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