1986 GMC Astro rebuild...questions

I actually liked those signalstats- Illuminated one with the tiny green/red lamp if I recall- .....What I liked about em they always made sure you turned your signal off if you forget, With the noise it made.

 

British Columbia required wig-wags for a long time. I drove a couple of late 80's tractors that had the wig-wag retro'd into them for B.C.

 

Mine is a BC truck. Probably why it has it. Never knew they were actual a special requirement.

 

The cab hoist is nothing more than a hydraulic jack. With the cab down, there should be a place to check/add the oil, like a floor jack. It's very possible the seals are worn, and I'm sure can be rebuilt. Just make sure when that cab is tilted, you put a safety pipe or prop rod somewhere solid,,,we don't want to lose ya'!!

 

There’s already a safety rod built in along the right side frame. It has a slot on the outer tube and a series of holes on the inside. Just pump it to near where you want it, put in the pin, then let it tilt down until it’s resting on it. Also, be aware that once it’s about halfway up, gravity will start pulling it over for you, so be ready to flip the valve over to the ‘down’ direction to hold it in place. (And, of course make sure to take out your box of 8-track tapes before they go sailing through the windshield).

 

HA! It was no mystery where all that junk came from on the dash of cabovers. Besides, some of those prop rods ( on a certain IH 4070) never looked too sturdy, and I always put another pipe or 4x4 , just in case, especially with a sleeper, that's a lot of weight there.

 

I believe if memory serves that once over center the cab jack will also pump it down, and possibly also activate a cab lock. At least the Freightliners did.