03-13-2014, 07:54 PM
About 10 months ago when we were visiting Todd and Dawn in Sioux Falls, SD Todd gifted to me 5 MAC air valves he had purchased in error for his 1984 Newell. About 2 years ago when we were visiting Tom and Darlene in Mesa, AZ Tom helped me rebuild the rear 6 pack which was leaking like a sieve. I knew at that time that I would need to deal with the front 6 Pack at some point, and what better time than when we are visiting Tom and Darlene again. I only needed one more MAC valve to do the front 6 pack and Tom graciously offered to pick it up for me when he and Darlene were running errands in the Phoenix area earlier in the week.
Wednesday I began the demo of the old six pack, but not before I had taken a picture of the old setup, printed said picture, and then made extensive notes on where all the wires attached. I learned this technique from Tom when we rebuilt the rear 6 pack. Once that was done I disconnected the 5 air hoses coming into the compartment, then cut the wires. The old 6 pack was mounted on a 1/2" plywood platform, which had delaminated over the years due to moisture incursion. The grounds were totally rusted, and compromised, which explains why the front leveling did not work very well.
While Tom removed the old brass fittings from the old valves and moved them to the new valves I prepared the rusted floor for the application of rust inhibitor, and a new coat of gray paint. The inhibitor required 24 hours to dry, so although we had the new 6 pack put back together Wednesday night we had to wait until Thursday afternoon to re-install them.
Instead of using plywood again, Tom volunteered what appears to be a 1/2" thick piece of Corian, which I cut down to fit the space. We won't have to worry about the wood if water happens to get in there again.
At any rate, I spent the afternoon re-installing the front 6 pack......and everything works!
Here are a few pictures for your entertainment.....one picture is the piece of Corian cut to size. Another is the photo I printed with my notes, but also shows the "before".....note the rust. Another is of the compartment with the rust inhibitor applied. Another is of the 6 pack rebuilt and waiting to be installed, and finally one of the final installation......came out great and it all works!
A special thanks to Todd for his generosity......the valves cost about $43 each, and to Tom for his invaluable help in making this happen so quickly!
Wednesday I began the demo of the old six pack, but not before I had taken a picture of the old setup, printed said picture, and then made extensive notes on where all the wires attached. I learned this technique from Tom when we rebuilt the rear 6 pack. Once that was done I disconnected the 5 air hoses coming into the compartment, then cut the wires. The old 6 pack was mounted on a 1/2" plywood platform, which had delaminated over the years due to moisture incursion. The grounds were totally rusted, and compromised, which explains why the front leveling did not work very well.
While Tom removed the old brass fittings from the old valves and moved them to the new valves I prepared the rusted floor for the application of rust inhibitor, and a new coat of gray paint. The inhibitor required 24 hours to dry, so although we had the new 6 pack put back together Wednesday night we had to wait until Thursday afternoon to re-install them.
Instead of using plywood again, Tom volunteered what appears to be a 1/2" thick piece of Corian, which I cut down to fit the space. We won't have to worry about the wood if water happens to get in there again.
At any rate, I spent the afternoon re-installing the front 6 pack......and everything works!
Here are a few pictures for your entertainment.....one picture is the piece of Corian cut to size. Another is the photo I printed with my notes, but also shows the "before".....note the rust. Another is of the compartment with the rust inhibitor applied. Another is of the 6 pack rebuilt and waiting to be installed, and finally one of the final installation......came out great and it all works!
A special thanks to Todd for his generosity......the valves cost about $43 each, and to Tom for his invaluable help in making this happen so quickly!