Your customer is lucky you are doing this job I can’t imagine any other shop going to the trouble you are JC. I couldn’t believe someone had changed the bearings and not the race😳😳 thanks again for your excellent videos
Looks like one of those projects that keeps on giving. I've been there. There's only so much you can do with junk, and then the customer starts telling you how much money they're going to have in it like it's your fault, when all you're trying to do is make it right.
You are spot on! In the end, JC will lose a ton of money to keep from being sued by an ungrateful customer or end up with a truck he didn’t want in the first place. Been there, done that!
You are spot on! In the end, JC will lose a ton of money to keep from being sued by an ungrateful customer or end up with a truck he didn’t want in the first place. Been there, done that!
im not a repair shop. i am just helping a friend by doing what i enjoy. there is more to life than money. i dont want his truck. i have plenty of my own.
JC--you are very thorough in your work--detail oriented. You said The man thought it was always expensive to fix trucks for him. Well-in answer- 1. If so--take it somewhere else- 2. Like said-if you bought better quality trucks/better maintained-it wouldn't cost so much later on-DUH! Some people always going to complain about money-You have plenty to do without people like that-
I watched the whole series in the last couple of days and I’m glad that you explained the restrictions the owner put on you. Your labor rate must be a lot lower than the average truck shop to be able to spend all the time on the old axles. I used to work for a crane company that spent five dollars to save a nickel. 🤣🤣
The fella your fixing this truck for should appreciate you for being so thorough, and he's gonna get a truck that is in great shape . What a job eh? . Thanks for sharing . Great video Awsome job Looking forward to your next video . Cheers
people tell me all the time "if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life"....i dont know what they consider work. i love doing this but i surely know its work!
The old silicone in the crack trick😮. I kind of thought you were done with drilling holes. Really do appreciate your attention to detail, riding down the road next to this. Can’t send this out with definitive parts. A lot of work for a one man one woman shop. Still got to do them strawberry things
Glad to see progress on the stretch J.C 🙂👍 It's a shame you have to deal with the cracked housings. Not to mention the water inside the axles.. Never fun when an unexpected problem adds to the build time. 🔧
23:39 why are people like this? Everything done half-assed and 'that'll do". This mentality is what drives everything into the ground. Half measures, half everything. You're a rare one man, really rare. Where others would've taken that guy's money and given him the same kind of halfmeasures in return, even less, you put extra work into everything. And i bet that if you were to tell this to the man who didn't do that bearing change properly or those welds in their faces, they'd get really prideful and pissed off about it, but... they have no pride in their work at all. If they did, they wouldn't do it. I've been binging this series and i can tell that it hurts your soul to do this work. You take pride in the work you do, every little thing you progress with and learn. Kudos man, like i said, it's rare these days.
You weren’t kidding when you said you were opening a can of worms. You got your work cut out for you. But one thing that I do know the truck won’t leave your yard till it’s done right and satisfied to your level of expectations. Awesome work JC.
Great video J.C.Smith really enjoy all you're doing to build this truck your way. Those are some very nice welds on those axle housings. Looking forward to the next video on this truck stay safe Mr & Mrs J.C.Smith.
Peter is awesome,his passion is very obvious , not many left that would go out of the way for you like that and share the extent of knowledge he does. I don’t see how you can make money doing these retrofits, so many details to cover ,you never fail to impress me with how you do everything 100 percent. Keep up the good work
That's what I like about your channel you take time I'm sure you don't have to make these videos explain things so mostly everyone can understand then take time to like every comment (I think you do that) then reply to questions. Thank you for making these videos
when i first started watching youtube, most videos i saw were more of a "show" than actual work being done. i love to learn. so felt like i missed an awful lot of the process. i thought others might like more too. so here we are!
new frame rails would have been better but he couldnt see the time or cost savings in them. he always wants it fast and cheap. all i can say is, "you brought it to the wrong place" i am neither fast or cheap out.
This is very good work that you are doing. He should be glad that you are as through as you are. When I welded up my Pete axles I took out the rear plug and shot air into the housing as I sprayed soapy water on it and I could see if I had anymore leaks. Keep up the great videos.
Hello from the Netherlands. those welds of those axles look Super bad beforehand, and SUPER good and neat afterwards . thanks for the video JC 👊and Mrs.Smith ❤. Sincerely Hollandduck
Dear J.C. Smith projects family. 😱🙈 Oh WOW, Murphy's law kicked in hard this time. But, as usual, you overcame all the problems respectively fixed what was defective. 👍👌👏 Especially the welding procedure was impressive. Good to know a professional welder like Mr. Zila who also does customer service in a professional way. So: Extremely "weld" done again and as always (video and work). Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and especially health to all of you.
@@j.c.smithprojects Is this an example for what is called "positive thinking"? 😁😁;-) 2) Thanks for replying and especially for another heart. I always and totally appreciate both very much. Happy junk rebuilding/repairing time. 😜😘😇 Sincerely yours.
your always pushing a rock uphill with these old trucks. years of fatigue, neglect and countless hands doing what they think is a good repair. it always turns into a soup sandwich. once you have done it a time or two.....you know its coming. the only question is how often.
You know the welds are proper when the slag comes off like that! I used to make cardboard patterns for the suspension holes. I like your "story stick" method much better!! It seemed like it would be harder, but it is actually easier, faster, and more accurate.
Not taking anything away from JC but he’s using dual shield (gas shielded flux core) wire. If the settings are anywhere near correct, the slag will do that.
32:00 FYI, it's a good idea to peen your welds. Prevents fatigue. Going over it with the needler for example is good practice because it gives the weld more surface area to work with which in turn means any stress fracture that would've started in the weld are (within reason) mitigated. I use a mini needler just for this, a hammer is indeed bad, because you only hit a few points, which in turn can cause stress points in the future. That said, welding oil soaked material... man, i wouldn't even touch that. Oily welds are the worst. And you're absolutely right that this design is bad. You never want that little overlap on something that receives the stresses that portion of the axles receives (moving, stopping, moving, stopping) that little weld there is subjected to pulling and pushing every time this truck moves. Bad idea, and it's not like a competent engineer wouldn't know this. This is ... well it is basic, engineering 101. It's one of the first things you're told in regards to metals and fatigue of moving components. A stressed out part needs surface to distribute. That overlap is a joke. Bet ya anything this is the cost-cutter department stepping in over engineers and manufacturers. Bean counters, pushing profits.
Hey JC and Mrs.JC 🙂 I admire your approach to compromise - i.e. roll with the punches unless it’s a safety/reliability issue, in which case the customer ain’t right. Perhaps this project won’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear but it’ll be a decent utility wallet. Nice 👌
At 23:00 I would have thought the outer races would have been changed when the bearings were changed. I was taught they should be changed as the bearings are matched to the races, just like valves are matched to the seats. Some 'mechanics' are just lazy, sloppy or just dont care. Probably dont want to change hte outer races or dont have the tools to do it.
Seems like you just can’t catch a break with this truck project J.C.! It’s a shame there were so many cracks but those welds look great and will last for years and years. Hopefully the project is smooth sailing here on out. Take care👍
That is what Randy from RD’s Truck service calls me … lol I am just a guy who welds … there is no need to call me Sir ( that is my dad 😂) and for sure i am not a god.
JC, how many of the mag drills have you gone through. Or is it the original one? And I truly think that you’re doing a great job. By taking your time to get everything in place so nothing gets ruined. I’ve been enjoying your videos for quite a long time now.
I'm not a big gambler. But I'm willing to bet J.C. will give me any truck off his property for free before he'd do a job like this for this owner again... Wish people prided themselves and their work like you do J.C. it's a shame this level of pride and professionalism is long since lost in society.
you have to dig away at the mountain one scoop at a time. i just wish the mountain wasnt growing faster than i can dig! he is already talking about the next one.......im going to work on my own trucks for awhile. i want to finish up some existing projects this summer.
@@j.c.smithprojects thats what i figured, ive seen some other people put in other holes to try and * match * the factory look of the oem frame. Never made sense to me.
I’m not telling you how to do your job I’m just curious . This is a legitimate question I am asking. Where all that welding was needed on the axles. Why not put plate around and weld it in to strengthen the axles in those areas that are weak and constantly cracking. I really am curious if there is a reason why you don’t do or is it that you can’t. Thanks for answering if you can. Good video.
i really wanted to plate it but there isnt enough room for anything more than the axle itself. the ubolts and mounts fit righ up against it. i looked at it for awhile trying to figure a way to help with some extra plating.
@@j.c.smithprojects ok thanks. I was just genuinely curious I was sure there had to be a reason. I just wasn’t seeing it. Just found your channel by chance so far pretty good. Have a good day
Why not cut a cardboard piece inside frame. Spray from back. Transfer punch through paper card stock. Now you have a perfect template. For both sides maybe.
Wow. Those axles really were not in good condition at all. Not only did they need full rebuild but extensive crack repairs. Not to mention someone else's less than great work from the past. Even had water contaminated oil. But after seeing the 1st truck and how it was built and how poorly the tank was mounted I guess this isn't too surprising. But with all the labor you're putting into this build at least this truck will be safe.
this isnt new smooth steel. it has pits and is inconsistent. spring center punches are more of a hinderance to me anyway. they snap ok for a few. then they are stuck. take it all apart. put it back together. snap a few. its stuck again. i had a snap on and lisle one.
i have never seen an axle in such a bad shape' first off that factory weld' as soon as i saw it i said to myself 'Undercut' thats poor welding application/setup , i did laugh when you used the cored wire on high amps very-very hot was you using Argon ? just one more thing people love knocking the slag off welds as a helper said it's like popping bubble wrap lol ...
Save a dime to spend a dollar… that’s where listening to someone who does this stuff and doing it right the first time and not wasting weeks of time and work to only spend more 🤦♂️
fixing all the other stuff on this truck is going to be as much work as all the frame work you started out to do. kinda to be expected on these old trucks though unfortunately.
Is the owner actually saving money paying you to fix this old crap? If he'd have spent more on the parts wouldn't the savings in needed repairs likely made it a wash?
i dont think that is it. i think the size, length and direction of the welds are what did this. i have never had any other truck axle / suspension do this. they are not welded like this either.
What scares me,how many trucks like these bad parts are on the road? Thanks for making this truck safer! You amaze me at your work !
Mrs JC “You enjoy that just a little too much.” Later - scrape, scrape “Oh yeah!” 🤣
Bloody hell, you were in a World of pain on that job but the work you both have done is spot-on 👍👍👍
Your customer is lucky you are doing this job I can’t imagine any other shop going to the trouble you are JC.
I couldn’t believe someone had changed the bearings and not the race😳😳 thanks again for your excellent videos
Looks like one of those projects that keeps on giving. I've been there. There's only so much you can do with junk, and then the customer starts telling you how much money they're going to have in it like it's your fault, when all you're trying to do is make it right.
that is right. the hits just keep on coming. at least i will be confident in the truck when i am done.
You are spot on! In the end, JC will lose a ton of money to keep from being sued by an ungrateful customer or end up with a truck he didn’t want in the first place. Been there, done that!
You are spot on! In the end, JC will lose a ton of money to keep from being sued by an ungrateful customer or end up with a truck he didn’t want in the first place. Been there, done that!
im not a repair shop. i am just helping a friend by doing what i enjoy. there is more to life than money. i dont want his truck. i have plenty of my own.
Hopefully this customer appreciate all you have done and pays up quickly. Great video again you two.
that is funny......i exhausted his budget with the first parts order. been 3 more since then.
JC--you are very thorough in your work--detail oriented.
You said The man thought it was always expensive to fix trucks for him. Well-in answer-
1. If so--take it somewhere else-
2. Like said-if you bought better quality trucks/better maintained-it wouldn't cost so much later on-DUH!
Some people always going to complain about money-You have plenty to do without people like that-
Great job you and wife is doing specially the update from her side 😂.
I watched the whole series in the last couple of days and I’m glad that you explained the restrictions the owner put on you.
Your labor rate must be a lot lower than the average truck shop to be able to spend all the time on the old axles.
I used to work for a crane company that spent five dollars to save a nickel. 🤣🤣
Wow... good lesson for retro work... Great job!
The fella your fixing this truck for should appreciate you for being so thorough, and he's gonna get a truck that is in great shape .
What a job eh? .
Thanks for sharing .
Great video
Awsome job
Looking forward to your next video . Cheers
I was waiting for the field trip to get ice cream 🍨
Great job as always! I hope the owner of the truck, appreciates all of your hard work, and attention to detail.
Nice job !!! VERY DETAILED ! More patience than i have for this ….😂
people tell me all the time "if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life"....i dont know what they consider work. i love doing this but i surely know its work!
Jobs like this are always more difficult than they first appear. No good turn goes unpunished!!! 👍🇺🇦👍🇺🇦
hello jc and mrs.smith its is randy and i like video is cool thanks friends randy
Top job JC I think you can definitely call yourself a welder now ! 1st class work
nah....i will leave that title to those who earned it.
The old silicone in the crack trick😮. I kind of thought you were done with drilling holes.
Really do appreciate your attention to detail, riding down the road next to this. Can’t send this out with definitive parts.
A lot of work for a one man one woman shop. Still got to do them strawberry things
Glad to see progress on the stretch J.C 🙂👍 It's a shame you have to deal with the cracked housings. Not to mention the water inside the axles.. Never fun when an unexpected problem adds to the build time. 🔧
We cant mess with junk and be surprised its junk huh?!
23:39 why are people like this? Everything done half-assed and 'that'll do". This mentality is what drives everything into the ground. Half measures, half everything.
You're a rare one man, really rare. Where others would've taken that guy's money and given him the same kind of halfmeasures in return, even less, you put extra work into everything.
And i bet that if you were to tell this to the man who didn't do that bearing change properly or those welds in their faces, they'd get really prideful and pissed off about it, but... they have no pride in their work at all. If they did, they wouldn't do it.
I've been binging this series and i can tell that it hurts your soul to do this work. You take pride in the work you do, every little thing you progress with and learn. Kudos man, like i said, it's rare these days.
Those are some nice welds sir
You weren’t kidding when you said you were opening a can of worms. You got your work cut out for you. But one thing that I do know the truck won’t leave your yard till it’s done right and satisfied to your level of expectations. Awesome work JC.
Great video J.C.Smith really enjoy all you're doing to build this truck your way. Those are some very nice welds on those axle housings. Looking forward to the next video on this truck stay safe Mr & Mrs J.C.Smith.
we can thank peter zila and htp welders for that!
When in doubt sparkly purple pencil!👍
Nice welding, great project build. Have a great evening, JC and Mrs Smith . Great videos
Peter is awesome,his passion is very obvious , not many left that would go out of the way for you like that and share the extent of knowledge he does. I don’t see how you can make money doing these retrofits, so many details to cover ,you never fail to impress me with how you do everything 100 percent. Keep up the good work
Looks like the more you dig the deeper the hole is.
That's what I like about your channel you take time I'm sure you don't have to make these videos explain things so mostly everyone can understand then take time to like every comment (I think you do that) then reply to questions. Thank you for making these videos
when i first started watching youtube, most videos i saw were more of a "show" than actual work being done. i love to learn. so felt like i missed an awful lot of the process. i thought others might like more too. so here we are!
@@j.c.smithprojects I learned a lot from you
I made a comment earlier on this project about just having new frame rails made..... I stand corrected. Well done sir.....very well done.
new frame rails would have been better but he couldnt see the time or cost savings in them. he always wants it fast and cheap. all i can say is, "you brought it to the wrong place" i am neither fast or cheap out.
@@j.c.smithprojects sometimes what you think is the"cheaper option" ...isn't. I hope the bill doesn't become an issue when you are done.
im not concerned.
you were taught or figured it out the best way i have seen to mark your holes
This is very good work that you are doing. He should be glad that you are as through as you are. When I welded up my Pete axles I took out the rear plug and shot air into the housing as I sprayed soapy water on it and I could see if I had anymore leaks. Keep up the great videos.
Spray paint the cable an "oddball" color or colored electric tape. Cool 😎 🆒️ video. 💯
Hello from the Netherlands.
those welds of those axles look Super bad beforehand,
and SUPER good and neat afterwards .
thanks for the video JC 👊and Mrs.Smith ❤.
Sincerely Hollandduck
I love watching professionals work
Excellent video JC.....thanks!
Great idea now only the distance vertical
Keep up the amazing work
We love you and everything you do
Thanks again J C! Love your work and explanations!
You know I always love these mag drill videos
Dear J.C. Smith projects family.
😱🙈 Oh WOW, Murphy's law kicked in hard this time. But, as usual, you overcame all the problems respectively fixed what was defective. 👍👌👏 Especially the welding procedure was impressive. Good to know a professional welder like Mr. Zila who also does customer service in a professional way. So: Extremely "weld" done again and as always (video and work).
Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing.
Best regards luck and especially health to all of you.
another day, another piece of junk to rebuild....
@@j.c.smithprojects
Is this an example for what is called "positive thinking"? 😁😁;-)
2) Thanks for replying and especially for another heart. I always and totally appreciate both very much.
Happy junk rebuilding/repairing time. 😜😘😇
Sincerely yours.
Thanks for taking us along I keep thinking the other truck will be worse. This truck is turning into a real up hill battle. Tom
your always pushing a rock uphill with these old trucks. years of fatigue, neglect and countless hands doing what they think is a good repair. it always turns into a soup sandwich. once you have done it a time or two.....you know its coming. the only question is how often.
You know the welds are proper when the slag comes off like that!
I used to make cardboard patterns for the suspension holes. I like your "story stick" method much better!! It seemed like it would be harder, but it is actually easier, faster, and more accurate.
Not taking anything away from JC but he’s using dual shield (gas shielded flux core) wire. If the settings are anywhere near correct, the slag will do that.
You are so patient.
32:00 FYI, it's a good idea to peen your welds. Prevents fatigue. Going over it with the needler for example is good practice because it gives the weld more surface area to work with which in turn means any stress fracture that would've started in the weld are (within reason) mitigated. I use a mini needler just for this, a hammer is indeed bad, because you only hit a few points, which in turn can cause stress points in the future.
That said, welding oil soaked material... man, i wouldn't even touch that. Oily welds are the worst. And you're absolutely right that this design is bad. You never want that little overlap on something that receives the stresses that portion of the axles receives (moving, stopping, moving, stopping) that little weld there is subjected to pulling and pushing every time this truck moves. Bad idea, and it's not like a competent engineer wouldn't know this. This is ... well it is basic, engineering 101. It's one of the first things you're told in regards to metals and fatigue of moving components. A stressed out part needs surface to distribute. That overlap is a joke. Bet ya anything this is the cost-cutter department stepping in over engineers and manufacturers. Bean counters, pushing profits.
Hey JC and Mrs.JC 🙂 I admire your approach to compromise - i.e. roll with the punches unless it’s a safety/reliability issue, in which case the customer ain’t right. Perhaps this project won’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear but it’ll be a decent utility wallet. Nice 👌
Boy, that air leaf axle welding brought back memories…. Bad ones! That must be a common point of failure for sure
yeah i bet....and you only had one axle to fix! wouldnt have been bad if the axles didnt need all these other repairs as well.
At 23:00 I would have thought the outer races would have been changed when the bearings were changed. I was taught they should be changed as the bearings are matched to the races, just like valves are matched to the seats. Some 'mechanics' are just lazy, sloppy or just dont care. Probably dont want to change hte outer races or dont have the tools to do it.
Seems like you just can’t catch a break with this truck project J.C.! It’s a shame there were so many cracks but those welds look great and will last for years and years. Hopefully the project is smooth sailing here on out. Take care👍
Super job Boss thanks for sharing bye the way no new snapon goodies
Great job. Coming out good
Looking good!
One step forward, 4 steps back.
If Peter was a welding God--would we then call him God Zilla ?? Just wondering !!
That is what Randy from RD’s Truck service calls me … lol
I am just a guy who welds … there is no need to call me Sir ( that is my dad 😂) and for sure i am not a god.
I always say if it's not one thing it's 10 other things WOW
Have you thought about using a ridgid oiler ? The type plumbers use for threading pipes.. just a thought.
i have one. it is just too big and cumbersome to move around when doing frame holes.
Nice. Tons of work but looks like it’ll have a good result
if it was easy, everyone would do it.....
We always say to break the handle off the shovel before you can’t dig out of the hole. I am sure you’ll be glad to kick this project down the road
As for the dual shield wire, the word your looking for instead of flexible is “ductile”
Those axles turned into a headache. Hopefully things start going smoother.
JC, how many of the mag drills have you gone through. Or is it the original one?
And I truly think that you’re doing a great job. By taking your time to get everything in place so nothing gets ruined. I’ve been enjoying your videos for quite a long time now.
this is my original one. we appreciate you watching for as long as you have!
Is the axle housing straight after all that welding? 😮
yep
Wassup
Are you absorbing the extra time and cost or is it renegotiated?
He’s eating it all for his friend so it’s done right
This is a great example of trying to save money the wrong way and it ends up costing more time and money than the more expensive starting point
you can lead a horse to water .....but you cant make them drink.
could you find a better axle (or set of axles) to save time & money?
I see that you always have lots of parts around.
The truck owner didn't want to buy axles
Brand of drill bits u like?
i have been using the milwaukee shock wave for awhile now. they are a very good bit for me.
I'm not a big gambler. But I'm willing to bet J.C. will give me any truck off his property for free before he'd do a job like this for this owner again...
Wish people prided themselves and their work like you do J.C. it's a shame this level of pride and professionalism is long since lost in society.
you have to dig away at the mountain one scoop at a time. i just wish the mountain wasnt growing faster than i can dig! he is already talking about the next one.......im going to work on my own trucks for awhile. i want to finish up some existing projects this summer.
So how do you know you arent warping the crap out of that housing dumping that much continious heat into it?
i center lined the axle when i was done. no change what so ever.
Sorry and Mrs Smith.
Im curious? Do you have to drill all of the holes? Or can you just drill the ones needed for mounting and not add any extras ?
i never drill any holes that are not needed......
@@j.c.smithprojects thats what i figured, ive seen some other people put in other holes to try and * match * the factory look of the oem frame. Never made sense to me.
I’m not telling you how to do your job I’m just curious . This is a legitimate question I am asking. Where all that welding was needed on the axles. Why not put plate around and weld it in to strengthen the axles in those areas that are weak and constantly cracking. I really am curious if there is a reason why you don’t do or is it that you can’t. Thanks for answering if you can. Good video.
i really wanted to plate it but there isnt enough room for anything more than the axle itself. the ubolts and mounts fit righ up against it. i looked at it for awhile trying to figure a way to help with some extra plating.
@@j.c.smithprojects ok thanks. I was just genuinely curious I was sure there had to be a reason. I just wasn’t seeing it. Just found your channel by chance so far pretty good. Have a good day
Hope this is a time and materials job - not a fixed price job.
this is a friends truck. im n ot a repair shop. just helping him out.
Why not cut a cardboard piece inside frame. Spray from back. Transfer punch through paper card stock. Now you have a perfect template. For both sides maybe.
Wow. Those axles really were not in good condition at all. Not only did they need full rebuild but extensive crack repairs.
Not to mention someone else's less than great work from the past. Even had water contaminated oil. But after seeing the 1st truck and how it was built and how poorly the tank was mounted I guess this isn't too surprising. But with all the labor you're putting into this build at least this truck will be safe.
Why don't you use a spring center punch?
this isnt new smooth steel. it has pits and is inconsistent. spring center punches are more of a hinderance to me anyway. they snap ok for a few. then they are stuck. take it all apart. put it back together. snap a few. its stuck again. i had a snap on and lisle one.
You know once you open that can of worms it not over till the the last worms is bait!
as many cans of worms as i have opened.....we should have enough fish for a village!
Aw yea the rabbit hole of big broken,long dollars to fix 🥴
i have never seen an axle in such a bad shape' first off that factory weld' as soon as i saw it i said to myself 'Undercut' thats poor welding application/setup , i did laugh when you used the cored wire on high amps very-very hot was you using Argon ? just one more thing people love knocking the slag off welds as a helper said it's like popping bubble wrap lol ...
yes. dual shield
The axles need more work than they did on the whole project originally
Save a dime to spend a dollar… that’s where listening to someone who does this stuff and doing it right the first time and not wasting weeks of time and work to only spend more 🤦♂️
After thinking about it please ignore my last message
fixing all the other stuff on this truck is going to be as much work as all the frame work you started out to do. kinda to be expected on these old trucks though unfortunately.
just more of the old truck blues....
Hey is it possible to get your email bc I know someone who has a freightliner they might want to sell I could send pictures of it to you.
j.c.smithprojects@gmail.com
Mr “I’m not a welder”
me either.
Is the owner actually saving money paying you to fix this old crap? If he'd have spent more on the parts wouldn't the savings in needed repairs likely made it a wash?
some people cant see or understand it until they experience it over and over.
You're a victim of loose u bolts typical problem with Pete's they never check the torque on the bolts
i dont think that is it. i think the size, length and direction of the welds are what did this. i have never had any other truck axle / suspension do this. they are not welded like this either.
Seems like the owners waste a lot of time and money trying to be cheap. I see why you only do your own builds
when you control the process....you control the profits!!