i almost skipped this part just because i dont have a proper solvent tank and i wasnt going to disassemble it anyway, but once everything else was super clean and painted my conscience wouldnt let me ignore such a grimy mess.
after an hour or two of this, an $80 solvent tank sounds like a bargain. trying to flush out the insides was more of a pain in the ass since i couldnt open it up, just fill, shake, empty, repeat. no matter how many times i did it i couldnt get all the funk out. the original rubber plugs broke apart when i removed them, so i had to make my own out of some .5" aluminum, as well as an adapter for a grease nipple:
the grease nipple was just temporary for pumping it full, then to be replaced with the permanent aluminum plug:
i used a white, food-grade, non-tacky, Teflon grease called Super Lube... its sold basically everywhere, but i had to go to McGuire Bearing for a full-size tube for the grease gun:
i loosened the four bolts that hold the halves of the box together, then pumped nearly 2 full tubes into it while the old lube oozed out the seams:
the fit of my aluminum plugs wasnt quite as tight as i would like, so just to be sure i painted a bead of Permatex around the edge:
fresh paint:
thats it...the only thing left (for the front end) is the struts...still searching for short lengths of O-1 drill rod...
