fuse box

hi.. yesterday i was running a new accessory outlet and cig lighter in my truck and on the fuse panel i screwed up and tried to fit the 16 ga. wire in the "big clamps" and ended up destroying the ends with my needle nose. i did this to 2 of them when i finally realized that i needed to clamp it in the small clamp....is there any way to remove the ones i messed up an put new ones? cause id like to run a small amp to my 6x9s an i dont have any open ones now.....yes im a dang idiot lol



does anyone know of a place online to buy cheap headliner material? or is there something that looks cooler to take the place of it that anyone has seen before? you know like shag carpet? (lmao noooooooo im just joking on that one!!!!!)

If I'm following you right, you now have two boogered-up fuse lugs, or open terminals, in your fuse box. It should be possible to replace the trashed terminals. These typically insert from the back of the box, and have locking tabs which snap into recesses to hold the terminal. So it's a matter of DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY, then unbolting the fuse box so you can get at the back. Look closely and you should see how the individual terminals are inserted and how they lock. Usually with a small "pick" tool you can depress the lock tabs and pull the terminal out.

Once this is done, there's two angles for the replacement. Check the Ford dealer parts counter to see if the raw terminals are available as a service kit, or nab a couple of replacements from a boneyard donor truck (again make sure the battery is disconnected). The former you'll be crimping the new terminals onto you wire; the later you'll be cutting the wire, and splicing the ends back into your truck with soldering and heat-shrink.

Your second question. Just go to WalMart, Hobby Lobby or similar store and look for a lightweight fabric and a can of good spray glue. The best fabrics are the felt, cashmere or similar types that don't have noticeable "weave" lines woven into it. Pull the liner out of the truck to glue the new fabric on, and be sure to scrape any rotten foam off of the backing board with a stiff brush.

Pardon the novel I've written, but both of your issues are easily fixed with the right direction. Good luck!

P.S. By Federal law, shag carpeting may only be installed into mid-70's vans. Don't even think about defacing a good RBV!

I did the new headliner about two weeks ago, exactly like RobbieD said. Hobby Lobby has a good selection of material and I got plain ol' black felt for $4.25 a yard. The yard was enough to do the headliner in a single cab plus the sun visors. They also had the spray glue which so far has been working fine. Scissors work much better on the felt than a razor. I used a regular pair for the long cuts and a smaller pair from a manicure kit for the more intricate cuts.

thanks for the info on the fusebox...i dont know how im going to accomplish this feat, cause the wires dont allow me to pull it out all that far too see...but ill try (always up for a good challenge)

no shag carpet??????? what has this world come to...i was even thinking on putting those lil fuzzy ball things along the edge and get a chain steering wheel!!! lol j/k....thanks for that info too...doesnt look like itll cost too much....where can i get the foam stuff??? or is there something else i can use?? like chair padding or something....how hard is it to do the visors, cause it looks like there is some sewing involved...or do u just wrap it like a present with the 3m spray-glue and tuck in any extra??

i saw some cool lil fog lights at the auto store for like $20...do any of u guys have something like this?...they are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand..i was thinking on mounting them inside the grill or right under the bumper....do y'all know if they work good?

Ah yes; fuzzy balls and a chain steering wheel (chrome, of course). That be stylin'.

I've only used a foam layer when making new headliners. On recovering an existing headliner, as long as you don't have tears or dents in the spun-fiberglass backing board, you won't need to sandwich a foam layer between the backing board and the new fabric. Using the cashmere or felt type of fabric also helps smooth out any small backing board imperfections.

Usually, once you get the old cloth off you'll find small dings and scrapes in the existing foam's surface. But the outer surface (next to the original cloth) will likely have some dry rot; this will be seen as the foam flaking of if it's rubbed. This is where you use a stiff-bristled brush to brush off the rotten foam, and afterward a smoother surface is left on the backing, which the glue will bond to better.

The best advice is to use a thick, but light, felt or cashmere type of cloth for the recovering. Your best bet on the visors is to farm those out to an upholstery shop.