1996 2 door flareside TRX KILLER!

[Blmpkn]

If there is no coolant where the sender is, it doesn't know the temperature and goes off of the metal temperature it is screwed into which depending on the location usually isn't where the heat is made so will read cool...

The gauge is pretty much reading the continuity to ground, when cold there's little continuity so doesn't have much to push the gauge up, as they heat up the resistance goes down and drives the gauge higher (however that side work). If it's a one wire sender it is using the threads as a ground reference, if two pin one is ground and the other the signal... if one wire you can check the function of the gauge by simply grounding the wire.

A 4x2 4 cylinder should be cake especially regular cab so it's one piece rear driveline, 6 bellhousing bolts, 4ish bolts for the transmission crossmember, 4 driveline bolts, one connector and one quick connect for the clutch hydraulics, I've done that in a day before... On a V6 the exhaust is always in the way of getting the trans out...

Yeah.. exhaust gets nasty up here too lol. I'm betting that's where a good portion of his labor came from, I'll try and stop by the shop for an estimate tomorrow. That centerforce combo is definitely what I'll be going with.. looks like 275 plus whatever a new throw out bearing is.. not bad.

 

[Blmpkn]

& just like that.. new problems arise!

It's having a hard time starting after sitting awhile.. slow crank.

Checked the draw on the battery before I left the shop this morning.. said 0 draw. Relatively sure I had the meter on the right setting.. but the 0.00 reading has me questioning that lol.

Voltage read 12.7.. well see where it is once we're back for the day.

 

[Rick W]

That just reminded me about distilled water for the battery, another Rick’s tips.

All of a sudden they don’t have distilled water at the dollar store. I have a new dehumidifier for the upstairs, so I took it off the drain line a few days, and collected the water in some clean milk jugs. Then I almost had a heart attack that I could collect 3 gallons in two days.

I also have a couple quart bottles of acid in the shed of miracles from maybe 30 years ago. I keep a gallon of distilled water around, and I use a cleaned out gear oil quart jug with the pointy nose, and I mix up some very mild sulfuric in it. Usually lasts years and years.

hope it helps

 

[Blmpkn]

That just reminded me about distilled water for the battery, another Rick’s tips.

All of a sudden they don’t have distilled water at the dollar store. I have a new dehumidifier for the upstairs, so I took it off the drain line a few days, and collected the water in some clean milk jugs. Then I almost had a heart attack that I could collect 3 gallons in two days.

I also have a couple quart bottles of acid in the shed of miracles from maybe 30 years ago. I keep a gallon of distilled water around, and I use a cleaned out gear oil quart jug with the pointy nose, and I mix up some very mild sulfuric in it. Usually lasts years and years.

hope it helps

Luckily I have a (should be) good spare battery sitting on the floor in the kitchen.

Took it out of whatever it was in and put a charge on it probably 2 years ago by this point.. put my meter on it a couple weeks ago and it was well above 12v.. well see!

 

[Blmpkn]

Official update I suppose..

Bed is off the truck and the process of prepping the back half of the frame for repair & paint is well underway.

Good stuff!

More to come..

 

[racsan]

P.O.R.-15, not sure if your familiar with it. Darn good coating to use in this situation. They aint kidding about wearing gloves. That stuff has to wear off of you if you get it on. Its pricey, needs proper prep like anything else. (this aint rickoleum) eastwood products makes something similar but Ive never tried it.

 

[Blmpkn]

P.O.R.-15, not sure if your familiar with it. Darn good coating to use in this situation. They aint kidding about wearing gloves. That stuff has to wear off of you if you get it on. Its pricey, needs proper prep like anything else. (this aint rickoleum) eastwood products makes something similar but Ive never tried it.

My buddy POR'd his f150 years back and neither of us were too impressed with the stuff considering the cost & how long it took him. He followed the directions perfectly and it really didn't hold up much longer than a RickOleum© spray bomb job.. started flaking off like a bad sunburn after a couple years.

My plan is to use Corroseal (rust converter & encapsulator) and then hit it with some tractor paint. The tractor paint may get brushed on.. or it might get mixed with some hardener and sprayed on.. not sure yet.

 

[Rick W]

My buddy POR'd his f150 years back and neither of us were too impressed with the stuff considering the cost & how long it took him. He followed the directions perfectly and it really didn't hold up much longer than a RickOleum© spray bomb job.. started flaking off like a bad sunburn after a couple years.

My plan is to use Corroseal (rust converter & encapsulator) and then hit it with some tractor paint. The tractor paint may get brushed on.. or it might get mixed with some hardener and sprayed on.. not sure yet.

For the record, it’s RickOleum(R), not (c).

And from a chemical engineering perspective, conversion and then encapsulation will always be the best thing if you can’t literally physically remove every bit of rust which would also involve disconnecting whatever pieces and members. If there are void spaces, use a coat hanger and a little bit of a rag, and dip it and then work it all around the inside.

That should be done first, and I’ve said it before, mix your RickOleum(R) 50-50 with mineral spirits, and splash it on with a long hair brush. The thin mixture will penetrate everywhere. Within 24 hours, before it totally cures, do a full strength second coat.

Rattle cans are for little girls to make posters in art class…

 

[SenorNoob]

Why not mix it, and put it in a spray bottle? Just spray until it drips off.

 

[Rick W]

Why not mix it, and put it in a spray bottle? Just spray until it drips off.

You need the long bristles to try to work it in, and attach the little rag to the end of the coat hanger to squish it into the small spaces. In any aerosol sprayer, it’s just not going penetrate adequately, IMHO, it will tend to sit on the top. And when using the coat hanger/rag, you wanna soak it and mush it in to the corners, kind of like a sponge and squeezing it to release the fluid. (Let me know if you have trouble with these technical terms.)

I have seen modified spray nozzles, that would be more like a sandblaster nozzle where you could probably blast it in, but you’d waste 90% of it in the splashing and overspray. You need a nozzle like a hose nozzle, where there is both penetration and volume. Using the brush maintains control over the volume. Compromise might be using something like a bug sprayer if you could find one that can last long enough and not be eaten up by the solvent, but I still think it would waste too much.

Or you can move to Georgia, and sit on the deck and drink beer and talk about it all.

And I didn’t mean to be offensive up there, little boys can use spray paint for arts projects too!

 

[Blmpkn]

I'm gonna be able to brush everything up reeeal nice since all the crossmembers and assorted brackets/hangers/mounts need to be replaced.

 

[Rick W]

One additional thought for whomever. When I talk about painting, rusty things like this for protection, I’m not talking about using the brush like an artist and placing every ounce of paint properly. If you’ve ever seen a roof repaired with hot, it’s that kind of splash it on and spread it around as fast as you can concept, without losing track of making sure it penetrates the little spaces. It is a sloppy process.

 

[Curious Hound]

One additional thought for whomever. When I talk about painting, rusty things like this for protection, I’m not talking about using the brush like an artist and placing every ounce of paint properly. If you’ve ever seen a roof repaired with hot, it’s that kind of splash it on and spread it around as fast as you can concept, without losing track of making sure it penetrates the little spaces. It is a sloppy process.

RickW painting a truck.

 

[Blmpkn]

One additional thought for whomever. When I talk about painting, rusty things like this for protection, I’m not talking about using the brush like an artist and placing every ounce of paint properly. If you’ve ever seen a roof repaired with hot, it’s that kind of splash it on and spread it around as fast as you can concept, without losing track of making sure it penetrates the little spaces. It is a sloppy process.

*Edit..Aw Eric beat me with the funny gif lol dammit

 

[Rick W]

Yeah, but that’s only for the bottom if you want to prevent the rust

On top, you have to use a roller