'94 XL Sport - Dark Plum

[PoodlePuncher]

Before i can start driving this thing, we've gotta address the smell.
I'm no stranger to Varmint infested vehicles dragged out of a field, but this truck is rank...
The only way i can describe it is "mouse piss and Axe body spray..."

Yesterday i pulled the seats and carpet, which helped a lot

What I found underneath the carpet, was not surprising...
actually, it's better than expected

it's still pretty solid, so i should be able to clean it up for the time being...

 

[PoodlePuncher]

last night i started cleaning the disgusting seats...

Before:

After (First pass):

not perfect, but it'll do for now...
The amount of filth i extracted from just the drivers seat belongs in that thread about disgusting things found in a vehicles...

 

[PoodlePuncher]

Today, I installed the passenger seat on the drivers side (to allow me to move it around), and i started cleaning up the passenger seat tracks.
Knocked off the crusty rust with a wire brush, then coated what it left with Naval Jelly.
once they were clean and dry, i sprayed them with rust encapsulating primer.

Next weekend i'll give em a coat of enamel to protect them, and move on to the drivers side

with those drying, i moved on to that sloppy shifter.
it appears someone had started, because the rubber boot was already unscrewed from the floor, and the shifter bolt (don't know the technical name) was already backed completely out. i just had to give it a light tap with my hammer, and it popped loose.

(Note: look at that nice clean seat )

based on how the shifter was moving, i expected the top bushing was shot, and the pins were sheared off...
NOPE!
Pins were fine, but there were no bushings at all!
just the wave washer sitting all lonely at the bottom...

it was evident that someone had been in there before based on the orange RTV (WTF!?)
but why would they completely remove the bushings? (Double WTF!)

Either way. 10 minute job, and the shifter feels good now.
nice positive engagement into each gear.

Next weekend, i'll give the cab a deep clean, and address the rust on the floor.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

You may want to check the seat upholstery. Some of them come off and can be tossed in a front loader.

Have done it. A lot easier than rug scrubber.

 

[PoodlePuncher]

You may want to check the seat upholstery. Some of them come off and can be tossed in a front loader.

Have done it. A lot easier than rug scrubber.

yep, i'll do that later, if i make a second pass...
the benefit of taking the time with the extractor, is to get the stuff that's soaked into the foam.

if this had been a daily driver, and not some vermin infested farm truck, i would've just disassembled them.

Also, these seats were so disgusting, i didn't want them anywhere near my washing machine

 

[SenorNoob]

Somebody may not have removed those bushings. I've put them in before and gone back a few years later to find the same thing. Just gone. I suspect they wear enough to break up and fall into the gears. Or the ones I had were made of something that dissolves in ATF.

 

[PoodlePuncher]

Today, i started the rust remediation on the floors...

Drivers Side
Before

Knocked down the rust with a wire wheel on my angle grinder

I ran out of Ospho, ordered a new bottle earlier this week, but it won't get here until sometime next week.
Ended up picking up a bottle of Rust Kutter, as it was the only thing i could find locally...

covered the area liberally

This stuff is supposedly safe on paint, and won't dry on non rusted surfaces...
Checked it about an hour later, and it looks like it's done a pretty good job.

The black areas should be "converted", but i'll go back over the remaining crusty areas and repeat the process before sealing everything up.

 

[PoodlePuncher]

Passenger Side
Before

Wire Wheel took care of most of it.

Rust Kutter did a good job cleaning up what was left.
Here's less than an hour later

Still a few pieces of the sound deadener that i need to remove, and a couple spots near the door seal that i will readdress...
but over all, this side is looking really good.

 

[bobbywalter]

damn....

definitely always worth pulling belt and spinning pullies with a dragging starter....first thing i did with the 300.

i suspect the inner tube/fill tube on the filler hose are or were kinked with a tank drop or bed pull at some point....or just fell off.


pull it and check.....might just be a bees nest....or rat/mouse/critter bed


sux cooking the grounds....no telling how many gremlins are in the system now with melty melty wires....rain/damp....winter salt will make for some ghost chasing

 

[PoodlePuncher]

Yeah, I took a look underneath, and the fill hose looks fine.
at some point in the near future, i'll pop the bed off, and just replace it, and the vent.

Talkin ~$30 in parts.
totally worth it as a "while you're in there"

 

[PoodlePuncher]

Today...
I continued working on the cab floor.
degreased, and scrubbed the entire floor.

I got the floor pans sealed up.

I only sealed the areas that were treated.

There's still a bunch of spots i still need to address before new carpet goes in (or old carpet if it cleans up well).
but this will do in the meantime.

 

[PoodlePuncher]

With the Cab drying, i focused back on the seats.
(also because i need my motorcycle lift table back in service.)

The Seat rails are complete, and the hardware is cleaned, cataloged, and ready for reassembly.

I completely disassembled the seats, removed the covers so i could wash them further (round 2).

The seat backs did ok in the washing machine, but as i had feared, the foam in the bottoms, didn't hold up so well.

Both the filter in my washer, and the dryer screen are filled with this

It's fine... as it was mostly from the sides, so they'll be fine for now...
I'm in the market for different seats anyway (these are covered in cigarette burns).

Coming up...
I've got shipments from Rock Auto and LMC on the way, so when i get back later this week, this heap should be ready for the road...

 

[PoodlePuncher]

I've spent the last few weeks thinking about what i want to do with this truck...
short answer is, nothing too drastic...

I'm not interested in all the new tech, or current trends...
I keep thinking I should build it like i would've back in the 90's...
It's not a Mid-Life Crisis, It's a throwback.

mild drop, not slammed, mostly just to level it.
the back end currently sits as high as my GMC Sierra

It came with the exact tonneau cover i prefer, just need to order replacement canvas, since it's pretty worn out.

Rear bumper will need some attention sooner or later, so a rollpan might be on the docket.
but will cross that bridge when i figure out what i'm gonna do about the bed (fix it or swap for a clean step side)
no rush there

The top of the dash is super beat up, even missing chunks of plasitc...
rather than fix or replace it, a period correct dash mat is already on the way.
(i actually ordered it the day i bought the truck )

Back in 94/95, I (like the industry) was obsessed with tri spoke wheels, and definitely would've gone that route back then...

I remember drooling over the Boyd Coddington 3 spoke...

or the slightly more affordable (and technically still available) Frisco & Durango, by Colorado Customs

But in all reality, i would've resorted to using a factory take off, since Ford had several styles to choose from...

today the universe dropped these in my lap.

$100 just down the street.
Being that they're off a 94/95 Mustang, they're period correct, but i'm not a big fan of running spacers.

Probably gonna pick them up. worst case scenario, they can be backup wheels for my 93 mustang.
/Shrug

Anyway, I don't know how long i'm gonna have this truck, and I have no delusions of building something show quality.
I'm not gonna dump a fortune into it (i have other vehicles for that).

Basically something i can enjoy driving, until i don't.