Going Further - 1986 XL 4x4 Restoration Build

[Kenobi77]

Focused on the interior today. Got the seat cleaned in anticipation of a seat cover and took the time to insulate the passenger door. Here’s the process:

I cleaned up the inside of the door with a solution of Purple Power. Once this was thorough, I applied butyl rubber over the factory vinyl or whatever it is in there. This REALLY helps cut down on the vibration and following the vinyl is really all that’s needed. 3M has a butyl substitute which is about twice as effective using half the material; had I known about this when I purchased the materials last year, I would have gone with it instead. Terrible picture, but gets the idea across. Ignore the overuse of foil tape to seal the gaps.

After that, I applied Frost King duct insulation—as I put on the cab floor—over a larger area. I then cut 3M Thinsulate SM400L to the same area and applied it with 3M 90 spray adhesive. Works, but is messy. The picture is of the driver’s side for the reason of it being prettier:

Here are the measurements in inches for the individual pieces (left to right):

2 x 18 3/4
16 1/4 x 18 3/4
6 x 18 3/4
7 x 18 3/4

I finished it up by sealing the top with foil tape so water doesn’t have a chance to get behind anything and will run onto the hydrophobic Thinsulate.

This stuff is, honestly, magic. My truck used to read 70-71 decibels at 65mph. After installing the Thinsulate just in the driver’s door, it dropped to 67-68 decibels. Doesn’t sound like much, but remember that the decibel scale is logarithmic. Insulating performance is just as good as the soundproofing, too.

No, I am not paid by 3M, nor anyone else.

I sourced the Thinsulate from diyvan.com and will be sourcing from them again to make backings for the door panels.

On another note, the u-joints and other parts finally came in and they will be getting installed in the coming days. Quick question I’ve been meaning to ask: this thing came in a Bucket-O-Parts the previous owner had from the work he did on the truck. I never figured out where this goes even though it’s probably something obvious. Any help?

 

[SenorNoob]

Good info on the insulation. I've considered doing the same. Looks like it just moved up the list a little bit.

That look similar to the guard around the high pressure fuel pump. IDK it well enough to say that's what it is... But definitely close.

 

[Kenobi77]

Good info on the insulation. I've considered doing the same. Looks like it just moved up the list a little bit.

That look similar to the guard around the high pressure fuel pump. IDK it well enough to say that's what it is... But definitely close.

Nice to hear. Keep in mind, if going off my “guide” at all, that there were a couple additional inches height-wise I could have added. I chose not to so as to not risk obstructing the waterway to the weep holes during application. Once the insulation makes contact with the adhesive, that’s it. Better be happy with where you placed it.

Regarding the mystery bracket: a guard for the fuel filter was my first thought, but that was quickly disproven. Will have to keep looking.

 

[Kenobi77]

Update time! Been a while. There’s not much, relatively speaking, but a little progress is better than none. The passenger door has now had insulation in it and the door panel is back on there. Additionally, the panel has a backing layer made from TAI 1547 Thinsulate. Pics soon.

New shocks are in and it feels great to have gotten the POS Gas-Matics out of there. To anyone reading this who may be in the market for shocks: STAY AWAY from those. I put only 10,000 miles on them and three of the four are already blown.

Diverting attention to replacing the front spindle bearings. Everything was fine until I got here. And, subsequently, stuck. Not ashamed to admit I don’t know how the F the damn spindle is supposed to come out. Help and advice is wanted. Ignore the bent backing plate.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Its been awhile since I've done one. Its a bitch. Piece of 2*4 and a bfh... Knock the spindle back and forth until it walks it's way out.

 

[jballard81]

Not the most exciting update, but progress nonetheless. I got the exposed wire in the engine bay patched up today; had to cut the wrap lengthwise and superglue it back together. Works well. Apologies for the picture being out of focus.
View attachment 111625

I’ve also been working on the battery tray for the past couple of days. This is what it looked like when I started. Not the best pic, but it will do:
View attachment 111595


I honestly expected none of the metal to be salvageable, but taking a wire brush to it revealed good structure. Once again, sorry for the picture.
View attachment 111596

Have Ospho working magic on it and the weatherstrip rust as you read this. Will update soon. Additionally on the interior, I installed a firewall boot in preparation for gauges under the dash to be hooked up. Was very simple: just removed the grommet in the engine bay, pushed out the precut circle in the insulation, and viola.
View attachment 111623
View attachment 111624

Definitely the easiest way to do this. I’m admittedly lazy when it comes to drilling into things and try to utilize as many factory plugs/byways as possible, though I will admit that I’m still trying to settle on the route for the lines to the gauges (right in front of the transfer case shifter). Any thoughts?

On another note, I’m still waiting for parts (yay FedEx ) so I can’t do much else right now. In the order are new u-joints all the way around. Here’s the original rear drivetrain joint for your entertainment:

https://imgur.com/a/wzT6aFZ

That ujoint looks mint!

Replaced all 3 of my ujoints recently on the rear ds. Wasn't too bad until I had to remove the slip joint to replace the carrier bearing. Broke a brand new puller, bent the heck out of a second one even with a big ass hammer and a lot of heat.

Also broke my old vise! But it was time for an upgrade anyway

Good looking truck. I enjoy seeing them being brought back to life!

 

[Kenobi77]

The rear brakes are now done: new drums, shoes, hardware, and self-adjusters. The top of the leading shoes were apparently popping out when stepping on the pedal, which had led to a visible discrepancy in wear on them. I’m thinking this was caused by the drums being turned a little too much. To answer something that might be in your head: no, I did not notice any drag or problems while I had been driving it.

With all this, I also now have a functioning parking brake…long overdue.

The driveshaft is in a shop at the moment getting a new rear yoke. I think it needed it.

Here are the picture of the insulation. I cut it to rough shape by laying it on the panel and staying approximately in the middle of the vinyl folded onto the back. This actually worked out really well and didn’t require much trimming. After that, I made small cuts for the clips. Probably only a 1/4”, and it was perfect. Cut out the door handle opening and made incisions for the armrest mounting bolts; I used the original paper backing as a guide here. Word of advice for anyone who might want to do this, too: just cut out the whole of the armrest squares on the insulation. My original cuts frayed and made mounting the thing a huge PITA. While at it, cut a circle where the spring goes, too, if you have manual windows.