Betty's "I want to be a mule" progress log thread

The new turd mobile. 2000 Mountaineer v8 awd.



The bad:

Was living it's prior life on a dusty road. Must tear out interior and deep clean.
Driver window off track "or something" and will not roll down. It tries but the rear part wants to stay up.

3 out of 4 door handles have issues. I have 4 new outer handles on order.
Cracked passenger side tail light housing. ( Ebay for some cool tail lights)

Compass-Thermometer thingy lit up and went out--idunno bout that yet

Door locks seem sticky, probably has to do with the handles.
It has a funky purple color trim with red metallic ( you'll have that every now and then)

The good
Gas tank was full
109k miles
I am the 2nd owner!!
Is from the local area, which means no salt!
The undercarriage is fairly clean
No dents to underside panels
Good rubber
Camber shims already installed
Looks like good service records, all recalls were completed.
Clean carfax believe it or not.

The "maybe" bad

The original owner, told the dealership it had a bad "heater core" however I have run it for several cycles, over an hour each idling in the driveay and see no leaks.
However, there was evidence of a windshield leak or the like,I saw condensation on the inside of the windows this AM. The moisture smell is that of water only-no anti freeze smell. I am thinking it could also be a cowl drain which is clogged???? but she did say the passenger carpet got wet.

I tried to get heat, however it is an auto climate control. Being 90 degrees outside, I doubt it would have given me heat.The heater core hoses were hot, and the coolant bypass valve does operate. AC blows Ice cold.

Maybe she meant to say "heater door"???

Anyway--here are the pics.



My intent is to drive this and use it as a tow rig for a light weight off road toy. Mods will be minimal. Edit: This plan did not work out so on to plan "b"

Current visual status

Progress pictures

Now, let's clean it up a little


Herculine'rd rocker panels. Rock sliders installed

BW 4406 True 4x4 Manual transfer case ( AKA Mouse entry point) installed 8-27-2012
Installed newer Tcase from a 2003 11-14-15

Saw a rainbow in Colorado so yeah, time for a picture

And here she is, on top of the highest pass road in North America. Careful tire placement a must!!!

2-2-2013

Changed "color scheme" of the Dick Cepek DC1 wheels. New Falken Wildpeak AT 31x1050x15

Then I decided Maroon washer on the wheels would look better

Update 6-6-2013

New bumpers, winch and Pro LED light . Front Bumper from RLC, Skid plate from RCI, rear bumper from Kert307

Rear anti sway disconnects

Update 9-2-2014
A cracked radiator at 70mph led to engine failure. Replaced with a freshened up a bit 80k mile engine starting on page 23

Found another rainbow in Kansas.

 

[CDW6212R]

Excellent, and the SOHC condenser bracket I can use to mount the trans cooler also. I remember that it's a sturdy metal bracket that runs below and all along the bottom.

 

[Dono]

After pulling my motor so much, probably the best mod ever was Tim showing up with the radiator bracketry from a 4 litre.

I swear, with every subsequent rad pull, I wanted to kiss Tim. lol.
Those rad clips can be, ummmm frustrating. Other times, it went easy. Now, I just don't worry about it.

Any 95-01 radiator will fit with that bracketry.

 

[boominXplorer]

I have the same setup in my ranger but I had to bend the v6 condenser support forward to let the v8 radiator sit without rubbing it. Also when you bend the bracket forward there are 2 treaded portions of screws that need to be trimmed down so they dont hit the condenser when installed.

 

[Turdle]

I can get that LOD reading for you Jon. Its a short easy drive to I-10 where the speed limit is 75. And its straight and flat. Just gotta remember to do it.

Thanks Mike. I know you are busy.

I'll check my coolant and the load too, I haven't used the Scan Gauge in this truck since last year. I've still got all stock parts, other than the 180 T'stat, and deep trans pan. I would like to know what temps I hit delivering mail. I run the AC(MAX 72) all the time if it's above about 80 outside. I bet my coolant is around 190-200 most of the time.

Will a V8 radiator work with the V6 condenser? I'd like to keep the V6 condenser of my 99 truck, with a 306, I like that bottom mounting bracket much better than the V8 stuff.

I'd appreciate it. I will wager the numbers will be in line with Traveler's.

 

[traveler]

Had a chance to drive up and down I-10 this weekend. Once I was on the interstate I set the cruise at 75mph. The LOD wandered between 57 and 62 so we could call it 60. I held the speed for a couple of miles going both directions to make sure I wasn't measuring going up or down a grade.

 

[Turdle]

Had a chance to drive up and down I-10 this weekend. Once I was on the interstate I set the cruise at 75mph. The LOD wandered between 57 and 62 so we could call it 60. I held the speed for a couple of miles going both directions to make sure I wasn't measuring going up or down a grade.

Thanks Mike. It helps to confirm my thoughts.

 

[Turdle]

Well, Good news.
I called autozone to explain the differences in radiators, and since the one I bought is not cooling well enough, they are going to swap out the 2000 rad for a 97 rad free of charge. In fact, I will get a refund because the better one is less money. Whoa!

I am impressed. This is beyond good service IMO

 

[CDW6212R]

Excellent, good service is appreciated.

 

[Dono]

Honestly, I can hardly wait to hear the results. this is the frost back to back rad test between the two styles with no other changes I know of.

 

[Turdle]

Honestly, I can hardly wait to hear the results. this is the frost back to back rad test between the two styles with no other changes I know of.

I'm glad you said that because--

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/make-your-98-01-v8-run-cooler.465777/

 

[traveler]

Great... Now you're making me want to go out and check my radiator.. LoL

 

[Turdle]

@traveler gave me this big ol trans cooler, If I recall correctly he told me it was off a v10 f250

After trimming and stuff I found a good spot for it, low down right in front of the condensor. The mounting hole on the left is the existing core support hole, I used a self tapper on the right side mount.
There is about half the space between the condensor and cooler now, so I think the belt driven fan will draw more air thru it.

If there is not enough air through it, I have room for one or 2 of these now easily.

 

[traveler]

LoL that's pretty much where I have mine. I have 2 fans on mine. I towed the camper yesterday in 100*+ heat abd the transmission never got over 180.

 

[Turdle]

LoL that's pretty much where I have mine. I have 2 fans on mine. I towed the camper yesterday in 100*+ heat abd the transmission never got over 180.

That's great news. Your Mighty EB performs real well, I must say. Thanks for the cooler and being the guinea pig!

 

[Turdle]

Oh, @traveler do you think the fans are needed? Have you run without turning them on to check? Just wondering-

 

[Turdle]

Well, I stuck a fan on there , haven't wired it in though. I think I'll put the switch in the rear parking sensor switch location since the rear sensors are long gone anyway-and it's always lit up saying "off"

Yeah, she's off all right.

I got real lucky, after fitting the fan I decided to see if the skid plate would still fit. It's so close I could claim I did a lot of measuring and complicated maths

I think the fan is tucked away good enough^^ but if was to cut into the upper tab lip I could move it up a bit.
I will mount it higher when I add another, sooner if I don't .

 

[CDW6212R]

That's great, it looks like a perfect fit for the space.

 

[traveler]

It definitely runs cooler with the fans. But mine is sitting above the bumper vents and below the grill. So they help air flow.

 

[Turdle]

I didn't like the fan mount at all so I trimmed the metal above it to allow a better fitment. There was some fan overhang on top, which I fixed by cutting all the way through on the ends, cut just the lower sheet metal lengthwise and folding the remainder upward. The flap blocks the 1/2" space. Here you can see the ledge that had to be trimmed, but you can't see the flap. Sorry.

It tucked in a lot better now

I got the wiring all run allowing for another fan. Wiring is done to the cab, I just need to wire in the switch, which is switching the ground to the relay coil, so no positive voltage is added thru the firewall. I went thru the hood release grommet.

I need to wash her now I think.

 

[Turdle]

Well, take a good look.
Today I driveway washed Betty, and since she saves our life every time I try to kill us, this accidentally came out of hiding

Lots of worn out paint but it all got waxed anyway