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]

Good trip, enjoy being home and sharing some more pics and stories.

BTW, the gas tank is very long, you know, and with the pump near the back it's easy to starve it on downhill roads. You were obviously on a steep long road, that I've worried about before too.

I ran out of gas one day at work, in my parking space. The parking lot is kind of flat, it just gently slopes away from the building. Where I used to park aimed away from the building at the edge spaces, I got to work one day with the light on and knowing I'd have to buy gas at the grocery store next door. I couldn't start the engine when it was time to go, I obviously had very little gas left. It took about 20.5 gallons to fill it total, I had to borrow the mower gas can, for about a gallon or so to start the engine.

So I watch where I park closely when I'm anywhere near empty.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

\
Got down to the great fuel station in vail where gas is 4.75 per gallon

hate to say it, but thats the going rate here for regular. actually, that price is a tad cheaper. and if i am not wrong, we are one of the cheapest places in canada right now. depressing isnt it?

 

[CDW6212R]

Hopefully we will get our oil production up a lot more soon, and it should bring prices down all around us. I hate that places like California have excessive gas taxes, that's onerous to most people.

 

[WormsExplorer]

Tried to but family-truck would not cooperate.

Had a little scare with Betty coming off vail pass with less than 1/2 tank of fuel, more like 1/4 tank. Going uphill the fuel level would show over 1/4, downhill the needle went into the red. I was getting a little concerned when on one downhill plunge the engine just shut off. No dash lights, no check engine light, just no power.

Since all power accessories were going, I shot off the highway at the first place the shoulder would allow, causing my Son in law following in his outback, to almost rear and us.

Got down to the great fuel station in vail where gas is 4.75 per gallon to fill up and it only took 13 gallons.

White Tahoe which filled up right beside us in Loma, Colorado was also at the pump in Vail saying his engine also shut off coming down the hill. We laughed it off, paid for the rape and carried on. So, if you are coming down vail pass going east, be sure to fill your tank before the Eisenhower tunnel. Just a PSA for ya.


anyway, other than that, Betty got us home in one piece, and man do I have a lot of stuff to do around here. Been gone 10 days, dog sitter did a 50% adequate job of dog sitting, and nothing else but eat our food.

I have a brother that lives in Utah and that is the way we go to go see him. Going out we fill in Denver and then again in Grand Junction. Coming home same thing but in reverse order (obviously) LOL Not as much of a rape when getting it in Grand Junction coming back east. Just so everyone knows who ever goes to Moab.

Can't wait to see more pictures.

 

[Turdle]

Fb albums of our journey are in these links, in order

https://www.facebook.com/jon.smith....0211785445134962.1073741843.1334202984&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/jon.smith.18041/media_set?set=a.10211785535857230&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/jon.smith.18041/media_set?set=a.10211785314811704&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/jon.smith.18041/media_set?set=a.10211785433894681&type=3

 

[WormsExplorer]

NICE Pictures. Looks like a lot of fun.

 

[Turdle]

Don, I went with rubber bushings this time around, for a softer feel, and to see if they will last a little longer. However i think it was the severe angle that made the other split so bad.

Went to check the rear brakes out real good, pulled the rotors with no problem.

I could clearly see the emergency brake shoes on the passenger side delaminating. Delamintaing? ok coming apart from the metal backing. I stuck my fingernail under it and pffffflt she was gone. So , joy joy happy days I am now in the middle of this
How to: Parking Brake Removal and Installation (with pictures)

What a major PITA ball breaking ass whooping , ok it is a little more than difficult to change the shoes with the axles in place. It got too dark to finish but i managed to get one side done, and have the rear spring attached with the shoes around the axle, but could not seem to fudge (expletives said here, and many were made up to my neighbor's amazement) fanagle, wiggle or even get them where they need to be. My back is killling me and I doubt I will be able to finish this tomorrow. I can hardly move.
To top it off, I was trying out some new powder stripper the other day, had a mask, rubber gloves and everything, but nothing could stop the part from slipping out of my hands and splashing some sort of nuclearaticmethanechlridichydrolythisawfawkkthishurts acid on my leg. What was a surprisingly tame wound once it was rinsed, has now dried. I managed to introduce it to a puddle of brake cleaner in my attempt to do these dang brakes.

top picture is 2 days after the acid spill.
View attachment 98184



Today it looks like this. About 1 week out. I hardly feel it though because of my spinal nerve damage and the pain I feel all the time anyway.

View attachment 98185







so, to sum it up.

e brakes are a necessity. It is easier to pull the axles out to fix them. If someone hands you a part you powdercoated, and they forgot to cut off and dress it up beforehand, tell them to strip it. If you have a 1 quart sample of powdercoat stripper and were considering a 55 gallon drum to dip wheels, and the distributor of such stripper asked you to send the sample back because it isn't supposed to be in your garage at home, you might consider sending it back, instead of trying it out. Just sayin'

Ok, not quite a year out and I now have a scar that I call my " map of Indokneesia"

 

[traveler]

Ouch.....

 

[Turdle]

Ouch.....

Not anymore- That was last year, right before our camping trip in Co.

 

[Centaurus5.0]

" map of Indokneesia"

HAHAHA!!

That one got me!!

 

[96EXXLTinCO]

Gas anywhere between the tunnel and Grand Junction is pricey. I’ve made that trek quite a few times and even did work putting up cell towers all along I-70 from Genesee to Glenwood Springs 20 some years ago. Prices were no better back then either.

I’ve watched our gas gauges plummet and climb as we’re wheeling but I have yet to have one shut down on either one of us. I know I was lower on fuel then you were at least once in my 96 and still made it all the way down and to a gas station. Interesting though. I won’t be pushing it anymore!!

 

[Turdle]

Hottest day of the year and the MX4 has to do work. It's not always about fun.
Goin' to the dump with old stuff, as I am re building-re designing-moving-trying new things with the powder coating area of garage. Big changes. over 1000 lbs of steel and aluminum stuffs has already gone bye bye. This is just a load of stuff with no value, I'll have another but for now I have to dump this, in the metal trash can is over 200 lbs of material separated out from the cyclonic separator for the dust collector.

The new layout is going to keep all the dust out of my garage. Old one kept the booth clean but everything else got shot with a coat of whatever color was going on today. My way of battling that was my string trimmer powered blower broom, when the neighbors were gone and a nice wind was blowing.


It's gonna be expensive but worth it to me. I don't want the oven to go away, but on the other hand need to park and work on both vehicles in the shop.

I'll update the oven thread with pictures of the new booth

 

[gmanpaint]

Hope you survived the heat better than I did. It was absolutely brutal today.

Oh.... good to see her earning her keep too.

 

[Turdle]

Hope you survived the heat better than I did. It was absolutely brutal today.

Oh.... good to see her earning her keep too.

Other than Joshua pulling in behind me in a city of LaHarpe dump truck, the trip was uneventful . Made a huge dust cloud which in turn gave me dark looking cracks all over my body. Some of the stuff I threw out I had to shed a tear over, even threw a couple items back into the trailer, then back out to the dump.

another heat warning day. I think this will be a good time to powerwash the plastic liners wall pieces of the powder booth and lay em out for heat drying.

 

[WormsExplorer]

She still looks good Jon.

 

[Turdle]

She still looks good Jon.

Thanks, but---

She's a 30 footer. Up close you'll see lots of battle scars.

 

[CDW6212R]

Thanks, but---

She's a 30 footer. Up close you'll see lots of battle scars.

Mine's a 500 footer, the flat black paint looks like a ton of battle scars.

 

[traveler]

Still a good looking Mounty..
If you ever have time.. I'd love a few closeup shots of that cargo rack. I still plan on putting one together sometime.

 

[Turdle]

well, as luck would have it.

MLB was very lucky she had a KHP officer right behind her in traffic. Unlucky because some dude was texting and ran a red light, T boning her in our Avalon

Sheri has some bumps and bruises, and, is going to chiropractor tomorrow for adjustment and check. meanwhile, we are a 1 car house again, with Betty pulling more than her weight.

 

[traveler]

Wow... So glad to hear Sheri is ok. Tell her to take it easy and relax a while. Is the yota gonna be replaced or repaired?