Project Vehicle - 1998 Explorer Limited

[GLOCKer]

Excellent job. That arm rest is precious, it's leather, only the rare Limited's have that. Take care of it, almost all others are torn at this age. The seats and top edge of the door panels are leather also, use a good conditioner for those.

BTW, that wood grain trim, uses a glue that is fairly hard at this age. Mine has it too, very rough shape, and the far right vent piece I removed a little at a time. The trim will come off, but the glue underneath may not come off fully, and would take a long time. I'd keep it as is, or buy trim from another 95-99 model with the same medium grey interior.

I have some pieces that I got painted 12+ years ago, through a group buy here, a carbon fiber dipping process. It looks awesome, and I'll be using it in my 98 Limited. But the radio bezel I did is the AWD/2WD version, without a 4WD switch. I don't think I'll need it because my truck will have the 4WD BW4406 transfer case before long. I'll eventually sell this bezel, hopefully to someone with plans for the similar CF trim etc.

I was shocked that the center console cover is "salvageable" on mine. I cleaned it up from nasty condition and plan on conditioning all of the leather surfaces in the Ex. I have two concerns with the leather in my Limited:
1.) The driver seat has a blotch of red paint on it. (I'll try solvents, working with weaker solvents progressing to harsher solvents until it's off.)
2.) The steering wheel is actually in good shape but the leather feels rough to the touch and has black gunk rubbed into it.

I've been debating about what to do with the wood trim and I think I've decided to just clean it up. I've been concerned about trying to remove it and tearing up the surfaces they are stuck on.

 

[GLOCKer]

Ah, a man up to my own OCD (perhaps beyond).

For what it's worth, here's a link to my Sport Trac resurrection. The title was "New Toy" but in retrospect I should have called it New Turd... LOL. You may find some useful info in there. I was lucky in that the '01 ST's came with a rubber mat rather than carpeting, but the disgusting factor was still very high.

.New Toy

In the business i work in, typically our vehicles have rubber flooring; it makes body fluid easier to clean up! LOL Sometime last year we stole a county engineer's truck from out behind my county's fleet services (it had been put out for auction) and I cleaned it up and drove the hell out of it. It was a 2001 Ford Ranger 4x4 with the 4.0. The rubber mats were easy to clean with the carpet cleaner wand. It was filled with 17 years of red Georgia clay from various construction sites.

 

[CDW6212R]

Your driver's seat looks relatively great, most are torn in some amount, and that's really hard to fix. My seats are rough, left torn, but I'll use them for my 99 as work seats. For mail delivery, they'll be fine for me.

The paint you have it may end up taking some paint solvent to soften, but maybe a little scraping might be needed if it's tough paint that won't soften. Leather in top condition is very strong, weak and brittle it'll tear easily. Go easy with it if you can.

Use lots of leather conditioner to start with. I had a great Eagle 1 product that they quit making 15-20 years ago, a single conditioner(now it's all both conditioner and cleaner(you aren't supposed to let it soak indefinitely)). I have some high end brand now(quart containers), and it's suitable to put on wet and thick, let set/soak in, wipe after a day later. That's the best way to get the real conditioners deep into the leather, then it becomes more pliable, and softer.

 

[koda2000]

I saw a car show on TV a few years ago. They were dealing the leather seats in some 50's European roadster "barn-find". The seats were in really good shape, but the leather was really hard and dry. W/out lots of conditioning the leather would have torn pretty quickly. The guy removed the leather from the seats and liberally conditioned it from the back side. Then later he conditioned it from the outside, using his hands to message it in. He was using some hi-end detailer product, I think he said it had lanolin in it. When he was done the seats were like new and soft as butter.

You can get Explorer replacement leather seat covers in OE colors and patterns (I've installed them and they are a perfect match in my Eddie Bauer, however I've never seen replacement covers for the Limited seats.

 

[CDW6212R]

I use my conditioner by hand, no rags/towels. I use a sprayer on the large bottle, spray a little on gently, and spread it by hand. Use a rag to wipe off the edges and excess, but leave it as wet on the leather as possible. Over hours the leather will absorb it. When very dry, it will take several applications to soften the leather a lot.

 

[koda2000]

I use my conditioner by hand, no rags/towels. I use a sprayer on the large bottle, spray a little on gently, and spread it by hand. Use a rag to wipe off the edges and excess, but leave it as wet on the leather as possible. Over hours the leather will absorb it. When very dry, it will take several applications to soften the leather a lot.

I use Lexol leather conditioner and apply by hand also. I let it sit for an hour or so and then towel off any excess. It seems to work pretty well. I think I'd have to go to a professional detailer shop to maybe find anything better.

 

[CDW6212R]

You made me go look, what I have now is called Leatherique. It was about $85 IIRC, for both quarts shipped. Every other brand many years ago had no conditioner without some cleaning chemical mixed in with it, so wasn't good to leave on for long. I found this stuff about ten years ago, after buying many other brands. This is the thickest conditioner and closest to what I had in 1996 from Eagle One(two separate products(now they have a conditioner/cleaner)).
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=automotive&field-keywords=Leatherique+

The Lexol looks like a decent choice now, I see a separate conditioner in searching now.

I woudn't use a combination leather product, plus I have several of them(old brands I don't need).

 

[GLOCKer]

I think I'm going to try that Lexol. Looks like a good amount of it in the bottle at a reasonable price on Amazon.

 

[GLOCKer]

A friend of mine from the BBQ team I'm with saw my Facebook posts about my Explorer and reached out and offered me a Class 3 bolt on hitch for My Explorer. I'm going to take him up on it and ditch the bumper ball. I hope I can find the cap for the hole in the bumper!

 

[GLOCKer]

Quick question:
The parking lights and high beams on my Ex work but not the regular headlights and fog lights. I'm hoping the problem is just burnt out bulbs. Are there any common issues that also could cause this? Thank you!

 

[CDW6212R]

There are relays for those lights, but the fog light bulbs often are burned out. It's the age of the components now, 20 years is a long time. I'd plan on buying the bulbs for the fog lights, and the relays are beginning to need replacement(odd symptoms will pop up).

I discovered my fog lights were lit on my Mercury recently, while I was just checking the trickle charger. I never used the key, I just popped the hood and saw them on after I was done. The relay had failed, so I removed it and threw it away. That's when I figured it might be time to replace them all. There are a lot, and scattered around, so I haven't gotten to them yet.

 

[Spudhut]

Awesome effort...I can appreciate the hard work. I am the same way, I hate dirty 'broken' vehicles.

I really enjoy the restoration aspect in making things better than they were and the hunt for the not-so common parts. I'm even considering a new paint job on my V8 project. With all the time and effort I have in it, its becoming a real attachment to me.

I cant wait to see the finished product.

 

[GLOCKer]

Awesome effort...I can appreciate the hard work. I am the same way, I hate dirty 'broken' vehicles.

I really enjoy the restoration aspect in making things better than they were and the hunt for the not-so common parts. I'm even considering a new paint job on my V8 project. With all the time and effort I have in it, its becoming a real attachment to me.

I cant wait to see the finished product.

My wife was iffy about me taking on this project, but mentioned I could flip it for a profit. But...

I get attached to my hard work! I'm enjoying this thing as a project and I'm sure I'll enjoy driving it!

When I was in college (1999 to 2003), my crappy Ford Tempo gave it up and I was on foot without a car for a long time. A friend of mine had a really nice 1998-2001 Ford Explorer that her parents bought her new. She'd leave a key in it for me and gave me the door code; I used to borrow it all of the time. I really enjoyed driving it and now I've come full circle and own one myself!

 

[GLOCKer]

I just ordered fog light bulbs, headlight bulbs, and Lexol. I bought front and rear windshield wipers and a replacement center console latch over the weekend. Ouch! These little nickel-and-dime issues are adding up!

 

[koda2000]

I get attached to my hard work! I'm enjoying this thing as a project and I'm sure I'll enjoy driving it!

I'm the same way. Most of my life I purchased new cars every 2-3 years and never got particularly attached to any of them. When I retired in 2002 (and with the price of new vehicles today) I could no longer afford to pay $35k-$40k for new vehicles. I've always liked Fords and SUV's. After fixing up the '01 Explorer XLT V6 turd my daughter bought back in 2011 and driving it for a few weeks I decided to look for a much nicer, better optioned V8 example and found my '01 Eddie Bauer. I was surprised at how affordable these vehicles were and didn't mind repairing whatever was wrong with them, as they're easy to work on and the parts are inexpensive. Before I knew it I bought 5 more Explorers/Mountaineers and my entire family was driving them. Currently we're down to three, with no plans to acquire any more, but I get a great sense of satisfaction keeping the vehicles on the road and, while I was no stranger to working on cars/trucks, I've become quite the Gen II Explorer "expert" in the past 8 years. Love these trucks. They may not be stylish by today's standards, but I still often get complements on look and condition of my 17 year old EB.

 

[Spudhut]

@GLOCKer - I go to the JY alot here and there are alot of Ex's in stock. If your looking for anything in particular, I can keep an eye out.

 

[CDW6212R]

@GLOCKer - I go to the JY alot here and there are alot of Ex's in stock. If your looking for anything in particular, I can keep an eye out.

That is a kind thought. Hmm, let me make a list.

 

[Spudhut]

Bring it!

 

[GLOCKer]

@GLOCKer - I go to the JY alot here and there are alot of Ex's in stock. If your looking for anything in particular, I can keep an eye out.

Thank you! I'll keep that in mind. Right now I'm only learning what I'm missing! LOL

 

[GLOCKer]

I'm trying to do something to this thing every day, just to chip away from it and get it on the road in a presentable condition. Today I had a long and hot day on the firing range, and then had to come home and get some lawn mowing that I've been neglecting done. So, the only things I got done today:
-New front windshield wipers installed
-New air-filter installed
-Found out the rear windshield wiper I bought doesn't fit

And that's all I'm getting done today!