MrQ's Red Flyer

[MrQ]

List of My How To's

How to Install First Gen Overhead Console

How to Change Spark Plugs In a First Gen

 

[MrQ]

Some new pics.

Reese Class V Hitch. Picked it up for $60 brand new.

My work space: the little place I have for all my "junk" as my dad puts it. I'm lucky I got this much!!

Manual Shift BG 1354 with complete shifter and shifter linkage. There is also a manual and auto hub in the first pic.

And my TTB 3.73 front end complete with rotors and one yellow jacket nest that it built ON the rotor . Fortunately a little PB Blaster took care of that!! Who knew that it had so many uses??

As you can see I am slowly but surely getting the pieces for the conversion. I am also tracking down a "rebuildable" A4LD. The local junk yard wants $100 for both front and rear driveshafts , but I'll work on it. Also I plan on running a rear disc axle which will probably run me about $200 . Keep plodding on, Dan, keep going!!

Now this does NOT include the tools I will probably need, like an air impact drill to loosen the bolts, a bigger jack and two more jack stands, plus a better assortment of metric sockets. Oh, and more ROOM!!

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

lol, stupid wasps.

I think you will be able to get on by just fine without any air tools. Just need some good breaker bars and arm strength. I'm serious. I've never needed any air tools yet!

 

[MrQ]

Last month I blew out my overhead console. Don't ask Let's just say it had to do with a dumb move on my part with a live wire and an exposed circuit board.

Well, I just picked a brand new (for me) overhead console from a 96ex. I had to switch out housings with my old one due to it being gray. I like the new console better than the old. For starters, the 2nd gen console removed the buttons for the lamps from the circuit board and put them on separate switches so their operation isn't linked to the power getting to the circuits. YAY! Next, the lights themselves seem to be secured much better in the housing. No stupid plastic screw thingy to get lost or broken. Also I believe the replacement temp sensor I got was also from a 2nd gen so it seems to interface better with this console than my old one.

So all in all a good purchase for $22.

I also found out that the guy who owned the truck before me put front tires on the truck that are too small 215/75's to be exact. The proper ones are 235/75's. So right now I have the spare (a 235) on the left front and a 215 on the right. Sure makes for interesting driving.

I have one tire replaced but not put on. Could have something to do with breaking a steel forged socket trying to break loose a right wheel lug .

 

[MrQ]

I got the tire(s) put on. Yes, plural. I tried again to get that lug off and it just wasn't happening. So I decided to head to Wal Mart to get another tire and get them both mounted. "Let them deal with the lug nut," I say.

Wouldn't you know it though, the day I decide to do this they have a bunch of newbie techs working the garage! :sigh: I didn't know it at the time I pulled in, though. The guy in charge told me to go inside to get a quote and the lady inside (ANOTHER newbie) told me to go outside and tell the same guy what I want. I finally made her understand I wanted a quote. I finish getting the quote and head back out to the garage to let the guy know what I want. He recommends getting a rotation. I think, "Might not be a bad idea," and tell him to go ahead.

Now here comes the fiasco. Fortunately, I stayed and watched my truck almost the whole time or I would have been there forever. First the tech couldn't understand what I wanted him to do. It was really quite simple:

1. Take out the new wheel and tire I had in the back
2. Remove the spare and place it in the back of the truck
3. Put a new tire on the right front wheel WHITE IN!
4. Rotate the tires in the rear to the front and the new tires to the back, like so

Front to back:

0--0
\/
/\
0--0

Back to front

0--0
^ ^
| |
0--0

I would have been better off drawing a picture. Finally understanding, they proceed to remove the front right with its infamous lug. The "Chief of Da' Pit" asked who put that lug on, I said I did, but I hand tightened it. He said I over hand tightened it. (umm, yeah right, all the other ones came off fine. Had he ever heard of a seized lug nut?) Then, through a slow process, they got all the wheels rotated and put on. Now this tech started putting the new tire on the rim WHITE OUT. I caught him when he was balancing it and made him do it over again to put the WHITE IN. I finally went back into the office to cool off, but continued to watch them through the windows. That was when I told the cashier (an experienced one) what had been going on and she told me most of those guys out there where techs in training. Perfect . Fortunately, another one of the experienced techs went over all the new guy's work and everything turned out fine. Those guys now probably think of me as a real PITA and other colorful phrases. But it got done, and done RIGHT!

Never going back there again. Never, ever again!!

I also drained out my power steering fluid and replaced it with fresh. It was starting to look like the okie fenoki.

 

[MrQ]

Now it looks like I am going to have to replace most of my cooling parts. My truck is losing coolant like a leaky sieve and I believe the water pump is about to fail. And since that has probably failed and I need to remove the radiator to get to it, I am going to replace the radiator as well. To top it off for a full cooling system overhaul, I am going to replace all the hoses, the thermostat and exchange the motor fan system for an electric one.

Hopefully that will eliminate the problem completely. If I am still leaking coolant, I may have to tackle the engine head

Somewhere in between all this I still need to get new tires on the front, get an alignment and an oil change.

 

[MrQ]

Update my pics and sorted through my mod lists.

 

[MrQ]

I finally decided to get those old driving lights installed. Those things have been hanging around my garage for the longest time.

Day before yesterday I picked up a pneumatic cutoff tool and two 8 x 8 "L" brackets to start fabbing the light holders. That night I measured out the holes and where I needed to cut. Here is a approximate diagram if somebody wants to use it.

It took me a little while to get the cuts done the next day (probably because my air tank was too small ) and get it all measured out right. The angle was the hardest part but this seemed to help a lot.

Also added a nicer looking switch. Not bad if I do say so myself.

On a side note, it seems this page has a had a lot of views, but not a single comment in quite a while. Wierd.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Now it looks like I am going to have to replace most of my cooling parts. My truck is losing coolant like a leaky sieve and I believe the water pump is about to fail. And since that has probably failed and I need to remove the radiator to get to it, I am going to replace the radiator as well. To top it off for a full cooling system overhaul, I am going to replace all the hoses, the thermostat and exchange the motor fan system for an electric one.

Hopefully that will eliminate the problem completely. If I am still leaking coolant, I may have to tackle the engine head

Somewhere in between all this I still need to get new tires on the front, get an alignment and an oil change.

Don't forget to check the ball joints too !

Water pumps are cheap. I can switch out a water pump in less than an hour. Not a hard job.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

I finally decided to get those old driving lights installed. Those things have been hanging around my garage for the longest time.

Day before yesterday I picked up a pneumatic cutoff tool and two 8 x 8 "L" brackets to start fabbing the light holders. That night I measured out the holes and where I needed to cut. Here is a approximate diagram if somebody wants to use it.

It took me a little while to get the cuts done the next day (probably because my air tank was too small ) and get it all measured out right. The angle was the hardest part but this seemed to help a lot.

Also added a nicer looking switch. Not bad if I do say so myself.

On a side note, it seems this page has a had a lot of views, but not a single comment in quite a while. Wierd.

I have the same lights, but mounted under my bumper. One of them filled with water. Now neither work. They only lasted a month. But I haven't looked at them or tried to mess with them at all for several months now. I need to do that. I was still using the cheesy switch that came in the box too.

 

[MrQ]

The one on the left has a crack in the lens, but you won't really notice unless you are right on top of it.

I did pick up a water pump from rock auto for $38 including shipping, but as I have taken a closer look underneath the truck I still can't ascertain where my coolant is going!! :frustrate

I also managed to break the key off in my door lock today, right when I had to go to work! :fire: Stupid cheap FORD keys!! (Same thing happened to my dad's old Escort key, unfortunately it broke off in the ignition and the only way to start that car was with a flat head screwdriver.)

Fortunately, I had found out earlier that my brother's mustang key works in my ignition and since my back window motor is broken and can be rolled down by hand, I now have a very interesting way to get into and start my truck. AND I still have to fish that broken half of my key out of the door lock and find my spare key. Fun, fun, fun!!

Also long time no see!

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Oh my. Well at least you have another working key. Hell would be raised if a similar situation happened to me. 3gen's have computer chips in the key that the truck computer reads every time you stick the key in the ignition to start the engine. Even If you did copy the key into a key that didnt have the chip the key ignition cylinder would still turn, but the computer would then disable itself since it could not digitally read the key.


But thats still unfortunate, Ford must have made the keys thicker when the added the chips. I know I would have trouble just bending mine with long handled pliers.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Water pumps are easy. Regardless of the radiator its not a bad idea to just go ahead with replacing it just to do it, their inexpensive. If the main seal of bearings were going bad in your water pump you should be able to find coolant coming out of the weep hole up top.

 

[MrQ]

I need to take a power washer to that engine. My PS pump has officially given my under carriage its own salt protection.

My WP is so covered I could barely find it, not even going to touch how I'm gonna tell I have coolant coming out of the weep hole...I CAN'T EVEN FIND IT!!

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

What is wrong with your power steering? Sounds like your going to be replacing your PS pump too.

 

[MrQ]

Heck if I know. I checked the fluid before I changed it out and it was gray...GRAY!! The original color was RED.

That plus the new fluid caked on the undercarriage leads me to believe I have a *slight* problem...

 

[MrQ]

Oh I also forgot to mention, on top of everything else, my battery crapped out.

I wonder if my truck hates me.

 

[MrQ]

Got a new battery and my electronics seem to work so much better.

Also I got some new light pics:

 

[MrQ]

Gave Red a nice rubdown today and removed those hideous looking luggage bars and the rear wiper. Found some real nice dings and parking lot scuffs and scratches along both sides of my ex.

/rant Why can people not be nice about opening their doors? Uppity rich folks who own BMW's, Mercedes' and Lexus' keep putting dings in my truck. No respect. Yet if I ding theirs or touch them they would sue me for everything I own. Just because my vehicle is almost 16 years outta date does NOT give them the right to hit my truck!! /rant

And one of my brother's 'stang

 

[MrQ]

The other day I took my truck in for an oil change and an alignment. After about 4 hours of waiting I found out that my truck wouldn't take an alignment because a) the tie rod ends were worn and b) that the wheel bearings were bad. (however I replaced those when I did the brakes earlier this year) They wanted over $700 to do the work + the alignment!!

So I finally picked up a new set of tie rod ends off of RockAuto today. Hopefully by next week I will have a front end alignment.