$200 V8 Project

[RandomNerd2000]

I am going to post pics when it's completely finished, I'm editing a full montage to put on YouTube. At the moment it's kinda a nasty mess, engine is greasy from where it was rolled in that other truck and the Eddie Bauer is two years bath free by itself. I fell in love with the thing all over again first time I drove it around the farm I live on, there was a place I could get it up to 50 no worries and it felt like an amazing truck, and runs out great. It's truly the truck I always wanted, and more special to me than buying one now. The truck is priceless to me.

Your truck is one of two that motivated me to build mine, I always wanted one of the two and couldn't have either up until yesterday so I built my own.

I miss driving a V8 every day, not gonna lie at all about that. I love my 96, it's a clean old truck, but I miss my V8 power, there's just something about it. That said, I got a call about 4 yesterday, a good friend offered me one of the trucks I built my Eddie Bauer over. He offered me a 2000 Eddie Bauer, white, V8 AWD, with around 200K miles he said. It's in need of some TLC now, it's gone downhill the last three years. There's a good chance I buy it, I've always at least wanted it, because again it's one of the trucks that inspired mine.

 

[koda2000]

What color is your EB?

 

[RandomNerd2000]

It's Spruce Green, with a tan interior. It's a beautiful truck, my favorite color second gen by far.

 

[koda2000]

It's Spruce Green, with a tan interior. It's a beautiful truck, my favorite color second gen by far.

That's one of my favorite color's too.

 

[CDW6212R]

It's Spruce Green, with a tan interior. It's a beautiful truck, my favorite color second gen by far.

Is that this green, which my 99 Limited was before I reconstructed it? I like the darker greens most, and there is a "forest" green I'm planning to Maco paint my 99 again later.

I bought a new Mountaineer grille in that color years back to replace the chrome style I don't like. The Mounty grille never thrilled me, but the painted version is okay. That's a 3rd gen emblem BTW.

 

[koda2000]

Yes, I believe that's the green (it always looks grey in photos). Green has always been my favorite color. I like the dark greens also, but that lighter green with the gold trim and tan leather interior looks really good to my eye. My first ordered new car was a "Bullet" green Mustang (Highland Green) '68 big-block Cougar with tan interior. I also had a '70 Mustang Mach 1 in Black Jade that was an interesting color) and '95 Corvette in Polo Green, which was similar to the Ford Highland Green. There's one color green that the Gen II Explorers were available in (IDK what they called it) but I can't stand that color. It looked like a metallic algae green.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

That's the green, it's a beautiful color detailed, that's my favorite part of my Eddie Bauer. The dark green trucks I've had, my 96 is a better green than my 01 I had, although a dark green 99-01 Limited is a pretty truck if the clear coat has stayed. @koda2000 I know of that color, there's one in the junkyard here, has a green interior too.

 

[CDW6212R]

That's the green, it's a beautiful color detailed, that's my favorite part of my Eddie Bauer. The dark green trucks I've had, my 96 is a better green than my 01 I had, although a dark green 99-01 Limited is a pretty truck if the clear coat has stayed. @koda2000 I know of that color, there's one in the junkyard here, has a green interior too.

I thought I had a picture of that dark green, on a 98 Limited I missed out on four years ago. My 99 is the old 93 Dark Tourmaline color, great when nice, but tough to match. For a work truck that needs paint(dead hood and roof from painter buffing it too much in 2001), I'll do that 98-01 color I think.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

So I got the flex plate out of this truck, and how I drove it for MONTHS with the flex plate broken is amazing, the plate has been broken long enough there was rust in the break. When it broke, I presume when the AC compressor knocking saga came and went all by itself, there came a "tab" sticking off the plate, which got stuck on the side of a bolt head....

I drove this truck for MONTHS with there being nothing more than a tab holding the world together, the reason it finally let go is the tab twisted until it let go. I can look at the break and tell it's been broken the entire way around for months. This truck was tough. I'm probably sticking the transmission back in it if I'm honest, see no signs of damage.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

So I'm well on the way to reassembled. The flex plate had been broken loose for months I believe, there was a metal tab that by some miracle got bent off the broken area, and jammed on the bolt. It finally let go when it wore THROUGH the bolt. The knocking I had was the tab hitting the bolts. How I ever drove it that many months I'll never understand. The good news is the transmission TC nose was still stuck in the motor, so I'm putting it right back in. Gonna do the front spindle conversion to 2WD too while it's apart, and the tie rods. Ball joints are good, do the back brakes, and then put it back on the road. Even got the bolts loose and the inner one out to do the manifold.

To recap, I'm actually putting some work in it I said I wouldn't. It's either that or finance something newer for working with, which I might do before it's over and sell this truck. If I do sell it, I'm fixing the manifold, and hanging the cracked one and the broken plate on the shed walls.

 

[koda2000]

You do realize you can't leave the TC stuck on the engine, right? It has to be fully seated in the transmission before the trans and engine are reunited.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Yes I've done the 4R70W more times than I'd like to admit, so I'm aware of that fact. I was stating the nose was still seated in the engine to simply make the note that I think the transmission survived this really well.

 

[CDW6212R]

If the fluid looks great, and it shifted fine besides the flexplate symptoms, I agree, use it.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Well it's almost completely back in, was a complete fight, the motor has always had one of the passenger side bell housing bolt holes on the motor missing, looks like it broke off, but oh well. Getting it aligned was a pain but it's back in, gonna start the finishing touches in the morning. Did figure out my exhaust manifold "crack" is actually a blown gasket square underneath cylinder three. Explains why the starter was already gross. I'm changing the manifold anyhow though, went ahead and pulled the inner collector bolt you can't get to hardly, it wasn't even tight.

I'm also debating buying that white Eddie Bauer I've been tossing around and putting the drivetrain out my Mountaineer in it, as many times as I've had a V8 drivetrain apart the last six months I could do the rebuilding pretty quick.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

So 250 miles down, smiles per gallon? Not sure but I haven't quit smiling yet. I missed my friend, old car was my friend, I can't say I've ever enjoyed a vehicle as much as I did this one.

Got the stuff on the way to actually do the manifold, new inner and outer tie rods, am going Monday to get a set of 2WD spindles for the front. Replaced the back brake calipers and pads too, should solve it eating back brakes. Pulled my Mountaineer front bumper for it too. I plan on making a decent vehicle out of it at long last, or at least not quite so ghetto. It runs a lot smoother, I believe the plate to have been broken a long time.

I am looking still at the white Eddie Bauer, despite it having 321K miles, I'm debating rebuilding another Eddie Bauer.

 

[koda2000]

Congratulations! I can appreciate how good it feels to find/fix a nagging problem and to then enjoy a vehicle once again. I just did a tune up on my 90,000 mile '09 Fusion 3.0L V6. It runs super strong now. I've got 5 qts of Mercon LV coming next week for the transmission and then it's just coolant to be replaced in the spring. The Fusion has reminded me that transversely mounted engines are a PITA to work on. Had to pull the intake (and everything attached to it) to change the rear 3 spark plugs. I'm ready to go back to rebuilding my '01 Sport Trac's engine, but I've got 6 more weeks of medical crap to deal with first.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

So it rolled 294K miles, and I've been working on it a lot lately. I replaced the inner and outer tie rods, put a set of rebuilt 2WD spindles underneath the front, completely different to drive. I'm planning to get the manifold and all that good stuff on either next week or week after. I've also been debating a set of 1.5" lift shackles since the leaf springs are nearly flat, it leans backwards really bad sitting stock and unloaded. They're like $40 off eBay and beat replacing springs by a long shot.

Things I've still got to do or figure out is, my radio has a bit of a static to it just sitting sometimes through the speakers, acts weird too. It's an older Boss touchscreen from like 2010 I ran across, it's likely due for replacement. The last Pioneer I had in there got possessed acting too, so I'm curious if there's a ground problem maybe.

It needs shocks terribly, I discovered they're all OEM and they look like a pain in the butt to change. I also plan on replacing some stuff that's been put off, like all the belt idlers, the AC compressor I patched to make it to winter, just the odd and end problems. I might even undertake making the manual locks working power locks again, I'm feeling brave and the actuators are cheap enough.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

So new problem, I've got a surging at red lights sitting still and lean on both banks, just barely enough to trip the codes. First thought that came to mind is fuel pump is tired. Filter is due but was done at 272K miles, air filter was done at the same time. At the current rate I'm going to be in this one as far as I went into my Eddie Bauer. Beats me why I wanna build a third.

 

[410Fortune]

lean both banks on returnless 302 usually = weak fuel pump
As long as your PCV is still seated in its grommet and no obvious air leaks in the intake

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Yeah, I've never actually done one, despite that I actually bought the truck originally with the claim it was bad. It just started, also seems a bit weaker than normal so I'm thinking pump. It's high time if it's never been done, or even if it was done around the normal 150K mark, it's due again.