A few pics of my old gal (and my POS Sport Trac)

[koda2000]

I wish I had that problem. Where I live, it usually doesn't rain enough to get the ground wet so the light mist of rain cools the air causing a breeze that picks up dust to stick to the wet car. The first time I washed my 68 cougar, it changed colors. It sat in a field at my parents house for 13 years. I brought it to phoenix, cleaned it up and sent a picture to my mom all excited about how the car was white again. She sent me a picture of when I first got the car, it was a light yellow color.

My 68 Cougar was a GT, Highland Green with tan interior and a black vinyl roof. Vinyl roofs were all the rage back in the late 60's and 70's. Seems dumb nowadays. Do your sequential tail lights still work? In they do, put on a turn signal and turn on the hazard flasher and watch what happens. Pretty cool.

 

[Josh P]

My 68 Cougar was a GT, Highland Green with tan interior and a black vinyl roof. Vinyl roofs were all the rage back in the late 60's and 70's. Seems dumb nowadays. Do your sequential tail lights still work? In they do, put on a turn signal and turn on the hazard flasher and watch what happens. Pretty cool.

The sequential signals still work. The car is still mostly original and in decent shape for the age. I bought the car from a co worker at my first job when I was 18. The original owner was a retired chp officer. The car had 239,000 on it in 1998 and is at 242,000 now. Motor is original except for the timing gear, which was plastic and failed at 80,000 miles. Next year I will take the car to a restoration shop. I like the car and have way too many projects to restore it myself.

 

[koda2000]

Once last pic (side view)

And my POS Sport Trac...

 

[EB4X]

Do your sequential tail lights still work? In they do, put on a turn signal and turn on the hazard flasher and watch what happens. Pretty cool.

On my / the 'WJ' Jeep Grand Cherokees - in headlight on mode - the inner and outer front parking lights oscillate back and forth just like a police / emergency vehicle would...and when removing the inner bulb between them that stays solid it's more noticeable / distinct.
Believe it or not, one evening I heard a gal screaming for help....ran out to see car racing around/ with screaming gal inside....jumped into my white / with black trim J.G.C. (coincidental color scheme-not trying to look like cop) and gave chase....put hazards on knowing affect and eventually "pulled over" car.....turned out the gal had mental issues and her sister (driver) was trying to 'get through to her' with tough love stance and wouldn't let her out of car....hence racing around so you couldn't exit door....more intense details - like gal hanging out door of car going 40 mph but you get the picture....was on phone with police of course / 911 giving coordinates of chase!

 

[donalds]

Once last pic (side view)

And my POS Sport Trac...

Sport Trac looks good to me
Way nicer than mine

 

[410Fortune]

I would take that ST off your hands since it is such a pile
The cat can come too if too attached to the trac to give it up.
Would fit right in the shop with the 3 other sport tracs around here and the 3 other cats

I friggin love sport tracs
4 door ranger or sport trac, that IS the question

 

[koda2000]

I would take that ST off your hands since it is such a pile
The cat can come too if too attached to the trac to give it up.
Would fit right in the shop with the 3 other sport tracs around here and the 3 other cats

I friggin love sport tracs
4 door ranger or sport trac, that IS the question

I like really the Sport Trac too. Great design, but... Right now the engine is in a million pieces and is ready for me to pull it out for head gaskets and timing chains. This truck is a POS not because of the way it looks, but because it's been such a lemon and sooo unreliable. I bought it sight-unseen for $1000 w/180K on it, as a non-runner, 4.5 years ago and it's given me nothing but trouble since.

A list of stuff I've fixed over the past 4 years (and what needs to be fixed):
Replaced fuel pump and filter (made it a runner)
On first drive I found oil pressure zero at idle
Dropped lower oil pan and removed a inch of sludge, cleaned the clogged oil pickup screen
Replaced lower pan gasket
Replaced valve cover gaskets (found more sludge in left head)
After a month of driving it developed a front timing chain rattle
Installed the Ford 00M12 kit (no improvement) began pre-oiling engine w/starter motor
Installed intake O-rings
Replaced PCV valve
Flushed engine twice and replaced oil/filter multiple times
Replaced t-stat (twice, second time with a Motorcraft)
Replaced cracked windshield
Installed Bosch Evolution wiper blades
Put 4 new tires on it
Replaced cracked coolant/WS tank
Replaced hood struts (after hood broke my drop light)
Replaced the #3 cyl spark plug and wire (PO had replaced the other 5, breaking stuff)
Flushed cooling system
Replaced leaking radiator twice (second one warrantied)
Replaced hoses and serpentine belt
Replaced idler pulleys and belt tensioner
Put new brakes front and rear
Installed new upper/lower ball joints
Installed new front/rear sway bar links
Replaced worn driver's door upper hinge
Diagnosed window problems (only driver's window worked)
Replaced master window switch
Replaced mirror adjustment switch
Replaced every part in the left rear door except the latch (PO destroyed it)
Replace both rear interior door handles
Replaced body mount bushings with Prothane kit
Replaced battery tray (PO had sawed the front of the old one off to replace a headlight bulb)
Diagnosed why A/C didn't work and repaired (top broken off high pressure switch by PO)
Diagnosed why heat didn't work (bad blend door actuator and vac line off heater control valve)
Replaced transmission filter and fluid (fluid is still black)
Reverse band slips on hills (maybe a bad EPC solenoid) forward gears okay
Replaced the complete rear end assembly (every part in old one was trashed)
Replaced console lid (old one broken)
Replaced both cruise control switches (covers were totally gone)
Would like to replace sun-melted steering wheel
Repainted all silver trim in interior
Removed gauge cluster to clean out dust and dead bugs
Replaced all interior light bulbs and non-working HMSL
Replaced HVAC control panel (lights intermittent)
Added a white overlay on HVAC controls to match gauge cluster
Need to reupholster driver's seat with new foam
Had an axle break and lost a wheel at speed, destroyed brakes and backing plate
Replaced axle and other damaged parts
Replaced non working left front door lock actuator
Had 2 recalls performed
Cleaned an absolutely disgusting interior and P/U bed
Bought a used OE Sport Trac bed mat
Installed temporary front seat covers
Replaced cracked tail lights
Cleaned and detailed body and engine
Replaced torn-up front bumper cover
Fixed broken fog light bracket
Fixed bent-down rear bumper
Fixed non working key locks on cab and bed cover
Retrieved keypad code and replaced missing key fobs
Bought a spare OE RF key (still need to cut & program it)
Replaced missing rear bed cover lock retainer clip
Replaced missing rubber lock cover on bed cover
It could use new shocks F & R
It could use new front brake rotors,w/bearings and seals
Needs to have t-stat housing replaced (going with Simmons metal housing)
Needs a new battery
Needs a new oil pressure switch (sometimes sticks)
Need to straighten front tow hook mounts and weld/bolt them back to frame horns. if ever a vehicle needed tow hooks it's this one.
Maybe I should rebuilt the trans while the engines out???

When it's fixed I'm giving it to my daughter. Then it can be her problem

 

[EB4X]

WOW....I think the only thing that didn't need replacing was the radio volume knob!

 

[koda2000]

WOW....I think the only thing that didn't need replacing was the radio volume knob!

Yeah, this poor neglected truck received no love during it's previous ownership. By doing all the repairs myself and using used parts where it made sense I wasn't upside-down on the truck and I got 4 years use out of it (20k mostly around town only) for hauling and errands, but after repairing the engine (and maybe the trans) I'll definitely have more money into this truck than it's worth, but the body is in great shape w/no rust (always a GA truck), other than the driver's seat bottom the interior's quite good and and I know I've already fixed everything else so I can't bring myself to scrap it. Once it's fixed it I think it should be worth in the area of $3500. What I love about the ST is having the people carrying ability of a regular 4 door Explorer plus having a covered P/U bed (albeit small) on the back.

 

[EB4X]

I always liked the S.T.'s looks....the semi-aggressive modern looking front end...and seating of four WITH a bed in back but not full size so easier parking etc.....too bad Ford didn't offer it with the 302.... would've been perfect pretty reliable rig then....but as mentioned yours is almost there at this point.

 

[koda2000]

@donalds (or was it @410Fortune? who mentioned a cat?) I don't think that's a cat under the ST. It's maybe my 26 lb Dachshund/terrier mix. A cat wouldn't last around my house with 5 dogs. We had a barn cat for a while, but it decided to move to a neighbor's house.

If it is a cat, that pic is from 4 years ago.

 

[koda2000]

I always liked the S.T.'s looks....the semi-aggressive modern looking front end...and seating of four WITH a bed in back but not full size so easier parking etc.....too bad Ford didn't offer it with the 302.... would've been perfect pretty reliable rig then....but as mentioned yours is almost there at this point.

Ford did eventually offer it with the 4.6 V8, but yeah I wish it was a 5.0L.

 

[410Fortune]

Dog or cat?

Should have put a 302 in that sucker!! Hindsight....I know I know
That is a LOOOOOONG list.... but at least you did not give in!

I have seen people go down that road so many times, this is why in my shop I normally skip right over the sohc and 5r55e
Well done it looks nice! Hopefully your daughter appreciates all of that, hopefully it quits being a lemon!!

 

[koda2000]

Dog or cat?

Should have put a 302 in that sucker!! Hindsight....I know I know
That is a LOOOOOONG list.... but at least you did not give in!

I have seen people go down that road so many times, this is why in my shop I normally skip right over the sohc and 5r55e
Well done it looks nice! Hopefully your daughter appreciates all of that, hopefully it quits being a lemon!!

If I was 20 years younger I definitely would have just done a 5.0L/4R70W conversion, but at my age it was just too much hard work.

 

[BruceExploder]

So clean! Man I'm jealous

 

[410Fortune]

That's why you gotta let me do the 5.0 for you
Those are some CLEEEEEEEEN trucks!! The drivers seat bottom looks like near new on the Eddie.

 

[koda2000]

That's why you gotta let me do the 5.0 for you
Those are some CLEEEEEEEEN trucks!! The drivers seat bottom looks like near new on the Eddie.

@410Fortune - Where do you live? FLA? I'm in Northwest GA.

We finally had a cool morning today, so I decided to wrestle with the last 3 transmission bolts. The one on the driver's side (the one with the steel bracket that supports the trans wiring) was the one I'd struggled with during my last attempt. It gave me a hard time again today and took me over an hour, but finally I hammered a 3/8's drive shallow 1/2" socket over the head of the bolt, after bending the freaking wiring bracket up out of my way, and using a 3/8'sX1/2" adapter and numerous 1/2" drive extensions I was able to get the bolt out using my 1/2" pneumatic IR impact wrench at 120 PSI set on maximum power. I had tried it with 3/8's extensions and I think the extensions were twisting because the bolt would not budge. Then I removed the top trans bolt via the engine compartment and the last trans side bolt from the passenger side. I thought there were supposed to be 2 top bolts, but I only found one. I know there's one dummy hole, but there was also a second empty hole near it... Maybe one top bolt was missing? With only one bottom trans bolt loosely holding the engine and trans together I can now see light between the two, so the engine is ready to be pulled. I just need to bring my cherry-picker up from the basement and get some chain and shorter metric bolts to attach to the front and rear of the heads and it's coming out.

Oh, I replaced the EB's driver's seat bottom, when I first bought the truck in 2012, with new leather cover from theseatshop.com. It's a perfect match, fits great and wasn't very hard to install.

 

[H2opro]

Clean trucks! I live in mn so both of mine have rust. My 06 f350 was I Texas and GA. So that's rust free. I park that one for the winter.

 

[koda2000]

Update on my POS Sport Trac:

Note: This will also be posted on the Sport Trac sub-forum under my "SOHC engine removal" thread (retitled) SOHC Engine Removal

Today was another beautiful day. I woke up to temps in the mid 60's so I was very motivated to get stuff done. Cleaned out 1/2 of my garage to gain lots of work space. Moved junk down to the basement. Dug out my cherry-picker and dragged it up to my garage towing it behind my tractor. Took the hood off the ST again (it wasn't bolted on) and took a alternator bracket bolt to Ace Hardware to get 2 shorter bolts and washers for my pick points on the heads, removed the plastic valve covers, attached chains to the front of the left head and the back of the right head and lifted the engine slightly so I could remove the engine mount plates, did a final check to make sure every thing was disconnected, supported the transmission and started jacking the engine out. It came out surprisingly easily, It's out baby! Pictures to follow.

 

[EB4X]

so I was very motivated to get stuff done

Awesome....always good feeling at dinner time / night looking back that you bit the bullet that day and made some headway!
Question is when you're all done and she's purring like a kitten are you sure you're going to be able to give this to your daughter ?