And the rebuild continues!!!

[dads2vette]

I picked my 97 Mountaineer up on ebay sight unseen...OK, get those horrified looks off your faces. Got it for a grand so I knew what I was getting into. I've restored a few cars in my day and am fairly capable of most major projects except, well more on that later. If I haven't done a job before I ask lots of questions and watch as many videos as possible without driving anyone crazy, having someone put a restraining order on me or going blind.

This is what I have done so far:
steering rack
both control arms
left front axle
ball joints
remanned tranny
rebuilt front drive shaft
transfer case
rotors
minor stuff here and there

I figure I have about $1600 in parts so it's probably closer to $2000. Still the way I look at it it's a total of $3000, plus knuckle skin and blood, for a truck that I know what's right and wrong with and that runs great.

Next challenge: the brakes lines. I blew a line coming home from dinner last night. You know when one goes, they're all pretty much shot. Done a few of them before and to be honest I suck at it. I never can get the darn bends just so. So if you have any hints or ideas or, holy cow, a parts list just let me know.

As for that one thing I won't do. It's rebuild the rotating assembly in a motor. If I am rebuilding a motor I'm upgrading in performance. It's just cheaper and much faster buying a crate engine. Besides, I know my limitations. Anything that requires a micrometer I leave to the pros.

Thanks, Dave

 

[Goldmaster]

I just replace the main rear brake line and rear wheel brake lines yesterday, see this thread, it has a lot of info. Maybe it will help http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236951
I posted what I did at the end.


Don't worry about bending the lines, the Polyarmour stuff they have out now is a piece of cake to bend by hand, you really have to bend the piss out of to kink it. Much better than the old steel lines they had back in the day.

 

[dads2vette]

You sir, are a credit to the automotive world! You make it very easy, this is why I love car forums!

Dave

 

[Goldmaster]

Glad I could be of help. I'm a newb to this forum, but not to automotive forums. But this is the first Ford forum I've joined. They definitely are a great resource since so many others have been there and done that before, so they save a lot of time and money. I joined to learn all I can about the $600 Explorer I recently picked up, and help out whenever I can too. I'll soon be tackling some of the stuff you have already done to yours, so maybe I can pick your brain when I get there

A little off topic here, but what kind of Vette you got? I've been a lifetime GM fan (even though my last name is Ford lol). Been working on the Chevy LT1 motors for years in the GM b-body cars.

 

[dads2vette]

My current fun project is an 81 vette. Not numbers matching. I was waiting to pick up a mid-year but I was tired of seeing $25,000 "rebuildables". I chose this one as a project for my kids and I so I knew from the start it was going to be a keeper. Turns out my two boys don't have an interest but my 15 yr old daughter has lots, to make up for their indiferrence. There isn't too much that she hasn't been able to help me with. She's threatened me that she'll start dating if I ever sell the thing

I've restored or rehabbed depending on the work I felt like putting into them were mostly Camaros, 67, 69, 71, 76, 77 78, 79. They were cheap way back when... The 69 was the only big mistake. Tried putting a built 350 into what used to be a 6 cylinder car. I ran into more problems that i could handle at the time. The 67 and 79 were the best ones to play with. The 327 in the 67 was a great motor. The only other vehicle I brought back from the dead to make into a zombie...wasn't real pretty looking but ran well, was a 72 ltd convertible. You could play football in the back seat of that thing.