Betty's "I want to be a mule" progress log thread

The new turd mobile. 2000 Mountaineer v8 awd.



The bad:

Was living it's prior life on a dusty road. Must tear out interior and deep clean.
Driver window off track "or something" and will not roll down. It tries but the rear part wants to stay up.

3 out of 4 door handles have issues. I have 4 new outer handles on order.
Cracked passenger side tail light housing. ( Ebay for some cool tail lights)

Compass-Thermometer thingy lit up and went out--idunno bout that yet

Door locks seem sticky, probably has to do with the handles.
It has a funky purple color trim with red metallic ( you'll have that every now and then)

The good
Gas tank was full
109k miles
I am the 2nd owner!!
Is from the local area, which means no salt!
The undercarriage is fairly clean
No dents to underside panels
Good rubber
Camber shims already installed
Looks like good service records, all recalls were completed.
Clean carfax believe it or not.

The "maybe" bad

The original owner, told the dealership it had a bad "heater core" however I have run it for several cycles, over an hour each idling in the driveay and see no leaks.
However, there was evidence of a windshield leak or the like,I saw condensation on the inside of the windows this AM. The moisture smell is that of water only-no anti freeze smell. I am thinking it could also be a cowl drain which is clogged???? but she did say the passenger carpet got wet.

I tried to get heat, however it is an auto climate control. Being 90 degrees outside, I doubt it would have given me heat.The heater core hoses were hot, and the coolant bypass valve does operate. AC blows Ice cold.

Maybe she meant to say "heater door"???

Anyway--here are the pics.



My intent is to drive this and use it as a tow rig for a light weight off road toy. Mods will be minimal. Edit: This plan did not work out so on to plan "b"

Current visual status

Progress pictures

Now, let's clean it up a little


Herculine'rd rocker panels. Rock sliders installed

BW 4406 True 4x4 Manual transfer case ( AKA Mouse entry point) installed 8-27-2012
Installed newer Tcase from a 2003 11-14-15

Saw a rainbow in Colorado so yeah, time for a picture

And here she is, on top of the highest pass road in North America. Careful tire placement a must!!!

2-2-2013

Changed "color scheme" of the Dick Cepek DC1 wheels. New Falken Wildpeak AT 31x1050x15

Then I decided Maroon washer on the wheels would look better

Update 6-6-2013

New bumpers, winch and Pro LED light . Front Bumper from RLC, Skid plate from RCI, rear bumper from Kert307

Rear anti sway disconnects

Update 9-2-2014
A cracked radiator at 70mph led to engine failure. Replaced with a freshened up a bit 80k mile engine starting on page 23

Found another rainbow in Kansas.

 

[gmanpaint]

Pssst--Don, we cheated with AWD----shhhh!

:shifty_ey

 

[CDW6212R]

:shifty_ey

You knew that.

I do like the AWD, I wish it had become more common 20 years ago. My favorite cars are older and way before the AWD trend. The new SUV's and trucks don't seem right with car bodies and AWD, sitting a little low etc.

 

[Turdle]

Oh
Being silly by running those 2 little drag races and driving like a nut at the park resulted in our average MPG display dropping from 17.3 when we got there to 16.5 when we left the park, over about 3/8 of a tank used. Just a tidbit of info.

In Kansas on the long stretches this truck can get some MPG's, but once it gets into areas where the speed gets inconsistant the mileage is lower. Braking wastes fuel. I am convinced performance mods geared toward handling might be key---

 

[techieman33]

Oh
Being silly by running those 2 little drag races and driving like a nut at the park resulted in our average MPG display dropping from 17.3 when we got there to 16.5 when we left the park, over about 3/8 of a tank used. Just a tidbit of info.

In Kansas on the long stretches this truck can get some MPG's, but once it gets into areas where the speed gets inconsistant the mileage is lower. Braking wastes fuel. I am convinced performance mods geared toward handling might be key---

Yeah I was at least nice and gave the v6 guys a big handicap by running in 2wd. I got 17mpg on the way down spending about an hour of my time on little rural highways hard on the gas and hard on the brakes. Then got 21mpg on the way home just cruising 4 lane highways at 68-70mph.

 

[98 5oh XLT]

*thinks another broken manifold bolt should happen >_> But ill hide the divorce lawyers

 

[Turdle]

*thinks another broken manifold bolt should happen >_> But ill hide the divorce lawyers

Shhh, she might see this.

 

[dkchrist]

*thinks another broken manifold bolt should happen >_> But ill hide the divorce lawyers

LOL, I can see it...

 

[Turdle]

Well, it isn't good enough ol gal gets us around in great comfort at 18mpg's
oh no, not good at all. Today she decided she'd like to be a bird call, chirping like a sparrow. It was quite embarrassing.

The chirp was in "tune",so to speak, with the engine lope, so I felt the top of the cam sensor and sure enough it was vibrating with the chirp.
I consulted my hunting regulations, and determined no fowl were in season, so, the shotgun was out. Hmmm, what to do now?

I kid I kid, all i had to do was remove the 5.5mm cap bolts off the sensor-and, without even unplugging it, I swung it out of the way and shot about 2cc's or so of transmission fluid inside, under the rotating cap.

Replace the cap, tighten the screws and now she's quiet again, just like good ol Ford intended.

15 minute fix. If you do not hear of this again, it means it worked.

 

[CDW6212R]

Well done Jon. I have not had to mess with one yet, knock on wood.

 

[wood1]

I like your logic Jon!

 

[Turdle]

We needed larger tires if we go to Colorado. My lovely bride said no, but Gmanpaint and Twiztid said ok.
So, I accidentally allowed Puff to bolt on a new set of shoes.

I'll probably re coat the wheels later, but for now they will do the intended job.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Those look awfully familiar. They wouldn't have happen to come off a certain '97 Mountaineer would they?

 

[Turdle]

Those look awfully familiar. They wouldn't have happen to come off a certain '97 Mountaineer would they?

Could be--

 

[Turdle]

Wanted to check for tire rub.

coilover helper shocks in rear, all swaybars connected. I realize disconnecting will allow more flex, but it also allows more cv breaking. We'll live with this, it will be great for where we are going.

Trying to stay low.

 

[Albino 94LTD]

Yup!

There's plenty of trails in Moab for that much (little) flex

 

[rickybobby]

I think a little more lift in the rear may be in order, check to see if the tires bottom out on the tubs, mine did with 32's and 2" of lift, so with just coil helpers you may have the same issue. With the limited flex in the front you need all you can get out of the rear.

 

[Turdle]

Removed the running boards, and applied herculiner to the rockers. Holes filled with cloth tape.

Looks like it was lifted about 3" compared to this

 

[CDW6212R]

That looks good, and I'm glad to see that color without the boards on it. I'm wondering if I can find the Saleen side skirts, and then swap my running boards for those. I never use the running boards to get in or out really. I'm on the fence, ...plus very slow.

 

[Albino 94LTD]

I don't see any tow/pull points yet!

 

[dkchrist]

Looking good! Looking pretty good for some back country cruising