Blue's 91 XLT

[Blue91Ex]

So this weekend I got a little bit accomplished, I bought new rear lock knobs so I could put my door panel back on without breaking my interior handle again (last time the broken knob got stuck on the inside of the panel and I broke the handle trying to unlock the door)

I also FINALLY added front tow hooks, though I ended up finding a set of non-cast, steel f150 hooks rather than my cast iron expedition hooks, as they couldn't be welded to my frame and it wasn't really possible to bolt hooks on without making special brackets, so, I welded these ones on and they should be very rugged

doesn't look half bad and should be more than enough to pull myself and others out of ditches/mud/snowbanks/whatever

random shots because everyone likes pictures

 

[5spdman]

Lookin good! I like those tow points!

 

[Blue91Ex]

Lookin good! I like those tow points!

Thanks! I got more body work coming up before too long hopefully, id like to get the passenger side rocker panel fixed up and maybe start on the front radiator support rust. that should be pretty quick, and after i can start on the rear floor supports

 

[Blue91Ex]

Passenger side rocker panel repairs will be starting this weekend hopefully

 

[Blue91Ex]

Also, say i found a 92-94 explorer with a good transmission, would it be a direct swap to replace the one in my 91? i know a lot of stuff changed a bit between 91 and 92/3...

 

[5spdman]

Trans will be the same, other parts not...I know the manuals, the slave cylinders and clutch master are different from 91/92-93/94...

 

[Blue91Ex]

Some progress on passenger side rocker panel last week, plus a little frame repair Friday and this weekend I am working on a special project I will post about when its finished tomorow hopefully.
Ill post pictures from my laptop maybe since it is a pain to upload them from my phone onto the image host I use.

 

[Rick]

You need to stop by the chatroom. Haven't seen you in ages

 

[Blue91Ex]

I do rick just dont have as much free time anymore, like i have free time, it just gets taken up by everything else. also every time i log on chat, its empty..

anyhow, I finally have my bumper pictures on my laptop so Ill put a few pictures up here and make a more in depth post on the bumphttp://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/blues-91-xlt.380065/page-6#post-3548080er over in offroad fabrication subforum. I also got the passenger rocker panel on and partially attached, but i dont have pictures of it, you guys know what they look like..

anyhow. frame repairs
Rear driver side had holes in it behind the shackle so i patched that with some 3/16" plate that i predrilled for the bumper that i was planning to build on the following weekend.

bumper removal

patch piece before drilling

decided to weld it to the outside for batter access to it for welding. bumper brackets go on the inside of the rail.

don't have pictures of the frame afterwards.

bumper brackets, 1/4" steel

bumper starts as 1/4"x6"x6' channel iron

Cutting and bendning ended friday afternoons work.

 

[Blue91Ex]

Then a whole bunch of odd angle cutting to fit the shape of the truck and allow me to plate the top and ends to fill in the shape
of the bumper.

that was the end of saturday, sunday i added a few more pieces of 14ga plate to the bottom sides (to match the quarter panel trim) and the top (to fill the gaps below the hatch)
and here is the finished product

and then one random picture from saturday just because why not

Hope you guys like it! I think it came out really good for my first actual bumper build and it still has more to come, tabs for D ring tow points, another plate light, and probably bracing in behind it to help stiffen the reciever hitch and brackets.

 

[Blue91Ex]

Truck got new front wheel bearings, brake rotors, lug nuts and hub hardware this past week, I took a couple pictures but they are nothing special. just regular replacement parts. planning to fix some more of the rust soon and hopefully find a parts vehicle with a good m5od and 4.0 engine. never got my trans fixed and the engine is worn out. ticks pretty loud and i can hear some light knock-ish sound on cold starts until the oil has had a chance to circulate around in the engine..

 

[Blue91Ex]

So i am working on another project while driving the explorer since it has proven to be a reliable daily even with the transmission issues. I bought this a month or so ago for 100$ (yes two zeros). it is a 94 f250 2wd 4 spd automatic with 109k miles and a utility body and cap.
I have been using most of my resources to get this truck road ready lately, and having a separate registry may not be the best on here because its not an f-series forum. (I haven't found any of them i like) but here are some progress pictures.

First stages of restoration. new oil change, filter, spark plugs, wires, coolant, brake fluid, and cleaning ( mostly consisting of vacuuming the floor and inside of the utility body out of it)

flintstones edition floor pan.

all fixed. now has a layer of brush on truck bed liner (needs another coat though)

Cap off. cap is aluminum and in great shape. I have two newer front tires and front fenders ready to go on

body is getting an entire new floor and cross braces (already have the sheet of 3/16 diamond plate and 2 of 3-4 of the 1 3/4" sign posts i need)

no holes in the frame! rock solid for not getting washed in like 3 years but driven daily around the college campus it came from

Needle scaled, wire wheeled, primed and painted with a nice coat of gloss oil based rustolium. body is next on the list after a little paint touch up.

I have fenders, tires, and some of the material for the body ready to go. Hoping to get the body back on before its too cold. I do still plan to keep the explorer on the road as well for snow storms (2wd with open diff on the 250 isnt ideal for me) and even if i have to take it off the road for a while it isn't going the way of my ranger. (that by the way is going to turn into a woods buggy soon if i don't do something with it)

Let me know what you guys think!

 

[mr cribb]

Nice. Rust sucks, and y'all up there got lots of it.

 

[5spdman]

Where do you find the time!? I always enjoy seeing your progress on all your projects...nice job!

 

[Blue91Ex]

Where do you find the time!? I always enjoy seeing your progress on all your projects...nice job!

Finding the time certainly isn't easy. As of late i take advantage of evenings when the maintenance garage isnt being used (I work at the college I'm attending and my boss said I could use the shop as long as I cleaned up after myself and kept everything out of the way) so I can usually squeeze in a couple evenings a week and a weekend on occasion.. and Mr. Cribb, rust does suck and I have had my share of battles with it (between my vehicles, my parents vehicles, friends, previously working in a body shop primarily doing rust repair, etc etc) So I am used to it and don't see it as so much of a mountain to climb anymore. It is more time consuming than anything.

I will have more updates on the new truck as well as my explorer, should I work on it any in the near future, so Any of you guys that are interested in my projects will see more of them before too long.

 

[Blue91Ex]

utility body floor on the 250 is all done basically, at least the underside is. just have a bunch of small spots that need some body work now. along with a list of other junk that needs to get fixed like front tires and fenders and interior etc.

 

[Blue91Ex]

Making progress, utility body is getting close to "done" (passes inspection) and I started on a new front bumper a well as a bunch of other little stuff.
You can see i have one of the box doors off in this picture, as well as the paint color that will be on the whole truck, plus the "new" front tires. The bumper is just tacked together, when i get the tubing i need for the internal tow hitch, I will take it all apart and make a few adjustments to the plate before welding them all back together.

 

[Blue91Ex]

Making progress on the explorer's predecessor. bunch of body work and some exhaust work. The bumper isnt going to stay just a tow hitch, that is the structure for the bumper from my last post, but as i am rushing to get the f250 on the road, due to the explorer's registration and sticker running out this month, i had to throw it on there temporarily.

 

[Blue91Ex]

I havent been on in a while, truck came along good, still isnt done, probably never will be, but its all road legal and driving.

 

[Rick]

That would be a sweet rig for a slide in camper