roccov12345's 98 Mounty Restoration Thread.

roccov12345's 98 Mounty Restoration Thread. Back From the Dead & Finished

Well, after some thought and planning, I've decided to go ahead and start the restoration project of my mountaineer. I've been lurking through the explorerforum threads for quite some time. I guess I would call myself an amateur paint/body guy but we'll see how it works out. I'd like to say thanks to "MONMIX" for some influential chime ins and threads that I've studied and added to my book of notes. If you guys notice anything that I should change or attempt differently, just let me know. Constructive Criticism in my book is help, whether it's positive or negative.

I have about 30 hours in her so far and I'm sure plenty more to go. Well, on with the pics!

The Original, yes, those are aviator wheels.

The start:

LOL

Stripped down...

<

My kiddies...

Little dent repair..

Dent Repair Complete....

More pics to follow from this past weekend........

 

['97 V8]

nice so far. Also im diggin the is300 in the garage.

 

[TarHeel085]

looks good, so what are your plans for it?

 

[roccov12345]

To tell you the truth, I'm really not sure what my total plans are. The truck is more or less a street truck, not off road, it's lowered right now with 4" blocks in the rear and the TT Flip with the bolts all the way out. The car was originally two tone and I know for sure thats gone. I might shave up the rear hatch and get rid of the rear wiper. I have a set of GEN 2 explorer wheels that are chromed, see how those look. I could have easily went out and bought a set of 20's but I'm trying to go for something unique. As for a color, I have no fricken clue The car had a decent amount of areas that needed to be fixed, the roof had some paint peeling off, a dent in the back fenderm, before I bought the car the driver's side was keyed. So instead of just repairing the sections and blending the whole truck, I said screw it. Any ideas?

 

[roccov12345]

[QUOTE='97 V8]nice so far. Also im diggin the is300 in the garage.[/QUOTE]


Thanks!

 

[MONMIX]

ya got a low spot

in the photo right before the primer photo

see the white paint in the oval shape ? That is a low spot where your sanding did not remove the paint because the metal is dented.

Other than that it looks like you are doing every thing right. I hope you have namy baggies and / or containers and you didnt put all the nuts and bolts in one big bin !!!!!!!

Good luck and keep us in the loop

 

[EMG7895]

Looks good except for that low spot. Keeping all of the parts bagged up is a good idea too, I can usually get away with throwing them in a pile if the project is only a day or two but with somthing like that unless you have the worlds greatest memory you will have no idea where all those piecs go.

 

[roccov12345]

ya got a low spot

in the photo right before the primer photo

see the white paint in the oval shape ? That is a low spot where your sanding did not remove the paint because the metal is dented.

Other than that it looks like you are doing every thing right. I hope you have namy baggies and / or containers and you didnt put all the nuts and bolts in one big bin !!!!!!!

Good luck and keep us in the loop

Yeah to tell you the truth, It was nice that the paint stayed white in the low spot, it was easier to see. The bad thing was that the dent went through the small crease of the wheel well. I think I got most of the line/crease back together. I filled it a about 3 times then primered and I could still see a little crease. So, I re-sanded down the primer and added a little more metal glaze and now I can't see it. I keep trying to feel for it with my eyes closed and I can't feel a thing. I guess I'll know when I get some paint on it. Those pics were fresh after I sanded down the paint.

 

[roccov12345]

Looks good except for that low spot. Keeping all of the parts bagged up is a good idea too, I can usually get away with throwing them in a pile if the project is only a day or two but with somthing like that unless you have the worlds greatest memory you will have no idea where all those piecs go.

It's funny that you mention the bag part. I have about 45 zip locks in my basement lol We have a 75 % finished basement in the house. The 25% is full with my truck lol!

 

[99SportX]

Awesome man. I wish I could tear my X down and fix everything up. I am not at that point in my life yet though.

I can't wait to see it all painted up.

 

[roccov12345]

Awesome man. I wish I could tear my X down and fix everything up. I am not at that point in my life yet though.

I can't wait to see it all painted up.

You know to tell you the truth bro, I thought it would have been a hell a lot worse than it actually was. I think the only thing you need is some patience, well a lot of it, a good amount of room for the spare parts and a little extra money lol

I think with the tear down, the biggest PITA was drilling out the rivets and carrying four doors down to the basement. lol

 

[toypaseo]

I wonder how bizarre it would look if you paneled in the back rear side windows. Has someone done this already? Like this Blazer...

 

[toypaseo]

[QUOTE='97 V8]nice so far. Also im diggin the is300 in the garage.[/QUOTE]

x2

Didn't happen to drop a 2JZ-GTE in?

 

[roccov12345]

x2

Didn't happen to drop a 2JZ-GTE in?

I wish. I had almost put a down payment on an SRT Stage 2 Turbo Kit but after thinking about the expense for a minute I killed that idea quick. I plan on selling it this spring. I'm into boats, so maybe I'll upgrade mine.

 

[roccov12345]

I wonder how bizarre it would look if you paneled in the back rear side windows. Has someone done this already? Like this Blazer...

That would possibly look sweet, with the rear shaved clean but on a 4 door?

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

i think that would look kinda funny on a 4-door......but great work so far.

 

[roccov12345]

Ok, just a small update. I took a break from the body and moved over to the tailgate. I had backed up into my brothers explorer last year and the lip of my stock tailgate was bent, I wasn't really sure how to fix something that big so I just went and picked up a tailgate from a local salvage yard. It had a few dents as you can see....

New Tail Gate...

I'll be shaving out the old wiper, too much going on back there.

Using the old tailgate for the metal.

Cut these old guys out.

Fit in the newer trunk

Not too shabby, just have to tack it in place and smooth away. Hopefully it comes out straight.

BTW, if any of you guys need any pieces for your tailgate, I have a few extra parts, ie wiring harnesses, two wiper motors, glass, misc.

Back to work!

 

[roccov12345]

Update 2 for today, I got the patches welded in, it was a little tough but I made out.

Now I guess I have about 3 hours worth of sanding lol. I stupidly welded just a tad too long and warped the sheet metal, oh well. Just have to fill it in.

 

[roccov12345]

no, thats not my foot lol!

 

[410Fortune]

I wish you were closer I would trade engine and drivetrain work for body work, nice work so far!!!