What did you do this weekend? Participation required

[429CJ-3X2]

FINALLY found and fixed the issue preventing adjustment of the headlights on my '04 Sport Trac! When I bought it a year ago in August, the driver's side headlight hit the ground 10-15 feet in front of he truck, while the passenger side light pointed up at the signs and trees on the side of the road. Adjusting the passenger side light wasn't a problem, but I went too far. The driver's side light would never adjust no matter what I did. Driving in unlit areas was actually dangerous.
I finally saw that the nylon cone on the back of the light that is supposed to go through the header panel and get locked in place, wasn't through the header. The top of the light wasn't locked in place, so turning the adjustment screw did nothing. Turns out that cone was too big for the hole it's supposed to go through. The lenses are perfectly clear, so I didn't want to swap the light. The cone attaches to the light with 2 screws, so I swapped cones with an old light, and now I can adjust the headlights! What a difference!! I need to tweak it a little, but now I can actually see the road!

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Headlight went out on the 2002 ST last night. Went to change the bulb this morning and found 2" of water in the housing along with pieces of the broken bulb. Fortunately, it's been above freezing! That's a Ford headlight and perfectly clear, so I'll get the water out and run some clear silicone around it. Meanwhile, I put another headlight in that's not too cloudy, but has a yellow tint somewhat like those yellow night driving glasses.

Transmission has been shifting weird lately. It was way low on fluid. Added fluid and it's shifting better. It appeared to be leaking where the hose going to the cooler connects to the hard line. Added another hose clamp, and discovered part of the dripping was coolant from the top radiator hose which was loose and working its way off. That explains why I couldn't tell exactly what was leaking since coolant and trans fluid were mixing before they hit the ground. Re-positioned and tightened the radiator hose, which fixed that leak. For the trans leak, I added a second clamp, which didn't stop the leak. The leak is actually due to the hard line rusting at the anti-vibration clip that attaches to the radiator. As a temporary bandaid, I cut a piece of hose from the '01 parts truck, split it, slid it over the bad section of hard line and used 2 clamps. That not only didn't work, it made the leak worse. Fortunately, the hard lines between the cooler and radiator on the parts truck look good, and the fittings have been apart since I replaced the radiator in that truck twice. The radiator in the '02 might be original. I sprayed those fittings with PB Blaster. Unfortunately, winter is coming - tonight! Snow in the morning, and the temps are going to drop like a rock, with lows in the single digits and highs in the teens to low 20s for at least a week.

As I was putting the lower cover back on, I remembered how last year started. From early Jan to mid-March, it was one thing right after another. Mountaineer window off the track, dead battery, 4x4 shift motor in the '04 ST not working, then the starter went bad, followed by the starter in the Mountaineer. I've been working on clearing out my hoarder father-in-law's basement, but maybe I should have been clearing out the garage!

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Got the trans line from the radiator to cooler swapped without issue - after 2-3" of snow. Temperature was around 30, and not too bad for January in Iowa. No more leaks! Now it's a matter of getting the right amount of fluid in it.

I knew I was forgetting a thing or 2 in the list of repairs last year, like upper control arm and tie rod ends, new tires, the alignment issues, all on the '02, shackles on the Mountaineer, rear struts and front end parts on our Escort, and probably more. One thing after another, sometimes simultaneously, from Jan 1 into June.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Made yet another trip to Columbus, Ohio last week and paid another visit to the Pick-N-Pull which had another '02 Sport Trac. (BTW, don't put too much stock in the Area 51 parts locating service's descriptions. About the only thing they got right was that it's an '02. It's not a Value, and does not have a 5 spd manual trans.) Scored another rare accessory! It had a genuine Explorer Sport Trac bed mat! I'll post a pic when I get it cleaned up. Had to pay an outrageous price - outrageously low! Charged me a whole $19 and change!

In case anyone in the area is looking for parts, the front fenders have big rust holes behind the turn signal lights, but the rest of the exterior is remarkably rust free. No rust at all at the door seams or tailgate seam. The hood is good and has an air/bug deflector on it. It has a factory bed cover, but the rear latches are missing. Locks are both there, as are the lock covers and cables, but the latches are gone. The tan interior is trashed except maybe the steering wheel which has a cover on it. The stereo equipment behind the driver's side rear seat is there. The premium radio is on the floor, and has probably been exposed to weather. Under the hood is a mess. I wouldn't take a chance on anything in the engine compartment.

Had a bit of excitement on the way back from the salvage yard. I was in the center lane of I-71 going 60-65 with cars beside me in both the right and left lanes. Some idiot decided to make it 4 wide and passed between me and the car in the right lane! I didn't see him until he was beside me!

 

[410Fortune]

Crazy ass drivers

Went to the lost in the 50s car show w my dad
That’s me getting in his gt500 …a little nervous because dad’s driving us to town. Normally I drive he is getting older
662 hp! Scary fast car

I’ve been stripping a 79 f250 for a friend of mine it’s getting an off frame restoration

The 400 ci truck engine will be replaced with a 460 crate engine

It was a great weekend

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I have a friend in his mid to late 80s who owns a '05-07 Shelby. Not sure of the exact year. It's turbocharged with a bigger intercooler, cam, and other mods. He took me for a ride a few years ago, and jumped on the interstate. Definitely the fastest car I've been in. I asked him how fast we were going on the entrance ramp, and he said, "I don't know. I never look at the speedometer." He told me once that he hit 150 coming across Montana or Wyoming, and held it there until he caught up to traffic. His health isn't so good now, and I haven't seen the Shelby since last summer. He let me drive it a couple of miles in town once where the speed limit was 25-30. I was a little nervous since it had been years (decades) since I drove a car with a manual trans. Trucks, but no cars.

 

[410Fortune]

I drive a stick daily
The Shelby clutch and supercharged throttle pedal take a few Minutes to get used to it is easy to give it waaaaaay too many rpm
I have had this car up to 90 I didn’t dare go faster
it was awesome
Normally I am in town doing 25-45
It now has 1450 miles on it haha

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Here's the bed mat I bought in Ohio 10 days ago. The dark spots are water as I had washed it and it wasn't completely dry when I took the pic. It has a couple of paint spots near the bottom (tailgate), but it's pretty good! Best one I've seen! Also the only one.
Now, which truck to use it in? Probably the '04 since it would be more covered up in the '02 with all the stuff I have in it, and it'll get less wear in the '04.

 

[swshawaii]

Factory bed mat is the best accessory I've ever added to my Sport Trac. Had a plastic gas can slide across the bare bed that tipped and leaked after making a slow turn. Got lucky years ago and scored a NOS mat from another owner that sold his truck before using it. IMO, a rubber bed mat is a must have for the slippery bed.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I used to have a '78 F100 short box, and stumbled across a mat for it on clearance at KMart years ago. Truck later burned, but I saved the mat and have used it or parts of it over the years. I kinda wish I hadn't cut it now because I could use the ST mat as a pattern to cut it to fit my other ST.

Over the winter, videos about truck bed organization kept popping up on YouTube. Half were about keeping things from sliding, and half were about retrieving things from the front. A rubber mat, 2x4, and a plastic office chair mat would solve most of their issues. I have a strip of a chair mat in my truck largely because I used to have to haul printers occasionally, and needed to be able to slide them in and out on a flat surface. Now my crate of tools slides on it without scuffing the bed or tipping between the ridges of the bed.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Got these at the local salvage yard last week. I'd seen the truck about a month ago, but it hadn't been processed and put in the yard yet. I almost passed on them because they were so filthy. I knocked some of the dirt out of them before I took this photo. Couldn't even see "Sport Trac" on the front mats before I whacked them.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

This

This is what they look like today after much cleaning. That's as clean as they're going to get. The remaining stains aren't coming out. Glad I didn't pass on them! Especially for $7 and change.

 

[410Fortune]

I have those some Matt’s I love them very durable