What did you do this weekend? Participation required

[429CJ-3X2]

I drove across an uneven grassy area to get to the softball field at my church Thursday and heard a loud pop. Noise got louder and more frequent before I got back to the parking lot. A quick look underneath confirmed my first thought - sway bar endlink broke. Ordered MOOG Problem Solvers online from Advance Auto. Reg price is $21.39 each. By ordering online and using the discount code and a Speed Perks reward I had, I got them both for $32.03, tax included.

Putting them on this morning, I found the broken one had been broken for some time, but didn't make it known until Thursday. On the driver's side, I had to jack the end of the sway bar up to get the puck on top of the sleeve in place. On the passenger's side, I had the opposite problem, and had to pry the sway bar down just to get the nut on. And when I tried to tighten the nut, the bottom (and I assume the top) puck was bulging, but the middle ones weren't even seated and I could turn the sleeve by hand. I drove about 2 miles hoping things would settle. It helped a little, and I eventually got it tightened.

 

[sickwilly]

From when I bought it the step bars on my 05 were bent up in the rear. Prior owner (family member) put it in a ditch.

This weekend I straightened all the brackets out in a vice, repainted them, and installed the step bars on my new old 03.

I know some like how it looks better without them, but I am often getting in and out with lots of work crap and like the functionality of them.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I checked the air in the tires of my '01 ST. They were all about 30 psi, so I pumped them up to about 35. Not a huge deal, right? WRONG! This truck has just a little slop in the steering, I think due to wear in the steering shaft itself. At 30 psi, both the steering and ride feel soft, and it feels like it wallows a bit on the road. At 35 psi, the ride and steering are much firmer. Drives like a different truck.

 

[Sdb017420]

Finally got the light bar I got for my son for Christmas wired up. It is mounted to his roof rack. I also put side lights and rear lights on the rack. I wired it with trailer wiring for the quick disconnect ability. I plan on wiring my ST the same way so I can run the rack if I need it. I have 4 toggle switches, 3 for the roof and the forth for something on the front that we have decided on yet.View attachment 96578 View attachment 96579 View attachment 96580

Finally got the light bar I got for my son for Christmas wired up. It is mounted to his roof rack. I also put side lights and rear lights on the rack. I wired it with trailer wiring for the quick disconnect ability. I plan on wiring my ST the same way so I can run the rack if I need it. I have 4 toggle switches, 3 for the roof and the forth for something on the front that we have decided on yet.View attachment 96578 View attachment 96579 View attachment 96580

Hi, I'm new here, but I've been reading up on here for the month or so I've had my ST. Mind if I ask what you used to paint your cladding and wheels? I'm going to paint mine this week. From what I've seen, I think the Krylon Fusion gloss black will be my choice. That truck looks about the best I've seen, nicely done

 

[tjtheman007]

Picked up a 10,000lbs tow bar on craigslist for the sport trac, then the next Monday (took off work) Found a nice yakima roof rack (off a sport trac) and the elusive neutral tow kit that i needed with using the tow bar! $30 total for everything! (Picked up other wiring in preparation for a v8 swap)
The weekend after, i put the roof rack to work picking up some kayaks from a friend of mine!

 

[N2FORD]

Thanks for the compliment. On the cladding I used Rust-Oleum ultra cover 2x satin black, it works on plastic. It covers well and is holding up well. On the wheels I did plasti dip black. I used it in case I wanted to take it off at some point. When I use tire dressing on the tires I spray it on the wheels also to give it a shine. Make sure to prep the surfaces good before spraying.

 

[sickwilly]

Previous owner of mine used plastidip and as you can see above, it faded and is peeling off.

 

[Paul Fithian]

I am about to do a test on my cladding using Krylon's new Supermaxx satin black. It has outstanding adhesion to polypropylene, the material the cladding is molded with.

See http://www.krylon.com/featured-products/supermaxx/

 

[Sdb017420]

I am about to do a test on my cladding using Krylon's new Supermaxx satin black. It has outstanding adhesion to polypropylene, the material the cladding is molded with.

See http://www.krylon.com/featured-products/supermaxx/

Awesome, hope it works well. I used to use fusion all the time, but if I recall correctly, I think they axed that for the Supermaxx lineup

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Fusion can still be found, but generally in colors you'd never use on your truck - I hope! Probably just old stock they haven't run out of.

The not quite 4 year old Monroe air shocks on my '02 ST recently began losing all their air after a couple of days. This came about rather suddenly. I sprayed soapy water around the bottom of the bladder and connections, but didn't detect any leaks. Also changed the valve core. Still lost air, so yesterday I set about swapping them for Gabriel Hijackers. If I had known 4 yrs ago I could get Hijackers at Autozone, I never would have put Monroes on in the first place. (I quit going to Autozone 20 yrs ago when they couldn't find a listing for a starter for my '78 F100 with a 400. A 400 uses the same freaking starter as a 351M and a 460, but they couldn't figure it out.) Anyway, I ran Hijackers on my '74 Ranchero for 30 yrs, and I think I only used 3 sets. Maybe just 2. I think I had Monroe air shocks on another of my Rancheros for a short time, and found them inferior to Hijackers. But it's been 25 years since I bought any. Hijackers have the bladder inside the shell, are rated to 200 psi and a limited lifetime warranty, vs 150 psi and a 2 yr warranty for the Monroes. You'd never get anywhere near the max psi on either brand, but it does make a difference in how they perform at lower psi.

After removing the 11 yr old OEM shocks and putting the Monroes on 4 yrs ago, I remember posting that figuring out how to route the hoses was the most time consuming part of the job. The old original shocks came off reasonable well. NOT THE WAY IT WENT YESTERDAY! The top front bolt on the driver's side was a pain like I knew it would be. Getting the wrenches at the correct angle is the biggest problem as those bolts are not straight up and down. If you come at those front bolts from in front of the cross member, they aren't too bad, but you can't see what you're doing. Monroe supplied bolts that were a bit longer than necessary, so it takes more time and patience if one is being difficult. Anyway, got the top driver's side bolts out and moved to the passenger side. Passenger's side came off reasonable well, although the bottom bolt (OEM) was a kinda difficult. Back to the driver's side bottom bolt. I spent well over a 1/2 hr on that 1 bolt. First the nut didn't want to turn. I fought it all the way off. Then, I couldn't turn the bolt inside the hole through the shock to work it out. After I finally got it to turn, it STILL wouldn't come out, even after putting the nut back on and beating it with a hammer! Took forever to get that bolt out. Didn't help that I did this at work and didn't have all the resources I would have had at home. The new shocks went on easy, but after spending 4 hours on this job, I still have to reroute the lines, replace the bottom bolts with new ones since I couldn't get the nut all the way back on the one, and put the spare tire back up.

It's been a long time since I've had aches and soreness in places I did after that job. The good news is, I seemed to have worked out some of the kinks in my back and neck that bother me most of the time! And I have new shocks!

 

[tjtheman007]

I'll have to get better picture tomorrow.

Picked up a nice black COLOR MATCHED Leer cap tonight off craigslist for $200! Including the installation hardware! (I just didn't have the tools to remove the tonneau cover catches and then install the cap's L-brackets, hence the ratchet straps)
Has the boot/seal to connect to the cab to the bed for easy pass through too! (Gotta adjust it a little though)
Awesome find!

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Go to your local cap/topper dealer and get some clear "tape" to put on your truck where the front pass-through seal meets the truck. It's intended to protect the truck's paint. Not sure what it's called. Seems like it's something or other skin. It's been a long time, but as I recall, the "tape" clings to the truck without adhesive. You can probably find something similar at a home improvement store now. The truck will flex enough for the seal to rub the paint without some protection between them. I had a seal like that on my F-100 shortbox years ago and ended up taking it off, but I think my cap still had a front window.

Nice score!

 

[tjtheman007]

Go to your local cap/topper dealer and get some clear "tape" to put on your truck where the front pass-through seal meets the truck. It's intended to protect the truck's paint. Not sure what it's called. Seems like it's something or other skin. It's been a long time, but as I recall, the "tape" clings to the truck without adhesive. You can probably find something similar at a home improvement store now. The truck will flex enough for the seal to rub the paint without some protection between them. I had a seal like that on my F-100 shortbox years ago and ended up taking it off, but I think my cap still had a front window.

Nice score!

I'll have to do that!! Thanks!!
I also need that foam tape to go between the bedsides and the underside of the topper. (The tailgate needs like 1-2mm more height between it and the cap to be able to close nicely.)

Side note, I'll have to get a set of those Hijackers!!! I have the air monroe's on my 2000 explorer and liked em, but autozone has the Hijackers cheaper than rockauto and with a lifetime warranty!!!! Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[429CJ-3X2]

O'Reilly's has the Monroes for the same price as Autozone has on the Hijackers. I'm a rewards member with both O'Reilly's and Advance Auto, and now Autozone. By signing up for e-mails from Autozone before I went to the store, they sent me a coupon for $5 off. I paid less for the Hijackers plus sales tax than the original price of the shocks.

I've only driven 6-7 miles since putting the Hijackers on, but with just over 40 psi, they feel firmer yet ride better than the Monroes with 50 psi. That is in line with what I remember as my past experience with both brands.

Another advantage to the Hijackers is that the top mount is part of the rod and is not attached to the outer shell like the top mount on the Monroes. That means during installation and if/when the Hijackers need to be changed, you can pull the body of the shock down, making it easier to get a socket on the bottom end of the top bolts.

 

[Tobashadow]

Converted all inside lights to LED, can't wait to see how good it looks at night.

Edit: Went outside and looked, a bit brighter not a whole lot but much whiter which makes it easier to see especially in the back with map lights on also.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

The tailgate on my BLACK '01 ST is a mess with lots of putty that's chipping and losing paint. The driver's side hinge/pivot is rusting, so I recently started checking ebay and craigslist for a tailgate. I looked a little closer last week and saw the tailgate is the least of my problems. The area around the hinge/pivot on the truck bed is so rusted it's about to fall off. Checked craigslist Friday night, and saw this -
PARTING OUT BLACK 2002 FORD SPORT TRAC. https://fortdodge.craigslist.org/pts/6128854847.html .
I quickly realized they were only 2 hours away, so after trading several texts and a phone call Saturday, I hooked the '02 ST to the 6x12 trailer and headed off. I originally planned to get the bed and driver's door for $500, but took extra $$. I knew they were including the bed extender, but was surprised to see it also had the factory bed cover as well! This is what I came home with

A nice complete bed, extender, cover, nice rear bumper assembly (mine's a mess), the door with keypad like mine and inner panel with all switches, the steering column from wheel to firewall (and 2 keys), and a pair of ratty ST floor mats. There's some very minor damage to the left rear corner below the taillight, but otherwise everything's in pretty good shape, and its all the right color! I'll use the clockspring to get my horn and cruise control working. The cruise buttons are good too. Including gas and supper, total cost was right at $700. I hated leaving the hood and fenders and several other parts, but I didn't have anymore $$ with me.

Final cost will be less as I have no use for the bed cover, and now have 3 extenders, so one of those could go.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

FYI - a Sport Trac bed fits inside a 6' wide enclosed trailer, but it's wider either way than the door opening. It has to go in sideways so you can work the lower front corners through the door. Even then it's tight.

 

[N2FORD]

Took both the ST's on a short trail ride today. My son has lots of atv experience but not in his truck. I had my wife with him as I instructed via walkey talkey as he followed me. Trying to teach him how to look for the best line, momentum and safety. Only a picture of his truck this time.

 

[sickwilly]

Installed the Autospecialty matched rotor and pad set from Power Stop up front. Did the break in then spend a good hour towing the boat. Can't say they are any better than another brand, but the brakes were out of site out of mind, and the truck did exactly what it was supposed to do every time I stepped on the pedal even with a boat behind it.

Also drove to a dealer to look at a just listed 2008 ST with low miles and all the features I would want. After they tried to sell me a F150 and Tacoma, the guy finally says the used cars are down the road on our second lot. Let me call over there. Then he says, Oh sorry, that truck has sold. Next day a new add for it pops up on cars.com. Benefit of doubt would be they made a mistake. Likely, that is add is crap to get people to a lot.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I had hoped to swap beds this weekend, but decided instead to use parts from the steering column I bought to restore my horn and CC which haven't worked since I bought the truck. Here's how my clockspring came out of the truck. If you look close, you can see what I assume is dust from the airbag deploying.

I swapped in the clockspring and steering wheel from the column I bought, and now the horn and cruise both work! I almost talked myself out of using used parts yesterday. Glad I didn't!