Got the deck on and the spare wheel painted, ready to mount a spare now. Got to be ready by March 20 for our first camping trip.

 

dove into the front of the truck and now i feel like i got into a brawl, but the truck is right finall.

all new MOOG tie rod, drag link, inner, outer, pitman arm,
MOOG track bar bushings,
Energy suspension Red leaf spring and shackle bushings
XRF upper and lower balljoints, all 4
spicer front axle u-joints
tightened the steering box 1/4 turn.
and a new spicer rear ujoint in the rear..

i hurt, but so far it feels like a brand new truck.

 

I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything after back surgery so I had to get a few things done' I removed the rear bumper and and trailer hitch, wire brushed, cleaned all the rusty metal, primed and painted. I also detailed it, wash, clay bar, polish and wax. It looks much better. I still have do the top of the truck and the wheels.

 

WOW that is a nice looking truck. Assuming the rest of the truck looks like that it would be worth mucho $$$ in Houston. Best on your surgery.

I could either watch the Oscars or do this after the 500.

 

Thanks Sandymane. The only part that doesn't look as good is the inside of the bed. It had a drop-in bed liner but it wasn't in good shape. I have pulled it out and now I'm planning on having a spray in liner put it. Is your liner a drop in? New?

 

Yes it is a drop in and has been on since new. It was a one owner. The liner had stuff in it 22 years old and I almost flashed back to the 60's when it came out with strange colors. It took a while to get it like the picture. When I bought the truck I honestly thought it was grey until I washed it. I don't think it was ever washed. My dad was born in Chireno and grew up in Hemphil. I really like the color of your truck. And you did a great job in getting it ready before surgery. What is your recovery?

 

I think your truck has better paint overall than mine. I have plenty of scratches and rock dings. I enjoyed getting the paint to look as good as I could get it. I used a Griot's Garage DA polisher and Meguiar's polishing compound and was. Also used to Griot's Garage Best of Show was too. I think I can get some more of the shallow scratches out. We just moved to this area about 2 years ago. We've had the property for about 10 years. We love the area compared to where we were, close to Houston. Do you still have relatives in this area? If you're in the area, stop by and we'll go fishing or for a motorcycle ride. Surgery recovery is going good but I'm not supposed to drive for another 3 to 5 weeks. A lot of restrictions. I think total recovery time will be about 6 months. I'm excited because the pain I had before seems to be gone. Spinal stenosis.

 

Stuffed it in my little garage pulled the wheels and gave it a once over for a list of things to fix for an inspection.
As far as I can see this is all that little truck needs for an out of province
- windshield
- park brake cables
- wheel cylinder
- shocks
- exhaust (was cut off after the first cat)
- u joints
- tires

Not too bad for a $1000 truck.
The brakes look like new almost
Couple tiny little dings but other then that there's a bit of surface rust thay needs a good sand and paint.

 

I used a Porter Cable for the first time and dawned, clayed and compound oxide remover plus the polish and wax. The top is trashed the oxide is so bad. The hood is about 80%. But because of the dirt on the truck the sides and everything else look almost new. I may just paint the top and the hood if I go that far. Thanks for the invite. My dad is 95 and likes to go back every year and wants me to take him on a day trip soon. Maybe I can stop and say hello. I used to race Enduros and Scrambles in East Texas and just over the line to Louisiana. Great woods riding and I imagine the roads would be great also. I won't ride in Houston now as it is to dangerous. First time without a bike since I was 11.

 

Where does your dad live now? I really love riding the paved roads up here. I can barely stand driving a car in the Houston area much less a bike. That's why I had the back surgery in Tyler. Let me know if you're in the area. I'm thinking about having the top of my truck painted too. It's pretty bad.

 

- replaced the drivers door hinges and learned how big if a pain in the *** it is to line them back up....
- while the door panel was off peeled the half crappy window tint job(can't have time for inspection I need to get) and learned the adhesive is a pain in the *** to get off.
- replaced he clutch pedal bushing and re installed the clutch switch that I found in the clove box and what dobya know it works now that the bushing is in... Lol
- painted the new shocks silver instead of the ugliest blue.
- installed new tailgate handle and freed up a stuck latch so tailgate is working good again.
- ordered the remaining parts I need except exhaust tip and tires to pass the inspection.
Productive day lol

 

Made some custom aluminum door sill protectors today.

 

Fixed my very intermittent wipers today. All it took was taking the stalk apart and cleaning out the old grease inside it. It was very easy and I found out how to do it here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...ml#post7183012

 

Made out pretty good at the pick and pull today. Chevrolesque Saginaw pump off a 5.8 96 or 97 Econoline, with the bracket, pulley, both hoses still attached, and A/C delete bracket/pulley. And from a 94 Bronco, hvac control panel/vacuum harness/blend door cable and heater core cover. All for $20. Still can't post pics cause I suck at technology. But, great afternoon.

 

Those look great. What kind of fasteners did you use?