My soon to be picked up 1986 XLT. Where to find parts?
These are a couple of pictures of my '86 that my father-in-law is giving to me (I'll hopefully pick it up the weekend of the 20th.) It's a fairly clean one-owner van but hasn't been started in 2 years. The paint is also very oxidized and thin in spots and the roof has some rust holes in the drip rails. I am just looking for a few suggestions right now.
1) What would be the best course of action for replacing/repairing this interior section? It's like that on both sides.
2)What about these window seals? On both sides they are cracked and splitting, but this is the only side with holes from wasps.
3) What would be the best course of action for fixing the roof? I don't have a good picture (it's 150miles away right now) but in one of the pics in my photobucket you can seal part of the seal coming up. That's about the ONLY 6-8inches of it that's left. The rest is bare, corroded metal and there are 4-5 small rust holes on the passenger side.
You may try 3M's Flexible Parts Repair Material to patch up the holes and cracks in the windows seals. They are an integral part of the window assembly, so they can't be easily replaced by themselves. One the other hand, you may be able to find replacements at your local salvage yard. They are kind of a trick to remove, so do it on a hot day when the butyl rubber sealer will most likely be soft.
To repair rust holes in the roof, you should get at both sides to make sure you clean up all the rust. This means removing all the interior panels. You will have to do that if you plan on replacing the windows. It will also let you take a better look at the openings that the side glass are mounted in, so you can clean those up as well if necessary.
It sounds like a lot of work. Are there any other problems with it, like the engine or transmission?
On my van, I applied silicon sealant to the two strips on the roof when they started to show wear (after cleaning them out with wax remover and rust converter).
AFAIK it has no other major problems besides the A/C. I'd like to do a 5-speed swap too before too much longer. This is going to just be a toy for the most part as my ol' Saturn and motorcycle are my DDs.
I had a feeling the seals were one piece with the window. Hopefully I can just clean them up/repair them.
The two strips are sadly nonexistent on the roof... Some people just don't understand the importance of wax.
I would definitely strip off what's left of the roof seals, clean out the channels, and re-seal.
If the interior bits are too badly damaged, you may have no choice but to replace them with bits from the salvage yards.
The interior panels come out after you remove a whole bunch of screws. You will have to remove at least the two rear rows of seats, and it may help to also remove the front buckets. If you are patient, you can try to repair them. I've rebuilt parts of vinyl interior panels using fiberglass on the back to recreate their shape, and then careful application of a hair drier can sometimes get the vinyl to shrink back onto the structure.
Do you know if it has the 2.8/2.9 Cologne or the 3.0L Vulcan v6 engine? That will make a major difference if you want to go 5-speed. Also you will need to find a donor van for the pedals.
Welcome to the Aerostar section!
Personally I would scout out some of your local salvage yards for Aeros in good condition and maybe try working out a price for a full interior from one of the Aero's there that are in better condition instead of piece mealing it. While you are at it, see if you can get the windows/seals too. I believe all of the interior panels will swap out from 86-97, but if it doesn't, you can make it fit. Or use 86-91 Aeros.
As for the rust, without seeing pics it is hard to say a course of action to take. Sometimes there is no hope if it is bad enough.
Good luck and keep us updated. :thumbsup:
__________________ '97 Ford Aerostar AWD 4.0L v6 AT 84k mi '07 Ford Taurus SE 3.0 Vulcan ATX 42k mi, Last of the original Tauri
Do you know if it has the 2.8/2.9 Cologne or the 3.0L Vulcan v6 engine? That will make a major difference if you want to go 5-speed. Also you will need to find a donor van for the pedals.
Welcome to the Aerostar section!
Personally I would scout out some of your local salvage yards for Aeros in good condition and maybe try working out a price for a full interior from one of the Aero's there that are in better condition instead of piece mealing it. While you are at it, see if you can get the windows/seals too. I believe all of the interior panels will swap out from 86-97, but if it doesn't, you can make it fit. Or use 86-91 Aeros.
As for the rust, without seeing pics it is hard to say a course of action to take. Sometimes there is no hope if it is bad enough.
Good luck and keep us updated. :thumbsup:
It's a 3.0l Vulcan. I'm hoping to be able to use the parts from a 3.0l Ranger.
Other than those few pieces, a tear in the driver's side seat, and the steering wheel the interior is in really good shape.
I'll post up some pictures of the roof this coming weekend when I pick it up.
ooo hawt! lol wasp's did that o.o holy... but wait did you say.... toy? o.O someone get this man to the hospital i have never heard of a minivan as a "toy" then again.... i owned one and it was a wee bit o fun :P .. but then the 4th tranny in it went and it threw a hod... so i had to put her down ( a few buddys some beer & guns!!) but anywho wish ya the best of luck on the little bugger
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Im INSANE way to many fords to list but lets try, f600,f8000,89 f-SD bucket truck 90 f-350 flatbed 93f-350 dually 88f-150 91ford ranger ..get the point?
Quote:
Originally Posted by wreckinball
our diesel soot will blot out the sun......the hippies will cry in the shade bwahahahahah
those holes look like the sliding window groove drain holes? can't tell for sure from pic.
try some paste cleaning polishing compound on the oxidized paint with a low speed buffer, may have to go over it twice and watch for burn thru. no high speed buffer/grinders please
follow with a paste wax.
works wonders on most Fords.
interior work can be a pain. keep all the screws and retainers possible. many will break because of age and rust.
silicone spray on an old cotton T shirt wiped on the black rubber trim cleans it up nicely, blackens it and protects from sun damage after washing. 303 Protectorate is the best but expensive, in marine supply stores.
Wow, you sure you want to sink your hard earned cash into this project? You could probably find a cleaner Aero for what you are about to spend on this one. Use this for a parts van. I've been there. In fact I've spent way more than my Escort wagon is worth putting it together. My rationale was gas mileage - it's double what the Aero gets.
I'm sorry to bring up this old post, but I have an 86 as well and mine has the exact same interior problem. I guess it melted or something, but I was wondering if you got around to fixing it, and what actions you took.
My drip rails are also rusted and have started to leak through, so any advice on what you did to those would also be helpful.
My 86 has a 3.0L vulcan too, which is strange because my 1986 EVTM and shop manual only have 4 cylinder, and 2.8L support
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Or use 86-91 Aeros.
