Did UPS take care of you?

 

No, they didn't. They want me to ship the mirrors back to the sender- they said the sender has to make a claim. I figured I'd just hold onto them and see if I can stumble across a matching passenger side mirror. If I don't find a match before I find another set of mirrors, I'll throw them on the truck (which also has paddles). But if I do before finding another set, they'll go on the Ex.

Either way, I'll get 'em used on one of my Fords.

 

WTF is the point of the insurance then if they won't cover what they damaged.

 

They said that I need to make the claim!? I'm away on vacation till the 14th Joey, but I think I brought the paperwork with me. I can try to call and see what's required for the damage claim.

 

You shouldn't have to bother with it while you're on vacation! It's no biggie- I still have a good one.

 

Made it to 500 miles, then the passenger side caliper decided to start doing the same thing the driver side did. I had to keep prying the caliper to limp it home, then, when I was almost there, I lost all power steering.

For the brakes, I did the same thing I did on the driver side- replaced the caliper AND the flex hose. Problem solved.

The steering, on the other hand... I'm not sure what gave out, as fluid had coated everything, but there were massive amounts of metal shavings all throughout the system. So, not to take any chances, I pulled the steering box, pump and reservoir off of the truck and put them on the Ex, along with all new hoses. Everything is back to normal, and after an eyeball alignment, the steering is much improved. There was a lot more slop in the original Ex box than there is with the truck's box. I bet gunk from the fire got into the pump or something.

I also put the chrome front bumper back on the Ex.

But now, I'm at 600 miles with no other major issues. Even put her to work today bringing home some shop equipment (two CompAir Kellogg compressed air dryers and two pedestal sanders- all crammed INSIDE).

 

How is your wife liking the ex? (Who would ever thought you could use that sentence before)

 

She seems to like it, but I think she sometimes gets upset that it gets more attention than her Jeep. It's a lot nicer to use when we go fishing or camping- not being up to my ears with poles and gear like we are in the Jeep.

 

You've traveled a long road to bring her out of the ashes and it's good to hear she's about has all the kinks worked out.

 

Very impressive build. Keep up the good work.

 

Remind her the less the jeep is used the less it'll break down

 

More parts ordered, now I'm broke again...

This time I ordered the AC hose to replace the one I have with a hole in it, a new accumulator, an orifice tube, and an o-ring kit. I'll pick up the refrigerant locally, and the school has the PAG oil.

The best part- I'll be getting a grade for getting my own AC working again!

 

That deserves a....

 

Update-

The Ex earned me an A in the HVAC class project! Replaced the blown hose, the accumulator, orifice tube, and all the o-rings up front. Vacuumed the system down extra long due to being open so long, then pumped in the R-134a. Fired it up and the compressor screamed like a banshee. Recovered the freon and went home to steal the compressor from the truck. After another vacuum and recharge, I now have ice-cold AC front and back! I donated the locked up compressor to the school to use as a teaching aid to show students how a locked compressor feels from the clutch end.

For electrical II class, I was told that if I get the parts for the driver door window, it'll count as a grade there too. I sourced a motor and regulator locally for cheap, and Rock Auto carries the plug. But then... the frame on the Jeep gave up the ghost. I darn near rolled it on the way home from the store when the trailing arm mount ripped away from the frame. I seriously have no idea why the TJ Jeeps sell for as much as they do- they are the worst-constructed Jeeps ever. So here we are, with ONE vehicle again- so the window thing might not happen for a grade...

On the brighter side- I am just shy of 2000 nearly-trouble-free miles since the Ex has been back on the road. I say nearly because I did have to do that steering work a few posts back, and I did lose one COP.

We took our first long distance trip over the weekend of the 4th (My wife's birthday and our anniversary). We went down to southern Indiana to Lincoln State Park- 4 hours there and 4 back. I dropped the #4 coil about 20 minutes before we arrived there, but I did take a small collection of spare parts with us. I changed out the coil right there at the campsite, and all was well from then on (8 of the coils were from the truck and were pretty new, so I only had to worry about the two that came with the Excursion). The V10 isn't too hard on gas out on the highways and interstates- I used just under a half tank for the round-trip portion.

As for the need for a second vehicle- we plan to eventually put a new frame under the Jeep- we really don't have much choice, since we have to make payments on the yard ornament. We're kinda looking around for something cheap that runs, but something worthy of being a toy once the Jeep is back together. So far, the candidates are a 70 F100 with a straight-6 and 3-on-the-tree, a primered 78 Bronco with quarter panel rust issues, or a pair: a 2-door Maverick with no engine and a 4-door Comet with a low-mileage factory 302. We already passed on a 74 Super Beetle. We'll see where this goes...

 

Get the Maverick/Comet - great project cars, easy to work on, parts readily available (at least they were when I had mine). Once the Jeep is back in operation, you'll have his & hers project cars!