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I've been thinking (now my head hurts) this forum is a bit moribund so to liven things up, I figure to start a build thread. The truck I got was one of those where previous owners let a bunch of things build up until it wasn't worth the trouble to pay someone to fix everything.
I haven't named the truck yet. I do that to keep track of my vehicles, if you name it you take better care of it, and I have an........odd.....sense of humor. Here's the truck I'm starting with;
It's a 2004 with the 16 valve 5.4 Triton, engine code L. I put in $20 worth of fuel and drove it 110 miles home. It's a good solid base, just sadly neglected.
First problem. The front brakes. The PO said the left brake hose was collapsing.It didn't feel like it but there was an occasional pull to the right that indicated a problem with the left. Generally a hose will catch, but not release pressure. Due to corrosion on the calipers, I ordered new flex hoses, calipers and rotors. A check with a run out gauge showed excessive warp on the LF rotor. Pulling the front brakes apart, I found this.
This caliper has been frozen for some time. The factory bevel on the pads usually wears off fairly quick. This would explain the bad habits the brakes displayed. Once I got the brakes back together, a total brake flush was in order. Once I got the Chocolate syrup out of the brake lines, I took it out on the expressway to bed the pads in and season the rotors.
End result, I now have brakes that will haul this puppy down from speed fast and smooth. These brakes will stop a politician from asking for money.
Last edited by Ol' Grouch; Feb 17, 2024 at 12:14 PM.
Reason: i kaant spel wurth a durn
Really wild how people drive an expensive purchase into the ground. My 01 F150 had 215k on stock rotors! Insane. The 01 Mexpedition had a leaking intake manifold and PO just filled with hardass AZ tap water for years.
Cooling system so ratty I even installed an inline filter on it.
Had the old gal out last night and while I knew the headlights were weathered, I didn't realize how bad.. I've got some new lights I ordered when I bought the truck so I swapped them in today. I'm not normally a fan of Chinesium headlights but mine were worse than useless. Unlike others though, these went in fairly easy and were aimed close to the factory ones. Just MUCH brighter, even with the same bulbs.
Between a brighter day and the new headlights, the truck looks a lot better. The lights may be cheap, but they look good and were easy to put in.
Really wild how people drive an expensive purchase into the ground. My 01 F150 had 215k on stock rotors! Insane. The 01 Mexpedition had a leaking intake manifold and PO just filled with hardass AZ tap water for years.
Cooling system so ratty I even installed an inline filter on it.
Does yours have a 4R100 or the 70W?
I'm afraid I can't tell you. It's a 4 speed automatic. I was trained in the late 60's and early 70's and closed my shop in '84. This '04 is rare with me because I tend to stay with pre-2000 vehicles. I'm tracing a lot of vacuum leaks as it keeps running lean and popping codes. I'm seeing a bunch of deteriorated vacuum lines.There are a bunch of other issues too.
A shame really as the truck runs smooth and strong. I've gotten all the windows but the drivers, to work so I can air it out pretty well. I've got trays filled with baking soda laying around to absorb the cigarette smell. I've even got a new pad and cover for the drivers seat bottom. I'm doing as much as I can because I have abdominal surgery in a couple of weeks and won't be able to lift more than 10 pounds for a while afterward.
Warm day today and I'm getting close to abdominal surgery which will put a hold on working on my equipment for a while. My new window regulator came in the other day. I thought I ordered one with the motor but evidently not. With the warm weather, today was the day to fix the window.
Tore the door down to find cables hanging in shreds. I sort of expected that. I didn't expect the motor to be missing and everything held together with zip ties. Lots of cuts to the hands getting in the sheet metal frame. I was a bit concerned as to how I was going to unbolt the glass as the assembly is inoperable. I needn't have worried.
That is a piece of PVC conduit cut to fit to hold the glass up. I need to find a couple of channel clips to hold the glass to the regulator and I need to source some bolts to assembly the motor and such. That probably irks me more than the conduit.
Got my window fixed. I tried watching a video at U of Y. (YouTube) Try as I might, I couldn't get the glass in. Between no hardware and confusing directions, I was running out of time.
I fnally resorted to making things to assemble it. Three #10 X 3 inch self drilling screws held the motor in place. I used a Dremel to cut the protruding pieces of the screws off for a smoother installation. After putting the regulator in and fighting it for an hour or so, I pulled it back out. I finished bolting the channel clips to the regulator and then I put the window in the door and held it in place with a suction cup.
This held the glass in place. I then put the regulator back in the door. Once it was bolted in place, I then slid the glass down into the channel clips that had some windshield installation ribbon in them for glue. Reassembly went easy after that. All my windows now work.
Another warm day today. Nearly 80 degrees. I got to thinking (dangerous to do that, I know) and since I had plenty of tape and a couple of cans of paint for all surfaces, I'd paint the side trim. I was originally going to paint the trim on the truck but as I looked up close, I noticed it just pops on. Add in the wind was blowing 20-30 mph, trying to spray paint was a losing proposition. I think it took about 20 minutes to remove the side cladding. I used a couple of trim tools and for the fender part, a 5.5 mm ignition wrench. The rear 1/4 panel clips didn't want to come out so I snipped them. Replacements were $4.
The truck does look different without the cladding. It should pop right on when done. The front and rear bumper covers will probably be painted on the truck, but that's down the road. I'm just marking time while I wait for the computer and dash cluster to come back from testing.
Once it's back together, this will probably be my daily driver for most errands. Thinking ahead, when the cladding is done and I paint the wheels, this is going to look a LOT like an unmarked police SUV.
Last edited by Ol' Grouch; Mar 4, 2024 at 04:26 PM.
Reason: i kant spel wurth a durn
It's been bit since I got cut and I'm moving around better now. I'm still ugly but what they thought was the problem, wasn't. I was distracted by the pink elephants flying around the room afterward. At the follow up exam a week later, I found out it was something I've had all my life and just decided to act up. The chances of it reoccurring are as close to zero as possible. Good enough for me.
I'm still tracking down a no start condition. Got a little trim work done but I thought I had a picture of it, but evidently not.
I'm reviving this thread. I've recovered from surgery and finally got the old gal running again. It only took 4 months to track it down. I've fallen out of love with this car so it may not be around long. I still like Ford products, just not the new ones. Too complex and dainty.
The old computer was supposedly tested. The new computer fired right up. I detailed the whole history in another thread on the main page under electrical issues.
Here is a question for ya, ever serviced your rear axle? Eyed mine today as I have not (I KNOW) but it is full and the front axle, tcase, and trans are all fresh. That trac bar has me wondering if it needs to be pulled to service it.
Here is a question for ya, ever serviced your rear axle? Eyed mine today as I have not (I KNOW) but it is full and the front axle, tcase, and trans are all fresh. That trac bar has me wondering if it needs to be pulled to service it.
I checked and topped off all the drivetrain fluids when I changed the oil after I got it. I checked the engine this morning and the oil was nice and clean and still full. I watch that as I do have a couple of small oil leaks. The differential lube was clean and not gritty when I checked it then.
I've got a slight clicking from the front sway bar. The steering is tight and doesn't wander, but that clicking is bothersome. I ordered a set of front and rear end links today. I also have some yellow fog lamp bulbs on order. I'm getting ready to freshen the front bumper cover up and I'm going to polish the foggy lamp lenses. I like to run actually yellow bulbs in fog lamps as white ones won't shot up on foggy mornings with the sun above the fog causing a white out condition.
Well, got my cleaning and touch up done. I've got a lot to do inside but outside it looks a lot different. Here are some views from when I got it and also today.
The original headlights were unrepairable so I got new ones. the fog lamps were pulled when I painted the bumper cover and I used scratch remover to polish them. They are still a bit weathered, but look a lot better. I've got yellow bulbs on order to convert them to actual lights to use in fog.
A couple of cans each of Krylon all materials spray paint did wonders for the looks. Gloss black for the wheels and satin black for the plastic cladding. I painted the bumper covers with the satin black too.
It isn't a former police vehicle, but it sure looks like it. The stains and fading looked terrible on the cladding and the fresh paint looks a whole lot better. People don't notice the handicap plate in back though. Add in the dash cam in the windshield and I have yet to have anybody cut me off.
One thing I want to attend to is the cruise control. When I was younger I had no trouble maintaining speed. Now, I might be doing 60, or I might be doing 80 on the interstate. I got another cruise servo but it won't fit. The electrical plug is different and the actuator cable is different. I've put two different sets of switches in it so I suspect the servo. The fuse is good.
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