Since buying the F-150 i've been able to keep some miles off the Ex, If I hadn't and I was daily driving The Ex the last 4 years I'd be close to 185k instead of the 145k I'm at.

 

Finally got the 50" light bar mounted that my SIL got me for Christmas.
His only stipulation to help with the installation was sunny and above 70°, he's originally from Florida and not used to doing things in the driveway in New Jersey winter weather.

 

miles are an achievment, im proud to have 270k

 

Like clockwork, not a drop of rain for the last month+, trying to pack and leave for camping today, thunderstorms and heavy downpour.

 

They are! For my beaters and work trucks. For my personal nicer vehicles I like low miles!

I secretly wish I could replace my X with one exactly like it, from TX, with around or just under 100K. There isn't a single thing wrong with mine, I love it, I just like pristine vehicles.

 

Someone ran a stop sign and made a left turn into my Ex on the commute home yesterday. I thought just the rear bumber and the cladding was damaged but I just realized the lower corner of the D pillar is pushed in just enough that it makes opening the driver side tailgate a little more difficult. And when I close it I need to slam it and I can see the bodywork move out slightly.

 

Can you post pictures so we can see the damage?

 

Look at the gap between the body and the door, its narrower on bottom. Its pushed in enough to make scraping noises when you open it and it requires more force. When I close it I see the light and area below it push put and I need to slam it.

 

So we got slightly rear ended yesterday while up in Gettysburg. Nothing major, I guess they just weren't paying attention to where their vehicle was. I had the ball in the hitch so nothing happened to mine at all, but it put a nice size crack in their bumper.

 

Installing a backup camera that came with a 20' cable. Too short, a 33' cable is on order.

 

Took it to dinner and we did another Escape room, liked this one a lot better, but it cost more.

then took some pictures on my way home at 11:45pm, plenty of light even on a very windy rainy night.

 

I installed Firestone Ride Rite air bags

 

Sounds like you have the same luck I do. Hope all goes well with your trip. Have fun!

 

That sucks. Hopefully It can be fixed easily. Bumper upgrade time???

 

As I mentioned earlier, I bought a cast kit for my leaky oil pan. Like anything else, success is in the preparation. Getting to some of the areas to clean and prep the pan was not fun, in fact it was a huge mess. With any type of rust repair, once you shove the screwdriver through, the hole grows exponentially. I had one small when I started but a few more opened while power sanding the surface. I used 30-80 grit media, wire brushes for scale and pits and Coleman fuel for cleanup. I wore a head sock and shield during cleanup/prep. Its a very dirty process and you will expend many resources. I used a pneumatic angle grinder and straight grinder with a small sanding pad. I used a drill with a paddle sander in some spots and had to go manual in the tight areas. Mainly between the cross member and pan, its tight there. I have it up on ramps so I have some space to work but its still a total PIA. I did some trimming on the fiberglass tub for a better fit. I used a drum sander on a drill for that. I also did some hammering on the pan so the tub would nest tightly.

Mixing the epoxy (wear a mask!!) was interesting. Its very thick. When you butter the pan, there are strings, kinda like pizza cheese, so you have to be careful not to get it on your skin. I wore 3 pairs of plastic gloves while doing this step. It was a total mess.

Then you just shove the tub on and support it. I made sure all the edges were covered tightly with the epoxy so no water or salt can get in there. I put the filter on and wedged it for clearance.

Once thats done, its time to clean up. Anything that touched the epoxy.....trash it. Use the Coleman fuel to get it off your skin and then clean up with Windex.

I didnt get shots of the goop applied because I didnt want my phone subject to that mess. Trust me, it was awful.

In 30 hours I'll remove the jack and put things back together.


Out of the box.


Cast prepped and ready.


Pan prepped and ready.


Applied and supported.