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The daily demo car.


prerunner

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Picked this 1997 5.0 Exploder up last summer for $500.



Between the fuel system issues and stuff that never worked right from day one I pretty much relegated it to being a rather unreliable daily driver.
Then I piled it up.



 


prerunner

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Like an idiot, I didn't have collision coverage so its up to me to fix the damned thing.
This will not be a "pretty" project. That much I can pretty much promise.

I got it back from the towing / impound yard last night so today is day one of the rest (end?) of its life.

I'll keep y'all posted as best I can.
 

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Applied a little bit of pull to the bumper. There's a strategically placed telephone pole about there.
I said it was gonna be ugly, right?





The right side is almost back to abnormal again.
It just has to do until I can afford something better. I can live with the origami-like bumper for a while.
I think legally, I need the lights though.

I really don't give a rats hymen what it looks like but don't want cops getting giddy from seeing it around.
 
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prerunner

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Well, as usual, my help hasn't worked out. Spent about an hour texting with him trying to get together to get a 98 Sploder parts rig. Him trying to convince me that going to Chilliwack to the Pick a Part was a better plan.
His plan sucks. I can hardly find enough tools here at home.

My Exploder started right up, didn't even have to reset the fuel inertia switch (whats up with that?) So to mess with the gf I turned it around while she was out. She thinks its "junk" (like everything I own) and I'm wasting my time and money fixing anything. She'll be surprised it ran at all.

If buddy can't get his crap together to help me get parts I gotta do something drastic. Cab, if need be, to get stuff.
Outside, visually, I need a real bumper, grille with all the fiberglass its attached to, left side lights and signals and a windshield.
Inside, I need a drivers side airbag. I think I can delete the pass one. The steering wheel is bent, and I've needed a power drivers seat track since day one.
Got the rad support pulled out at the top to just about where it should be. The airbag is out of the steering wheel and started cutting the bag out of the pass dash.

Its a big job but I'm a big guy and none of this scares me.
Much.

Edit: Bylaw came around to be "not happy" with my progress so the parts vehicle is about out of the question.
Still waiting for buddy to get here to go to Pick n Pull. At this rate, not much will happen today.
Have pretty much decided to move away from here.
 
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prerunner

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Still waiting for buddy to get here to go to Pick n Pull.
Buddy got here and we went to Pick a Part in Chilliwack, without enough tools. Luckily, a guy came along and helped us out. (thanks, dude.)
Place closed before we could pull the bumper but we got the drivers side airbag and complete front assembly / grille / pain in the butt - to get out.
Its off a 2000 Sport and its red. (this unit: http://parts.pickapart.ca/uploads/IMG_83241.JPG)
I'll grab a rattle can of black paint in my travels before it goes on.

Sorry no update pix today.

If I haven't stated it yet, the immediate goal is to get it going as a dd again. Down the road a bit it'll get a D44 front axle and some goodies. :icon_welder:
 
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prerunner

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Took until this afternoon to get time to throw the new nose on. Its "less than perfect." Meaning some things didn't line up worth a damn. I couldn't get the nut & studs from either bottom front corner (attach to the fender there.) So thats out of wack. The other thing was that the rad support had been pushed back into the battery. The top is pulled out but not along the side of the rad so the bolt collection there needs improvement.

But its on there and the same number of lights work as before. And its still a red grille. Never did get paint for it. Maybe someday.
lol





This important step didn't get done either, though I have the part. Some evil part of me wants an older style Ranger wheel instead. :dunno:



Toldja it'd be ugly. :D
 

prerunner

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Upon closer inspection, the steering wheel is probably toast too. The plastic crap the airbag mounts to is riveted down and its Smurfed. Beyond repair.

Edit: Police emailed me a copy of the accident report. Cop estimated damage to my $500 car at $10,500!
And its been taking me to & from work again already.
Somewhere in my sphere (the mess I currently call home) is another 8.8 Explorer axle with a Detroit locker in it. That Detroit is going into this thing at some point.
 
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prerunner

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Yeah, I know. I've been slipping on this thing.
Truth be told, I've been going nuts on the yard for when bylaw dude comes back (supposedly) next weekend. I finally secured a place to store the Bronco II for a couple weeks until after the heat is off. Hopefully I can score a trailer to move it to the island shortly after that.
The demo car unfortunately has been kind of a secondary consideration.
I did screw the cover for the pass airbag down and after cutting away much of the thin plastic on the bottom of the steering wheel managed to screw the used airbag down.
How funked up is it? You can read the barcode on the airbag. It sits a good half inch out of wack.





But at least now the airbag doesn't land in my lap when I drive. lol
I'm concerned if I get pulled over before the windshield and rv mirror are replaced I might get a box 2 or worse, have it condemned.
Its been a fun Ford filled life...
 

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I've been toying with the idea of converting from the "live axle" in this thing to adding the PVH type hubs and locking hubs (Rugged Ridge/AVM Part Number AVM 470 AVM470) to remove some rolling resistance when I'm on the road and in parking lots.
As Darrell Waltrip would say 'It pushes like a dump truck.'
Then down the road (when I can scrape up the $$$) maybe stick a lunchbox locker into the Dana 35 SLA setup. Which would be useless without the locking hubs, right?
This article shows the opposite of what I'd like to do: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/AVM_hub_swap.shtml

Note: The PVH hubs weren't just used from 1998 to early 2000 in the Ranger. Mazda B series 4x4 pickups used them until 2008. :icon_thumby:
 

prerunner

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In my research on this, its quite doable except that it requires a transfer case with a true 2wd option. Which my AWD doesn't have.
So I probably need to score another BW 4406 and the "correct" driveshafts and other odds and ends. Yes, I have one but its the better part of a day away ~ stored in my B-II.
More research is still needed yet...

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/410fortune-96-awd-ex-goes-low-range.166605/
:beer:

More concise link: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/convert-v8-awd-to-bw-4406-manual-shift-a-how-to-thread.166726/
 
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prerunner

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Left CV joint is noisy now. This weekend I'll get pricing for its replacement but I'm way broke. Bad timing.
:bawling:
 

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Left CV joint is noisy now. This weekend I'll get pricing for its replacement but I'm way broke. Bad timing.
:bawling:
There never is good timing for that.

I get to replace a wheel bearing hub POS thing on my F-150 tomorrow night. $120 from Rockauto, over $200 locally. Meanwhile it is $16 a side for wheel bearings in my Ranger that never go bad...

But yeah, isn't advancement great?

For your pushing/resistance isn't there something in the AWD T-Cases that breaks and can cause that?
 

prerunner

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There never is good timing for that.

I get to replace a wheel bearing hub POS thing on my F-150 tomorrow night. $120 from Rockauto, over $200 locally. Meanwhile it is $16 a side for wheel bearings in my Ranger that never go bad...

But yeah, isn't advancement great?

For your pushing/resistance isn't there something in the AWD T-Cases that breaks and can cause that?
Holy crap somebody is actually watching this. (I was treating it like a private blog. lol)
It seems like every year as winter approaches my dd has something go sour. Last year it was the fuel pump (note: that pump is back in the Sploder. I never figured out why it died but suspect wiring. ??)
Advancement sucks. All that stuff on the classic trucks lasts forever and its been replaced with "wear parts" that are expensive and short lived. Stuff like unit bearings and greaseless anything that should have a grease nipple are poorly thought out IMO.
One of my lesser goals on this wreck is to give it a real transfer case and hubs. Stuff that should have been available when new.
I was coming on here to note that I'm trying to get a 78 or 79 D44 for this. I'm hoping to have it home next weekend. As usual, cheap cuz its incomplete.
 

prerunner

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I'm set to pick up the Dana 44 on Saturday. Guy bought it to swap the outers from the knuckle out onto a classic Bronco. Other than that and except that its missing a frame bracket, its complete including springs and radius arms.
Some part of me wants to stick this axle under the Ranger for a while so I have time to sort out whats needed to cram the 60 under it.

We had a weather event here (snow, slight melt, refreeze) that seems to have killed the keyless entry on the Explorer. The lock no longer works on that door even when popped from the switch near the tailgate. Lock button has never worked on this door. Doesn't work with a key either so I probably look like I'm jacking the car every time I try to get in.

Supposed to snow all weekend but the gf and her fam are going on vacay so its all good.
:icon_thumby:

Edit: Its Saturday and snowing again. I postponed picking up the HP44 till tomorrow. GF and fam are overseas so I'm somewhat free. Car is buried and I'm not feeling digging it out today. Yup. I'm still lazy. :)
 
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prerunner

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The D44HP is Home, almost. Still floating around in the car for now. Driveway is brutally icy. I'm using it for traction since I don't want to break my stupid neck hauling it out of there.
It'll go under the Ranger for a while. The Sploder is a 4x4 of sorts already, the Ranger needs this worse right now.



Cross posted on the Ranger thread since it'll go there first.
 

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