Big Ugly goes to rehab

Wow, talk about learn something new everyday...

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79jasper said:

Wow, talk about learn something new everyday...

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Like the aceatone trick good to know

i have never heard of the acetone trick, very cool. i will have to try that next time.

awesome progress, i sort of ran into the same issue. i had some bubbling when i went to seal my rear frame and i am not sure why. i thought it was cleaned up but still had little pin holes in the sealer.

Just stumbled on this thread, made a good day better! Thanks for being detailed with your posts.

I am also rehabbing my 1990 little by little. This thread is full of useful info, but can also get me in trouble with my lady if I start dropping dollars on all the areas needing work. "Ugly but mechanically sound" is my aim also.

Need:
E-brake line (it sticks and may only need to be lubricated)
body/bed to frame mount bushings - Any leads on your favored product?
AC system non-op - I'll dig back in this thread when I'm ready to pull the trigger.

Done in the last two years:
Vacuum Pump
All U-Joints
Gear Box refurb
Front diff gears
battery leads (both sides)
Radiator Re-glaze
DynaMat flooring and door panels
RF lines and injectors
Steering box refurb
Both front CV axles
shocks
Rear leafs re arched
Add a leaf front and re arched
front brakes
clutch
thermostat
Vent fan
sound system

IDIFanatic said:

Just stumbled on this thread, made a good day better! Thanks for being detailed with your posts.

I am also rehabbing my 1990 little by little. This thread is full of useful info, but can also get me in trouble with my lady if I start dropping dollars on all the areas needing work. "Ugly but mechanically sound" is my aim also.

Need:
E-brake line (it sticks and may only need to be lubricated)
body/bed to frame mount bushings - Any leads on your favored product?
AC system non-op - I'll dig back in this thread when I'm ready to pull the trigger.

Done in the last two years:
Vacuum Pump
All U-Joints
Gear Box refurb
Front diff gears
battery leads (both sides)
Radiator Re-glaze
DynaMat flooring and door panels
RF lines and injectors
Steering box refurb
Both front CV axles
shocks
Rear leafs re arched
Add a leaf front and re arched
front brakes
clutch
thermostat
Vent fan
sound system

Click to expand...

Sounds like we're in the same boat. I've done some things you've not done and vice versa.

Do you have a build thread?

subway said:

i have never heard of the acetone trick, very cool. i will have to try that next time.

awesome progress, i sort of ran into the same issue. i had some bubbling when i went to seal my rear frame and i am not sure why. i thought it was cleaned up but still had little pin holes in the sealer.

Click to expand...

A litttle more on the bubbling and pin holes. It turns out my neighbor started pressure washing his house at the same time I was painting on the POR15. What are the chances of that? I didn't realize it at the time and initially didn't make the connection but it makes sense now. Anyhow the mist from the pressure washer floated on down to the truck. It was obvious the next day when he was doing it again and a big cloud of mist floated by my front window.

Dirtleg said:

Sounds like we're in the same boat. I've done some things you've not done and vice versa.

Do you have a build thread?

Click to expand...

I don’t have a build thread. I didn’t take before/after photos.


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Been a little while and I've not done a whole lot of work on the truck but I have been working on interior trim a little.

After fixing the broken pieces I decided all the interior plastic needed to be refinished.

I looked around at different products, read reviews, and looked at colors to try and match what ford had used on my truck in 93'.

What I ended up with was Color Bond.
Here is the color I purchased.


The 2 trim pieces in this picture show the original, 25 year old trim color on the top piece and the painted piece below it.


The drivers side kick panel was pretty ugly, scratched and faded.
Before.


After.


So far it seems it's bonded really well to the old plastic trim. Not easy to scratch. I accidentally dropped a painted piece and it slid down a rough edge of another plastic piece without scratching.

And for a color blind guy I think the color is a pretty close match but may be just a bit darker.

You must be color blind, that paint is bright purple
Just kidding, it looks great.

Nice tip I will be doing my interior next on “ Big ****** “
Once it gets back from getting both tanks refurbished

Well it's finally time for an update again. Been working too much this year but the dash is finally out and sitting in my garage.

I installed the dash bracket repair kit.

And here it is on the dash.


Next up fix some of the cracks.
Here is the headlight switch area.


I tried using acetone to rebond the cracks but there was too much negative tension for it to hold. So I determined it would be best to fill and rebond it as it had taken a set to it's new shape. My hope is it won't crack again since I'm not reintroducing the tension in that area.

First make a slurry out of a broken piece of ABS, in this case the tab off my old glovebox, and acetone and letting melt in the acetone.


Using a flat blade screwdriver as an applicator I filled the cracks and let it cure. Later I want back and did another fill. It's a litte smeary but won't be visible behind the dash panel.

Next up was fixing this crack on the top of the dash.


Same thing use the acetone/abs slurry just fill it and blend it into the dash texture. Guess I forgot to get an after picture. I'm also going to use some fiberglass on the inside ot the crack to add strength there.

I did the same thing on several smaller cracks as well. Once painted over it will be very hard to spot the repairs.

This was my trailer brake controller wiring.



I didn't like it at all. So I bought a weatherpack kit and turned it into this.


And I had gotten a new glove box from the salvage yard but it was red. Not anymore.


Once I finish all the dash repairs it will get repainted as well.

Now I just need to get my butt in gear and get this done before the rally.

So this might be going against the general theme of Big Ugly but I've been searching for a good tailgate for a while. On monday I found one locally after searching CL on a regular basis for the past 6-8 months.

Form follows function and all that but in this case the function needed to be improved. It just happens the form was improved as well.

It's the wrong color but I couldn't care less about that. Here it is.



I'll throw it on after finishing the dash install.

As if getting the interior re-installed wasn't enough I threw these in the mix as well.


Front brakes. All of it. Hoses are new as of last year so not going to sweat those but everything else is due to be refreshed.

Hope I have time to finish it before I leave. If not I'll just install them at the rally.

Dirtleg said:

As if getting the interior re-installed wasn't enough I threw these in the mix as well.

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Front brakes. All of it. Hoses are new as of last year so not going to sweat those but everything else is due to be refreshed.

Hope I have time to finish it before I leave. If not I'll just install them at the rally.

Click to expand...

The stoptechs are game changers, big improvement on braking when I installed them on the shop truck.