Complete Interior Removal - Sans Dash

[mankypro]

Ok, just test drove. I'm pleased as hell with the results. No smell from the peel-n-seal and the cab is 100% quieter - all you can hear is the diesel "tick", it's AMAZING.

The new seats are very comfortable as well.

Very happy, very happy indeed.

 

[david85]

Ok, just test drove. I'm pleased as hell with the results. No smell from the peel-n-seal and the cab is 100% quieter - all you can hear is the diesel "tick", it's AMAZING.

The new seats are very comfortable as well.

Very happy, very happy indeed.

Cool, so what about wind noise? How fast did you take it?

 

[mankypro]

75mph, noticeably quieter - but still wind noise, since most of it comes from the greenhouse area not the undercarriage.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

mankypro,

Looking good, by the way.

my 1985 has exactly the same color interior as your truck; except, it has never had the wood-grain panels in the window-crank area.

Also, my fake wood-grain has always had sort of a purplish cast to it, and not the more real wood coloring that yours has.

I have recently ridden in a (looks like brand new) 1983 F-150 that has the same interior as your truck and it has the exact same wood-grain panels and rich wood coloring as your truck.

My truck is a Ranger XL cab; why don't I have the panels at the window-cranks and why is my wood-grain so purplish looking ??


Does anyone else have this purple-tinted wood-grain ??


Thanks.

 

[mankypro]

Funny everyone talking about my wood grain panels and door pockets

I still need to do the doors so maybe it'll get even quieter.

I have a few things I need to do before a 2k mile trip hauling a 16' trailer in 3 weeks - the doors will be last on the list.

Still need to:

1. rewire the glow plug to a momentary switch.

2. replace my dash bulbs with brighter ones

3. bolt on a hasp on the inside of the tailgate so that I can lock the back of the truck with a camper shell on it.

4. bolt in a spare tire holder in the bed.

4. upgrade alternator to at least 130a

 

[FordGuy100]

mankypro,

Looking good, by the way.

my 1985 has exactly the same color interior as your truck; except, it has never had the wood-grain panels in the window-crank area.

Also, my fake wood-grain has always had sort of a purplish cast to it, and not the more real wood coloring that yours has.

I have recently ridden in a (looks like brand new) 1983 F-150 that has the same interior as your truck and it has the exact same wood-grain panels and rich wood coloring as your truck.

My truck is a Ranger XL cab; why don't I have the panels at the window-cranks and why is my wood-grain so purplish looking ??


Does anyone else have this purple-tinted wood-grain ??


Thanks.

I do to, same Ranger XL cab, the purple color is just something I live with. I figured if I'm really ambitious I will plane a piece of wood, like red oak or something, down to like 1/8" thick and cut it out to match the paneling, stain it up, and glue it on. Might be a little out there though

 

[The Warden]

my 1985 has exactly the same color interior as your truck; except, it has never had the wood-grain panels in the window-crank area.

Also, my fake wood-grain has always had sort of a purplish cast to it, and not the more real wood coloring that yours has.

I have recently ridden in a (looks like brand new) 1983 F-150 that has the same interior as your truck and it has the exact same wood-grain panels and rich wood coloring as your truck.

My truck is a Ranger XL cab; why don't I have the panels at the window-cranks and why is my wood-grain so purplish looking ??

Does anyone else have this purple-tinted wood-grain ??

The wood grain instrument panel pattern was changed between '84 and '85. When they changed it, they made the XLT door panels so they have cloth inserts instead of the woodgrain panels. I had the same all-plastic door panels with woodgrain panels as mankypro on my truck originally; I've since replaced the driver's side panel with one from an '86 with the cloth insert, and I'm looking for a replacement door panel with the cloth insert for the passenger's side as well (personally, I like the cloth inserts, which is also why I haven't just bought LMC panels).

I BELIEVE the map pockets were changed between '84 and '85 as well; I have the same all-plastic panels as mankypro, and I'm pretty sure mine are original.

I also originally had the "old" pattern instrument panel woodgrain on my truck, but I've since replaced it with the "purple-tinted" woodgrain instrument panel pieces from an '86.

BTW, in case you all think I'm crazy these replacements were due to sun damage...my truck sat in the desert for a LONG time before I got my hands on her. This is why I'm keeping on the lookout for red '80-'86 interior trim pieces...everything that HASN'T been replaced is damaged, faded, and/or brittle...

 

[FordGuy100]

I hear you on the brittleness.....that just plain sucks. I was planing on pulling my interior next weekend, and taking all the panels and sanding them down, and painting them with some sort of plastic epoxy paint and get them so they arent brittle and fall apart when you touch them . But I have to take an SAT so that goes out the window......

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

My door panels are exactly like mankypro's, minus the wood-grain, just the same old red plastic as the rest of the panel around the window-crank, no cloth inserts.

My door pockets are cloth/elastic sort of bellows type pockets, factory original.


Are those nice big rigid plastic ones factory ??


Talk about brittle, I barely rested the weight of my hand on my dash-top and felt it crack.

There is a big hole adjacent to those little speaker-holes in top-center that I neatly concealed under one of those dash-top triple-gauge pods; it looks intentional.

 

[mankypro]

the map pockets were there, they seem to be heavy plastic. One is slightly cracked at the front.

p.s. dropped the the truck to have the tarted up rustless bed installed today. OMFG it's beautiful. He did away with the body trim chrome on it and just taped the transition so there are two offset color lines between the rangoon red and special white - looks like pinstripes. Looks so good the cab is going to look bad now.

He sprayed the underside with some space age 3m rustproofing and he bets it'll outlast the rest of the truck. This is a guy who does custom rods and such - he also caters to the obscenely rich crawler crowd in these parts. Can't wait to grab the truck in the morning! Oh and he did it for the rest of the donor truck - now he gets all my auto body work till the end of time.

 

[jimraelee]

do we all know you can buy new door panels??? not sure about the other body interior panels. I can check when I get home.

 

[mankypro]

http://www.lmctruck.com/ICATALOG/FD/full.aspx?Page=96

http://www.lmctruck.com/ICATALOG/FD/full.aspx?Page=94

 

[The Warden]

Not to be a smart aleck, but...

do we all know you can buy new door panels??? not sure about the other body interior panels. I can check when I get home.

(personally, I like the cloth inserts, which is also why I haven't just bought LMC panels).

To the best of my knowledge any "new" door panel available for an '80-'86 is JUST the plastic panel; no cloth insert, woodgrain panel, or anything else (in fact, I think you even have to transfer the chrome from your old panel). If there's a new '80-'86 panel available with the XLT cloth insert, I'm VERY interested...

 

[mankypro]

http://www.dennis-carpenter.com/pdf/80-89_2007.pdf

might try that catalog

 

[RedTruck]

Mankypro,

Any tips for sound proofing since you've had a chance to drive it a little more?

Thanks,

Paul